Dear Neighbor,

It was another busy week in Florida’s Third District, focused on supporting our local businesses, strengthening American innovation, and fighting for our hardworking communities!

This week, I had the opportunity to visit local businesses, connect with some of North Central Florida’s brightest minds in agriculture and healthcare, and see the exciting innovations happening right here in our backyard. I also traveled to Cedar Key to hear firsthand about the community’s continued recovery from devastating hurricanes and the challenges still facing our hardworking seafood producers.

Every stop was an opportunity to listen, learn, and better understand the needs of our communities. I’m taking those conversations back to Washington and continuing to fight for more opportunities, stronger communities, and a brighter future for North Central Florida.

As always, thank you for the trust you place in me to serve as your voice in Washington.

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Standing with Cedar Key as Florida’s Rural Coast Rebuilds Continue reading →

Dear Neighbor,

It was another busy week in Florida’s Third, and I spent it with the people who make North Central Florida such a special place to call home.

This week, I secured more than $3 million to keep homeless veterans in Ocala and Gainesville housed, fought for greater accountability in the People’s House, and called attention to the challenges facing Florida’s farmers as we work to break through gridlock in the Senate.

From celebrating leaders for their dedicated service to our community to bringing healthcare leaders together and enjoying some Friday night football, this week was all about showing up, listening, and fighting for the people I’m proud to represent. I was also honored to send veterans from North Central Florida to D.C. for the First Coast Honor Flight, a chance to recognize the heroes who sacrificed so much in service to our nation.

Whether I’m in Washington or on the road across North Central Florida, my job is the same: get results for the people I represent and make sure your voices are heard.

As always, thank you for the trust you place in me to serve as your voice in Washington.

Dear Neighbor,

This week was all about bringing more opportunities home to North Central Florida and hearing from the hardworking folks who make Florida’s Third District the best in the nation!

We helped deliver $3 million for Florida Gateway College’s new construction trades center and kept up the push for water infrastructure funding for our counties. I also sat down with community leaders and business owners to hear what’s holding them back. I’m taking that straight to Washington.

In the news, I talked about H.Res. 500, my resolution to require background checks for House staff, and my work as Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus to combat sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill. The People’s House should set the standard for accountability.

Whether I’m helping create opportunities here at home or fighting to clean up Congress, my mission is clear: deliver results for North Central Florida and make sure Washington works for you.

As always, thank you for the trust you place in me to serve as your voice in Washington.

Inflation is often described as “too few dollars chasing too few goods” While that may be an oversimplification of a complex issue, it captures an important truth: prices rise when the supply of money and purchasing power grows faster than the supply of products and services available for purchase. Let’s see how the FAIRtax addresses the “too few goods” side of that equation by encouraging more production.

The current income/ payroll tax system taxes wages, profits, interest, dividends, capital gains and business income. The FAIRtax removes federal taxes from the production process and places the tax at the point of final retail sale. By doing so, the FAIRtax would stop penalizing work, savings, investment and business expansion.

Under our present system, businesses face corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, tax compliance costs, depreciation rules and other federal burdens that raise the cost of producing goods. Those costs are built into the prices we pay. They also discourage investment that would otherwise increase factories, equipment, inventory, transportation capacity and employment. As the saying goes, “the more something is taxed, the less you get of it”. Continue reading →

LAKELAND, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida’s Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday is back for a second year, providing tax relief on firearms, ammunition and a wide range of hunting, fishing and camping supplies through December 31. The Governor also broke ground on the new Florida Archery Center at Tenoroc in Lakeland, expanding opportunities for Floridians to participate in shooting sports and enjoy the outdoors.

“Since I became governor, we have enacted billions of dollars in tax cuts. This year’s hunting, fishing and camping sales tax holiday—ongoing through December 31—will provide Floridians with even more tax relief,” said Governor DeSantis. “We are proud to protect Floridians’ Second Amendment rights while helping hunters, anglers, and sportsmen keep more of their hard-earned money.”

The Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday began September 1 and runs through December 31, 2026. During the holiday, Florida will suspend the collection of sales tax on eligible firearms, ammunition and hunting, fishing and camping equipment.

Eligible purchases include:

Ammunition;

Firearms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns; Continue reading →

Since 2022, nearly 12,500 new law enforcement officers across the state have received bonuses through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program, totaling more than $83 million.

LAND O’LAKES, Fla.— Today, Governor Ron DeSantis awarded more than $10 million in bonuses to 1,506 new law enforcement officers through the Florida Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program, including 38 new recruits in Pasco County. Since 2022, nearly 12,500 new law enforcement officers across the state have received bonuses through the program, totaling more than $83 million.

“In 2022, while some cities were reaping the disastrous results of “defund the police” experiments, I signed landmark legislation to strengthen law enforcement recruitment and retention in Florida,” said Governor Ron DeSantis.  “In the four years since, we have awarded nearly 12,500 bonuses totaling more than $83 million to our law enforcement officers. We have also made record-breaking investments in officer pay, benefits, training, and protections for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the people of our state. We continue to build on this foundation to keep Florida the most law enforcement-friendly state in the country.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida’s initial list of eligible short-term workforce programs for purposes of implementing the new federal Workforce Pell Grant program. This program is a Trump Administration priority and provides federal financial aid to students enrolled in short-term workforce training programs that lead directly to employment in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations.

Aligned with state workforce demand, the Workforce Pell Grant supports students’ continued education and career advancement while strengthening the state’s workforce pipeline. Workforce Pell eligible programs must prepare students for occupations that demonstrate strong labor market demand or fulfill critical workforce needs within Florida’s economy and communities.

“Florida is number one in workforce education, and the Workforce Pell Grant funding enables us to build on our track record of success,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The programs eligible for Workforce Pell funding are preparing students for high-wage, in-demand careers. We’re glad that thousands more Floridians will be able to take advantage of these opportunities without needing to take out loans or break the bank.” Continue reading →

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) secured $50 million in new and expanded federal water and wastewater infrastructure authorizations for Columbia, Suwannee, Marion, and Gilchrist Counties, along with a coastal storm risk study for Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County, in the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (H.R. 9497), which passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 415 to 9.

The House-passed bill:

Authorizes up to $39.3 million for water and wastewater infrastructure in Columbia and Suwannee Counties.

More than doubles Marion County’s existing authorization, from $10 million to $20.5 million, providing an additional $10.5 million in authorized capacity.

Authorizes up to $200,000 for water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, in Gilchrist County.

Directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study coastal storm risk management for the town of Horseshoe Beach, including shoreline damage prevention and mitigation.

“Our water and wastewater systems in North Central Florida carry the weight of decades of growth and back-to-back storms. Columbia, Suwannee, Marion, and Gilchrist Counties needed a federal partner. Securing these three priorities in the House-passed WRDA is an important step toward delivering the infrastructure these growing communities need,” said Congresswoman Kat Cammack. “Horseshoe Beach took a direct hit from Idalia and Helene, and this study is the first step toward advancing long-term coastal storm protection for the community. I fought to get these provisions in the bill, and I will keep pushing to get these priorities across the finish line.” Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03), Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, released the following statement after the House voted 413-2 on Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) following a bipartisan House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct toward two staffers:

“Yesterday, I voted to censure Congressman Chuck Edwards.

I read the Ethics Committee’s report, and I read his letter and his lawyers’ response with the seriousness they deserve. He had every right to defend himself. It did not change my vote.

The Committee found a persistent pattern of unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young women on his staff, and he did not deny much of the underlying conduct. In fact, defends it. He defends the gifts and the poetry, and he defends traveling with a young woman who had only just left his office. His argument is that none of it broke a rule, and that is precisely the problem. Continue reading →

OPINION

BY CONGRESSWOMAN KAT CAMMACK

Twenty-five years ago this morning, America watched the unthinkable unfold. 343 New York City firefighters went up the stairs of the World Trade Center so everybody else could come down. They did not come back.

I was 13 years old and living in Colorado. I remember the shock of that morning. I remember watching first responders run into danger while thousands of people fought to get out. That image has stayed with me ever since.

It never left a young man named Matt Harrison either. What he saw that day set the course of his life. He chose the fire service. Today he serves Gainesville Fire Rescue as a firefighter and paramedic, and he spent six years as a SWAT medic. I am proud to be his wife.

Life in a first responder family gives you a close view of service. The tones can go off at any hour. Dinner goes cold. The person you love walks out the door to meet a stranger on the worst day of that stranger’s life. Continue reading →