How much does government cost? That is a powerful question and the answer is: nobody really knows. The government has no money of its own. All they have is tax money extracted from the citizens and so many taxes are hidden that no one can say for sure just how much the government costs. Each year we spend money, time and energy to fill out income tax forms to find out how much it costs us individually to keep government running and fulfill our national and international obligations. The Income Tax is so convoluted that most individuals need to spend money on tax preparers or tax software to complete these forms. An entire industry has arisen to help people combat the I.R.S. if they get audited. In my opinion, any law that spawns such an industry to get around it, is a bad law to begin with and should be repealed. However, if you repeal the Income Tax you need to replace it with something better and that is the FAIRtax. Continue reading

One of the best and most significant measures of the strength of the local economy is the housing market. 2023 was a record-year on several fronts. It marked the highest ever number of new single-family homes completed, and the 2nd highest number of permits issued. Additionally, it was the 2nd best year on record for the sale of existing homes. The Ocala Metro was one of only 3 Florida metros and one of only a handful nationwide that saw an increase in year-over-year sales of existing homes. Finally, 2023 saw the largest number of new Multi-Family developments to come online with the addition of approximately 2,000 units.

This growth is being fueled by the continuing large number of new residents relocating to the area. The Ocala Metro again ranked in the top 2 in U-Haul’s annual Top Cities for Growth. This is significant because it highlights the strong growth of younger residents to the community and reinforces the growth in both traditional single-family and multi-family developments. Further attesting to this growth is the record enrollment at Marion County Public Schools which surpassed 45,600 students in the fall of 2023. This reflects a 10% increase in the last two years. Continue reading

Dear Friends,

It has been yet another great month in the Florida Legislature. I am honored to be able to represent the constituents of District 13 here in Tallahassee. With Session coming to an end, here are a couple of key pieces of legislation that we have had the pleasure of working on.

Firstly, The Florida Senate passed Senate Memorial 598, sponsored by Senator Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), with bipartisan support. This memorial urges the federal government to enforce current immigration laws and secure our southern border.

The willful and systemic refusal of the Biden Administration to enforce immigration laws has allowed for a crisis to unfold at our southern border. This crisis impacts every community, not only across the State of Florida, but across the entire country as illegal immigrants overrun our southern border with those associated with drug cartels bringing weapons, fentanyl, and other contraband that devastates families and communities. Further, the influx of illegal immigration has placed a significant financial burden on Florida’s taxpayers. Continue reading

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