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Former Florida House speaker and governor candidate Paul Renner addresses affordability challenges

Paul Renner on This Week In Jacksonville (WJXT)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville attorney and Republican candidate for Florida governor, Paul Renner, pointed to a simple but critical problem while discussing affordability: costs have risen faster than wages.

ā€œIt’s the price of everything, and it’s more than our incomes have gone up,ā€ Renner said, highlighting the growing gap between expenses and household earnings.

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Renner acknowledged that while politicians cannot control every cost — such as grocery prices — there are meaningful levers the state can pull to ease financial pressure.

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He drew a clear distinction between grocery bills, which are largely influenced by global markets, and other household expenses like property taxes, insurance, and utility bills, where state policy can make a difference.

On energy policy, Renner emphasized three key principles: affordability, domestic production, and reliability. He warned that expanding power generation through more expensive methods ultimately results in higher costs passed on to consumers.

ā€œThat cost gets passed along to consumers and ratepayers,ā€ Renner said, cautioning against overreliance on costly renewable energy sources that may not provide consistent power.

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Regarding property taxes, Renner backs a near-term rollback proposal similar to one put forward by Gov. Ron DeSantis. This concept would use the 2024 tax bills as a baseline.