JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – U.S. congressman and candidate for Florida governor, Byron Donalds, says his mission is to keep Florida the best state in America while preparing it for future growth.
“Gov. DeSantis has done a tremendous job,” Donalds said, “But now we have to continue to do all the heavy lifting on making sure Florida is affordable for the people of our state.”
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Donalds emphasized the need to expand Florida’s economy with high-paying jobs and to modernize government operations to improve efficiency.
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He also pointed out that “in a lot of areas, it takes a year, two years, sometimes longer, just to put a shovel in the ground,” referring to the permitting process that delays housing construction. “If you’re going to lower the cost of housing, you have to make the ability to build that housing more efficient.”
On his relationship with former President Donald Trump, Donald said having direct access to the president benefits Florida.
“Being able to pick up the phone and call the president at any given time really helps Florida,” he said.
While he may disagree with the president on some policy issues, such as the AI moratorium, Donalds affirmed, “If you’re gonna ask me, do we have the right man in the White House? 100% we do.”
On property insurance and affordability, Donalds highlighted recent tort reforms as a positive step.
“There’s been not one insurance carrier in our state that has requested a premium increase,” he said.
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He stressed the importance of maintaining these reforms for at least five years to properly assess risk and reduce premiums. Donalds also noted that insurance covers replacement cost, not purchase price, so reducing building delays can lower construction costs and insurance premiums.
When asked about apparent racially charged comments from gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, Donalds answered, “I’m not going to respond to ignorance.”
See the full interview on “This Week in Jacksonville” on Sunday at 9 a.m.