Jacob Ogles
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto traveled to Tallahassee to offer a message for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans: You’re welcome.
At a press conference with state House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, the Kissimmee Democrat said Democrats in Washington make much of the work of state government possible.
“We’re here today to talk about a secret,” Soto said. “This budget is chock full of Biden bucks — $41 billion to be exact. And despite the fact that Gov. DeSantis is focusing on divisive social issues, we are taking this moment to talk about how we’re helping to rebuild Florida.”
Driskell said a third of the proposed 2023-24 state budget right now comes from federal support.
“But you won’t hear that from the Governor, who takes every opportunity to attack and to vilify our federal partners,” she said.
DeSantis indeed regularly criticizes spending by Biden. The Florida Governor is widely expected to run for President in 2024, challenging the Democratic President’s re-election.
But Soto said many of his achievements in Florida only come courtesy of dollars directed to the Sunshine State from a Democratic Congress and White House.
He pointed to $8.6 billion in infrastructure spending alone. But he said the state also has money coming in from the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS Act.
That stands in stark contrast to the culture war focus of legislative Republicans in Florida, said Soto, himself a former state Senator.
“While we’re focusing as Democrats and building roads and bridges, they’re banning books,” Soto said.
“While we’re replacing Florida’s lead pipes, the most of any state in the nation, they’re banning drag queens. While we’re bringing high-speed internet across rural Florida, they’re attacking women, African American and Hispanic history, immigrants, the list goes on and on.”
He also suggested voters will be happier with what Biden has done for Florida than they would with DeSantis.
The Congressman acknowledged DeSantis’ strong re-election showing in November, where voters also elected supermajorities in the House and Senate. But that was a low-turnout Midterm cycle, and Soto suggested the results didn’t reflect broader sentiment.
“Floridians are growing sick and tired of this three-ring circus,” he said. “2022 was a low-turnout election but by no means a mandate, and 2024 will be an entirely different electorate. This right-wing agenda isn’t popular with most Floridians, and it’s downright toxic in swing states for the next Presidential Election.”
Asked by media if Democrats in the Legislature will vote against the budget before sending it to DeSantis, Driskell suggested some will and many won’t.
“Anytime that there’s a budget that’s $112 billion, there are bound to be aspects of it that we like and bound to the aspects of it that we don’t like and I just want to be very clear about that,” she said.
Driskell objected to money for flying migrants to other states, even those who never step foot in Florida.
But she sees positive efforts at reducing health care costs for Floridians, and she praised money going toward affordable housing.
“You may see ‘yes’ votes from members of my caucus,” she said. But Driskell argued that should not be read as an endorsement of every line item.
“We have to do what we think is best and vote for our communities and try to get them the resources that they need.”
