David Santiago: Florida Latinos will make their voice heard in 2024

Voters leave the Old Blanco Courthouse after casting their ballots, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012, in Blanco, Texas. After a grinding presidential campaign President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, yield center stage to American voters Tuesday for an Election Day choice that will frame the contours of government and the nation for years to come. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) ORG XMIT: TXEG104

According to one estimate, at least two million Latinos in Florida will cast a vote in this year’s election.

Most polls show Latinos in Florida shifting decidedly to the center-right. This was not always the case, begging the question: What gives?

For starters, Latinos in Florida have seen pro-freedom and pro-growth economic policies in action. Under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Sunshine State has a thriving economy.

According to a report by U.S. and News World Report, Florida leads the way in several categories including GDP growth, growth of young population and a low tax burden. This helps explain why people are moving here or trying to follow in Florida’s steps.

Given Florida’s success, it’s not a stretch to understand why Florida Latinos want to see Tallahassee policies replicated in Washington.

Unfortunately, it’s almost the complete opposite in our nation’s capital.

During the past few years, Washington has been on a trillion-dollar spending spree while growing the size of government. Instead of rewarding job creators and creating conditions for the private sector to flourish, Washington lawmakers have been enacting rules restricting worker flexibility and worker freedom.

The result?

Inflation remains high and workers are feeling squeezed by stagnant wages and high prices.

For some Latinos living in Florida, what’s unfolding is eerily too familiar.

In Latin America, central planning, price controls, and out-of-control inflation have driven scores of people to flee to the United States looking for a better life. Latinos know that hard work, innovation, and perseverance are rewarded in the United States.

Unfortunately, this is under threat as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle embrace protectionist economic policies while expanding the size of government.

One of the first big tests for the new Congress and the next Administration will concern several tax provisions set to expire next year. Enacted in 2017, the sweeping Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered the corporate tax rate and reduced the tax burden on millions of Americans. Unfortunately, some of the provisions in the legislation were not permanent.

We recently conducted a poll finding that Latinos want to keep the current tax rate and oppose increasing it. The same poll found that 80% of Latino voters say their taxes are too high and it’s a bad time to increase taxes. When asked to select between specific tax cuts, over 40% — a strong plurality — of Hispanic voters thought cutting taxes for American families did most to grow the economy.

Florida Latinos know that the best way to expand opportunity is not by growing the size of government but by empowering people. This is the message that millions of Latinos in the Sunshine State will deliver on Election Day.

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David Santiago is the strategic director for The LIBRE Initiative and is a former Florida state lawmaker.