As a Senate leader on education, Danny Burgess gets to be a dad and a lawmaker

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 11/15/21-Sen. Danny Burgess, Jr., R-Zephyrhills, talks about one his bills to bills aimed at to addressing federal vaccine mandates, during the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Sen. Danny Burgess is looking forward to bringing his kids to Tallahassee for the 2025 Legislative Session — figuratively, of course.

The father of three and his wife homeschool their kids. And Burgess for the next two legislative cycles, will chair the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K-12, meaning he gets to take his biggest passion — caring for his kids — and make it a part of his new legislative leadership role.

Burgess, a Republican who represents Senate District 23 in parts of Pasco County and east Hillsborough County, is a big supporter of school choice. He applauds recent efforts to expand choice in Florida, including through universal school vouchers. But he’s got his eye on further ensuring families can tailor their kids’ education.

“I think we have such a great abundance of K-8 options, especially when it comes to charter schools,” Burgess said. “But there’s more of a gap in grades 9-12 with charter options. I would love to try to tackle that and find creative ways to create more charter options in high school.”

As homeschool parents, Burgess’ family benefits from the universal school vouchers approved in 2023. Burgess said there are currently about 300,000 families taking advantage of the program, and he expects that number to climb to 500,000 in the coming years.

He’s pleased with the program’s success so far, and brags that the program is a model for other states looking to expand school choice. Florida’s program provides up to $8,000 per student, per school year to be used for private school tuition or other school expenses, including homeschool expenses.

Still, Burgess believes everything can improve, and hopes to identify ways to increase accountability “to ensure student success.” He was referencing a Tampa Bay Times investigative report that found some parents were using the voucher funds for questionable purchases, such as kayaks or theme park tickets. But he notes there are only a “small amount” of individuals using funds in potentially non-impactful ways.

“Most people are using this money for good,” he said, adding that “accountability enhances efficiency.”

“We want to make sure that parents are being reimbursed in a timely fashion,” he said, referring to the lag that often occurs when parents pre-pay for school expenses only to wait a significant amount of time in some cases for reimbursement.

And making a point that should delight his Democratic colleagues, Burgess also said he wants to ensure traditional public schools are being supported.

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said, noting that he attended public school and is invested in supporting and elevating public neighborhood schools.

Burgess is also worried about kids’ safety on social media. The Legislature last year approved restrictions on social media for kids in Florida. But even after lawmakers made changes to appease his concerns, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the legislation (HB 1). It was the top House priority for the 2024 Session.

Burgess isn’t sure exactly what legislation might pop up this year that could find a warmer reception from the Governor, but he’s anxious to “look into where that’s at and find out if there’s more that we need to do from a policy or funding perspective.”

“That’s one of the greatest things we can do, is to protect our kids from those long-lasting pitfalls of social media,” he said.

An analysis from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found numerous studies outlining the negative psychological impacts to teens’ mental health, including depression and anxiety, inadequate sleep, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorders and online harassment.

Burgess would also like to expand upon legislation last year that established the Veterans History Preservation Project, a program aimed at capturing and preserving stories from veterans to ensure future generations have access to their experiences and knowledge.

He’s just spitballing at this point, but Burgess said that expansion could look something like incorporating the project into school lessons, perhaps around the annual Veterans Day holiday.

Outside the education space, Burgess has plenty of other ideas, including a top priority to ensure travelers have access to quality cellphone reception along Florida highways, particularly those established as evacuation routes. He lamented “dead zones” along interstate roadways.

“We’re a disaster-prone state and these are emergency evacuation routes,” Burgess said, adding that if an emergency were to occur, travelers need to be able to call for help.

The problem, he said, was figuring out how to facilitate improvements from the state Capitol.

“There’s got to be creative ways to incentivize providers to ensure there is continuity on our roadways,” he said. “This hits home for almost every Floridian.”

Burgess also expects to work on flooding issues. In his home of Zephyrhills, Burgess said there were about 40 homes that ended up underwater during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, homes that were an hour’s drive inland where no one would have expected flooding. He hopes to help the Legislature work with local governments to provide support and ensure communities are prepared for the next time.

But while he acknowledges work needs to be done to make Florida more resilient in the face of worsening hurricane seasons and other extreme weather events, he’s not terribly concerned about a mass exodus from the state as a result.

Burgess and his family enjoy taking RV trips around the country, and they note a particular fondness for Florida on their travels.

“The first thing people ask you is where you’re from. They see your Florida tag and the first thing they say is always a variation of, ‘Man I would love to live in Florida,’” he said. “It is a truth. It is the most unscientific accurate poll.”