DeSantis criticizes Harris’ economic proposals
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called Vice President Kamala Harris “mindless” during a stopover in Sarasota on Wednesday morning.
Defiant Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a hard swipe at Vice President Kamala Harris during a stop in Sarasota on Wednesday, discussing school board election results and highlighting Hurricane Debby recovery efforts.
During his press conference, DeSantis criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic proposals as “meaningless,” said that losses in counties like Sarasota and Manatee would be offset by victories in more Democratic areas on election night, and highlighted how the Hope Florida program is helping Sarasota residents recover from Hurricane Debby.
Policy: Voting results for Sarasota and Manatee counties
DeSantis praises Florida’s economy and criticizes Harris’ economic proposals
DeSantis boasted about his efforts to pay off about 36 percent of Florida’s historic debt during his tenure as governor, prompting a five-minute, scathing critique of Harris’ campaign proposals, calling her plan to ban price gouging “price control.”
“We will end up having to stand in line to buy bread and get food,” DeSantis said.
“Price control is a joke,” he said.
The governor also criticized proposals to tax unrealized capital gains, saying the proposals could impact Florida homeowners.
“Taxing unrealized gains is a really moronic and crazy policy,” he said. “Just think of what that would do to businesses, individuals and property owners. It would plunge the country into a depression. It would be the worst economic policy ever undertaken. But that’s what it proposes, and I’m just saying it would hit Florida really hard, because we have people whose homes have gone up in value.”
“It’s really crazy and I think symbolic and expressive for a candidate who is essentially an empty vessel,” he said. “A candidate who is empty, a vice president who is known more for her quibbling over words than for tangible accomplishments.”
DeSantis talks about election night losses
DeSantis boasted that, despite significant losses in the primary election on Tuesday night, he had achieved success by supporting school board members with far-right views or appointing them to school boards across the state.
DeSantis-backed candidates struggled in Tuesday’s primary election. In Sarasota, voters voted out incumbent Karen Rose, who has aligned herself with controversial board member and Moms for Liberty founder Bridget Ziegler.
More: Sarasota School Board Election: Tom Edwards wins, Liz Barker defeats incumbent Rose
Also: Knight beats DeSantis candidate Rainford in race for seat on Sarasota County Commission’s 3rd District
DeSantis said election night losses would be offset by earlier successes and gains in some Democratic districts.
“We want to support school board candidates who believe in putting students first, who respect the rights of parents and who believe that schools should educate, not indoctrinate,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis also spoke about the victory of Democrat Andrew Warren, who overwhelmingly won his primary on Tuesday night to reclaim the Hillsborough County district attorney’s seat after DeSantis ousted him from office in a controversial move in 2022. DeSantis did not say whether he would remove Warren from office again if elected.
“I think this will sort itself out,” he said.
Hope Florida program gets underway
The Florida Department of Emergency Management uses the Hope Florida program model to connect disaster-affected residents with community resources. Tropical Storm Debby is the first storm the program has been put into action.
Hope Florida is a program of the Department of Children and Families that connects residents with community, faith-based, private and nonprofit organizations that offer public assistance. The state has also expanded the model to other agencies such as the Department of Elders Affairs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“This expansion will be called ‘Activate Hope,'” DeSantis said. “This will spread. ‘Activate Hope’ will go directly into disaster-affected communities to help Floridians connect with outside resources to provide food, household goods, home repairs and more.”
First Lady Casey DeSantis helped launch the program and said the program can connect residents with resources with a simple phone call. Those affected by Debby’s illness can also seek help at www.hopeflorida.com.
“It makes perfect sense that it’s part of emergency management,” she said. “You call that number and you can talk to someone who can walk you through the area and help you find what you need… It’s been very heartwarming to see this expand and grow by leaps and bounds.”
