They packed the room near West Palm Beach, arrived early, and anticipated being amazed. And there was no disappointment among the hundreds of Republicans. Congressman Byron Donalds, whom they would like to see as the future governor of Florida, gave them exactly what they wanted and more.
Donald’s devotion to and from President Donald Trump comes first.
Donalds also emphasized economic issues including property taxes and insurance, pledged to support conservative ideas and oppose liberal influences, and committed to carrying on the conservative policies initiated by Governor Ron DeSantis.
In an effort to lower expectations, he cautioned, for instance, that it is impractical to completely abolish property taxes. Donalds added that local government representatives might not agree with his intentions, and that the candidate’s proposed restrictions need to be restrained.
Donalds noted that their sphincters were becoming somewhat constricted.
During his roughly 50-minute speech Monday night at Club 47, a sizable pro-Trump group in South Florida, Donalds paid a great deal of homage to Trump, gave some commendation for DeSantis, outlined some policy initiatives, and emphasized that he would be unwavering in his commitment to conservative principles, even in the face of intense political pressure.
This is the key question, Donalds stated on the campaign trail: Can we rely on you to maintain Florida as a free state? “The answer is a resounding yes,” he stated. There is no compromise or negotiation when it comes to the rights of the people of Florida. Donalds declared, “I will always be by your side.”
For those who wish to move from New York City to Florida, the Brooklyn native has some advice.
Florida is crimson if you come here. We’ll make sure parents come first if you come here. Boys are not permitted to participate in women’s sports here. He added, “We don’t have woke in our educational system if you come here.” Be aware that the way our government operates differs greatly from that of New York if you wish to live in Florida. We make sense and are intelligent.
Donalds demonstrated his conservative credentials by explaining why he opposed the school safety laws that his fellow Republicans enacted and signed into law following the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, which left 17 people dead and 17 injured.
He said that Republican leaders pushed him to support the proposal while he was a junior member of the Texas House of Representatives. He was informed that Republicans needed to demonstrate their ability to respond to emergencies.
Donalds declined, pointing to parts of the law that increased the legal age of purchase of rifles from 18 to 21 and granted Florida a red flag statute, which permits law enforcement to ask a court to confiscate firearms from a person deemed dangerous.
Donalds said that his spending goals and legislation were put on hold as a result of his refusal to comply with the demands of his party leaders. Donalds declared that he was keeping his promise to voters to defend their constitutional rights. That’s what I informed everyone. They trusted me that I would be on the right side of the issue when the hard decision had to be made and things got real.
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Friday is quiet with dry conditions across Central Florida
Former congressman David Jolly, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor, has attacked Donald Trump’s stance, claiming that stricter gun control laws keep us safe and enable our children to attend school without fear of being shot.
In a quick interview following his lecture, Donalds stated that the Parkland school massacre did not excuse the violation of what he believes to be Second Amendment rights. Ensuring the safety of schools is one thing. “Removing constitutional rights is another matter,” he remarked. Although tragedy is an unavoidable aspect of life, people’s rights must be upheld continuously over time.
For a large portion of his address, Donalds emphasized a crucial selling point for Republican voters: his steadfast support for Trump, who has reciprocated by endorsing Donalds for governor.
I consider myself quite fortunate to have the president’s backing. By the way, he did the entire thing, complete and total. Donalds claimed that he didn’t play around.
Donalds then turned his attention to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, who identifies as a democratic socialist. My advice to everyone present is to expand the space and add more seats because, if Mamdani is elected mayor of New York, I have a feeling that some new New Yorkers will be leaving for Florida.
Donalds stated that Momdani’s plans, which include government-run supermarkets, are bound to fail. As someone who is impoverished, he has never had to go out and get food.
Donalds humorously and poignantly used the topic as a doorway into some of his own past.
Growing up in poverty, my mother and I had to wait in line to acquire government peanut butter and cheese in Brooklyn, New York, which was two blocks from my home. That stuff was terrible. It’s awful. This is the substance that needs to be churned to spread when the oil is at the bottom.
He noted that many individuals now have a different perspective on that type of peanut butter. Nowadays, they put that in stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, and people believe it to be healthy. Donalds added, “But it still looks nasty.” Please just combine all the oil for me.
Donalds praised DeSantis’ early reopening of Florida and praised his leadership amid the coronavirus crisis.
However, he also contested what might be DeSantis’s last major legislative proposal—the removal of property taxes. According to Donalds, the sales tax must increase to 13% if all property taxes in the state of Florida are repealed.
Unlike DeSantis, who has to leave office after the 2026 election because of term limits, if Donalds is governor he would have to implement the idea and oversee its consequences.
It is imperative that we be straightforward, honest, and practical. We can’t just make up words. He stated that we must be truthful with the citizens of Florida. Pointing to a sheriff s deputy providing security, he said, We still have to be able to pay that man s salary. We still need to be able to cover our firefighters’ salaries.
Donalds added:
It is possible to receive targeted property tax relief, particularly for long-term homeowners. He stated that he is researching the matter and would provide recommendations.
Spending would be scrutinized, promising to continue the DeSantis-launched effort to DOGE local governments, modeled after the Trump-Elon Musk efforts to slash federal spending and end programs.
State agencies, which have been controlled by Florida Republicans for decades, would also be subject to DOGE-ing, promising no sacred cows.
School district spending would also come in for heavy scrutiny. All these school board members around the state of Florida, they ve been sucking up all the property tax money.
Donalds said artificial intelligence would be used to improve and streamline state government, said companies fleeing places like New York would be lured to Florida but not with subsidies, he promised and said regulations that add time for projects to begin would be scrutinized.
It is the targeting of those regulations that prompted his suggestion that local officials would feel apprehensive about the changes ahead.
Donalds said one way to lower insurance rates for consumers would be to educate reinsurers, the big organizations that cover some of the carriers risk, suggesting they may be misinformed about potential perils. The state needs to make sure that they know the true risks of Florida and not the risks of Florida that they hear on MSNBC. That they know the true risks that they re accounted for so we can stabilize our insurance market and make sure people can afford Florida.
He s got the Trump endorsement, he s a rock solid Republican. He s got a fabulous wife. What more do you want? said Sid Dinerstein, a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican party, and self-described Donalds fan.
Axios reported Tuesday that Donalds raised $22 million from the time he announced his candidacy in February through the quarter that ended Monday.
He has a substantial fundraising advantage and an endorsement that clearly matters in this state, said Michele Merrell, the elected state committeewoman for Broward County. He s also been on the campaign trail at political clubs and county party fundraising dinners, Merrell said.
On Monday, Donalds began at home in Naples. He gave a speech in Bonita Springs, visited the Pratt & Whitney facility in western Palm Beach County, where he saw the test of a jet engine, and spoke at Club 47 just outside West Palm Beach. After the evening speech, he stayed for about 45 minutes, until everyone who wanted to snap a selfie or get his signature got one.
On Tuesday, he was in Collier County for Trump s visit to the new migrant detention center the government is calling Alligator Alcatraz.
So far, no other major candidate is running, and DeSantis wife, Casey DeSantis, has not said if she will end up seeking the Republican nomination.
Club president Larry Snowden said he can t imagine anyone beating Byron Donalds in a primary.
Club 47, which gets its name because Trump in his second term is the 47th president, often fills to capacity. Trump is the only speaker who gets a bigger crowd and has sold out faster, Snowden said.
Donald Goldstein, of Delray Beach, said he s rarely seen a Club 47 crowd as excited as it was on Monday. He s very competent, very sincere, very conservative. Just the guy we need.
Raviv Laor, of Boca Raton, said Donalds was relevant, powerful and speaks to what Florida needs, adding that, He s wonderful. I think he s the future of the Republican Party. I think he s a great heir to the Trump movement.
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at [email protected] and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
