DAVIE, Fla. (WSVN) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped by Broward College in Davie a day before state lawmakers are scheduled to meet in the new Legislature and addressed topics including insurance premiums and Broward County’s budget.
During Monday’s press conference, the governor also touched on the CFP National Championship, which will be played between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers on January 19th at Hard Rock Stadium.
The main focus of DeSantis’ press conference was on insurance premiums for both homeowners and drivers across Florida. He talked about how the reforms introduced by his administration are finally starting to bear fruit.
The governor said statewide insurance premiums for homeowners should begin to drop by about 13%. He said people with civil property insurance should especially pay attention to lower premium rates.
DeSantis said he looks forward to a special legislative session dealing with the state’s property taxes.
He also mentioned Broward County. During a Q&A, a reporter asked him if it was time for an outside agency to examine the district’s budget.
DeSantis responded, “I think you’ve done a good job of compiling a laundry list of failures in the Broward school district. Honestly, it’s been a disaster. Honestly, it’s been a disaster in so many ways. This district is really run to benefit deep-seated interests, particularly school unions, rather than parents and students.”
In his response, the governor also indicated that he plans to ask the state education commissioner about whether to place the district under jurisdiction.
“I think the question for the school board will be, what kind of authority do they have under the current law, are they going to do it, or does the Legislature need to take some steps to give them that authority? Maybe putting some of these organizations into receivership might be the best way forward. I think things can be sorted out quickly, but it’s been really tough.”
But Broward City School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi responded to the governor and said the school board has changed.
“I believe the governor was referring to the old Broward schools. By the state’s own standards, we are a consecutive A-rated school district. This is the first time we have not had a D or F school. We are a state-designated high-performing school district,” she said.
Leonardi said the school board has invited DeSantis and his policy team to work together. He added that there have been no formal discussions with the state Department of Education about placing the district in the jurisdiction.
“The state has articulated very strict guidelines for receivership. We have not yet met those standards. We invite the governor and his team with their expertise to work with us,” she said.
On another topic, DeSantis said he plans to expand on the topic of AI during Tuesday’s session, saying it’s the country’s job to make sure new companies and technologies don’t take away people’s jobs.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that the technology that is developed is ethical and that it strengthens our values as Floridians and as Americans. And certainly, as we all know, we shouldn’t try to greenlight something that displaces humanity from being something like the central figure of the American republican experiment,” DeSantis said.
Regarding the CFP National Championship, the governor said he is looking forward to the Hurricanes finally playing in the playoffs and said bringing a championship to the state, especially here in South Florida, is a positive development for the state as a whole.
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