DeSantis’ ‘More Everything’ Budget & A Political Wipeout in Florida - Top 3 Takeaways - February 3rd, 2023
- More everything! In the first season of Seinfeld, Jerry was hanging out in first class with a beautiful model on a flight which was delayed and rerouted to JFK from LaGuardia, (with Elaine stuck in an especially bad coach situation – including getting stuck with Larry David’s kosher meal – a rare cameo for him in that series). After significant pampering, some fine wine and eating what was described as the best hot fudge sundae, they’d ever had, Jerry and the model were asked if they wanted more of anything. His response... More everything! Now Governor DeSantis’ budget doesn’t come with a beautiful model or hot fudge sundaes, but in wading through the highlights, it does seem to include more of everything. More sales tax holidays. More raises. More environmental projections. More spending generally. While Florida retains a balanced budget amendment which keeps overall spending in our state relatively in check, Florida’s record economic performance of late, which continues to generate record revenues to the state, is put to use for more of just about everything in DeSantis’ budget proposal which will be taken up in the state legislative session in March. As noted by DeSantis, this is made possible by these three keys, Florida’s unemployed rate of 2.5%, which is about a third lower than the national average. Florida’s best-in-the-country employment growth rate of greater than 5%, Florida’s population growth rate likewise leads the country and record tourism into our state. So...
- What does ‘more everything’ mean to you? For starters four permanent sales tax holidays. After being a little experiential, perhaps Krammerish, in the state’s fiscal year we’re currently in, DeSantis is proposing ending the sales taxes on baby and toddler supplies. It ranges from clothing to cribs. And for your other kids, he’s proposing an end to taxes on OTC pet medications and treatments. And then there’s one which is surely aimed at just sticking it to the whackadoes in the Biden administration. He’s calling for the abolition of sales taxes on gas stoves in Florida. Related... DeSantis is calling for a two-year extension of the current tax exemption on natural gas fuel. Then there’s the series of one-year sales tax holidays. Those include cosmetic supplies and toiletries – from soap to shavers. There’s the breath of fresh air sales tax holiday (I made that name up) for oral hygiene products...from floss to mouth wash. A sales tax holiday for children's books and perhaps to their greater delight toys up to age 12. Speaking of fun, there’d be an annual sales tax reprieve for children’s athletic equipment, from baseballs to bikes. And Florida’s version of an actual inflation reduction act in which all household items under $25 – from sponges to sprays and your TP would be tax free throughout the year. And fluffy’s food is set to cost less as all pets from fish to ferrets would eat tax free. And last but not least a yearlong proposed sales tax holiday for energy star appliances. Next up, a 15-week Florida Freedom Summer sales tax holiday which includes just about everything you can think of to have a good time outside. From a new pair of shades, to kayaks and concert tickets. And that brings us to the temporary sales tax holidays we’ve grown accustomed to including... Not one but two Back-to-School sales tax holiday's, a 14-day Hurricane Supply tax holiday and a one-week “Skilled Worker Tool” sales tax holiday – it covers tools and accessories whether you’re skilled with them or not. So yeah. There you go. And that’s just the breakout of the proposed sales tax holidays. Just imagine what’s going on with where all of the money in the budget would be spent. It really is a budget which includes ‘more everything’. And it’s all possible because Florida’s been winning economically at everything. And we’ve been winning at everything in Florida because we’ve been voting for winners. Related...
- Wipeout. That’s the best way to describe what’s happening with Florida’s Democrat party. They’re being wiped out. 2022 was the worst year in the history of the Donkeys in Florida. That was true of DeSantis’ margin of victory in a governor’s race. It was true with more Republicans being elected top to bottom than ever before with fewer Democrats being elected than ever before. But the wipeout didn’t end with Election Day. The Florida Division of Elections just released the final voter registration information for where we were entering 2023... In a year in which we gained about 1,100 Floridians per day...There are now well over 150 thousand fewer Democrats registered to vote than a year ago. That’s hard to do. That compares to well over 200,000 additions for Republicans. Ditto that for NPAs. And the DEM defections have only gained speed as there are 41,000 fewer than a month ago. It’s a true political wipeout for the left in Florida right now and if this trend holds the surf will be setting up for a series of red waves for years to come.