The 2025 Legislative Session has begun, and we are in Tallahassee proudly representing South Florida’s most pressing issues this year. Some of the topics we’ve discussed include the My Safe Florida Home Program, arts and culture grant funding, and infrastructure resiliency projects. As the main sponsor of the My Safe Florida Home Program, I’m happy to report that we are working with the Department of Financial Services to establish a trust fund and ensure the program operates year-round.
Property insurance is a top concern for all of us and in my office we receive numerous calls and emails about this. Since its reintroduction in 2022, the My Safe Florida Home Program has allocated nearly $750 million and provided over 100,000 free home inspections. Floridians and residents of District 100 who receive an inspection and grant save an average of $1,100 annually on their property insurance. This program has proven to deliver real results by lowering property insurance costs for residents.
Arts and culture are vital to both District 100 and South Florida, contributing to what makes our region unique. I was disappointed when the arts and culture funding was vetoed by the governor last year. To address this, I’ve been working with the Secretary of State on legislation that would give the Secretary the authority to use a line item process to send an arts and culture budget to the governor’s desk that supports the vast majority of our great organizations. This change will help ensure that beneficial projects, such as funding for local museums, parks, and performing arts centers can continue to operate.
Resiliency is another critical issue for District 100 and South Florida with our abundant waterways, including the ocean and Intracoastal. I have been working with the Department of Commerce on a loan program that would allow residents to take on critical projects like sea walls and other resiliency projects. This initiative will provide relief to those on fixed incomes and help strengthen our community.
In partnership with Representative Jim Mooney from the Florida Keys, I have also become a co-prime sponsor of HB 81, which would designate the state bird. Florida named the Northern Mockingbird as the state bird in 1927. This bill would make the American Flamingo the official state bird and the Florida Scrub-Jay the official state songbird. Unlike the Northern Mockingbird, which is shared by nine other states, the Flamingo and Scrub-Jay would uniquely represent Florida.
I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Florida House of Representatives to continue improving our great state. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office, and we will do our best to assist you.
As always, it is an honor to serve you as your State Representative in Tallahassee.
