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Gov. Ron DeSantis Joins Preston · Conversations: Special Guests with Preston Scott

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: All, good morning. Welcome to the third hour of the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Morning Show with Preston Scott. It is Monday, June fifteenth,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: halfway through the month of June. Already I cannot believe it.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: And show five six and twenty three. He's Oseiah, I'm Preston,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: and this is Florida's Governor Rondo Santis. Governor. Good to
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: have you back on the show.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: How are you, good morning, I'm doing great.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: We were just talking about the congressional baseball game. What
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: was your batting average when you were playing that game?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: It was pretty high. I mean, they're not exactly Nolan
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Ryan out there. But it was funny because when I
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: got elected, I was, you know, I was one of
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: the younger members. I think I was like thirty three
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: thirty four, and you go and meet the congressman as
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: you're an elect and they knew that. I was like
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: captain of the Yeo baseball team and played all this
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: stuff and said like they loved me. They're like, oh,
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: we need you, we need the firepower or whatever, and
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: so you're able to do. But they play it at
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: the Nationals Park and everything, and my thing was was
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: like all I wanted to do is hit a home run, right,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: and so like I had one, and I crushed it
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: into a soal by probably about twenty feet. So that
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: was probably the closest I had ever came. That had
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: some extra base hits, but not not the highest level
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: of baseball that I've ever played, that's for sure.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: I'm laughing at the prospect though, of potential Texas Congressman
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Mark to Shera being on the g He's going to be.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it is going to be absolutely I mean,
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: they'll have him pitch, I'm sure, and you know, I mean,
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: I'm sure he's I'm sure he can throw in the
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: eighties still, and so he's going to do that. He'll hit,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: He'll hit a couple of home runs, and it'll be
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: lights out, you know. In the nineties, the Republican, the
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: legend Republican baseball player was actually former NFL Hall of
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Famer Steve Largin was a congressman from Oklahoma. And Largin,
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: I mean still a very good athlete, even like in
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: his forties or fifties, and he's just mowing these guys
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: down and everything. So yeah, I think that that's going
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: to that's going to shake it up pretty good, you know.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: To Shera was. I mean, he was a top flight
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: big league It wasn't like he was just like a
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  Speaker 2: hangar on. I mean he was very productive and had
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: a really good career. So so I can safely bet.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: I don't know if they have Calchy odds on next
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: year's congressional baseball game, but for those of you who
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: do that, you should definitely put it put money on Republicans. Now,
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: I think you're gonna probably be okay.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Hey, what are your thoughts on what came out of
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: the special session with regard to property tax? Just give
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: me your reaction to what's going to be on the ballot.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: Well, one, I mean, you know, we put out a proposal.
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  Speaker 2: This is not my proposal. We had the calculator. People
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: were excited about that and really was a transformational vision.
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  Speaker 2: The idea that you know, as a Florida resident, you
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  Speaker 2: know you have this homestead exemption that should be one
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: hundred percent. You should own your home. Government shouldn't use
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: it as an ATM. You know, property tax revenue is
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: nearly doubled in seven years, and yet have the services
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: gotten twice as good. I mean, so this has allowed
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: government to take a lot from people. We had the
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: ability to do it. We've got a state surveplus, we're
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: going to help out the local governments and the transition,
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  Speaker 2: and we had it. You know, it was very well structured.
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  Speaker 2: Now the legislature they really weren't. I think I don't
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  Speaker 2: think they really shared the vision of you own your
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: own home and that. But this is still a pretty
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  Speaker 2: significant property tax relief for people. And you look at
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  Speaker 2: all the challenges that Americans, not just Floridians, but Americans
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  Speaker 2: have had with groceries and energy and all these things
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  Speaker 2: over many many years now, certainly since the COVID pandemic
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  Speaker 2: and the response to that by the federal government by
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  Speaker 2: spending all the money in the FED. It's been tough.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, that's basically been an invisible tax on people.
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  Speaker 2: The number one thing we can do in Florida is
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  Speaker 2: roll that back so that people are able to do so.
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  Speaker 2: You're going to end up having people with really significant
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  Speaker 2: probably save you know, two thirds of their tax bill,
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  Speaker 2: certainly folks who are more working in middle class. And
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  Speaker 2: you know, as you get older, as it goes up,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the exemption will eventually go up, but for
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  Speaker 2: now it's going to be a big deal. So look,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's really good. Had we not raised the issue,
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  Speaker 2: nothing would have been on the ballot. But folks have
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  Speaker 2: like gone, you know, they got the calculator we put out.
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  Speaker 2: I just I don't want to be under you know,
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  Speaker 2: misunderstanding that was related to the proposal we had. This
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  Speaker 2: one is different. It's good. I don't think it's as
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  Speaker 2: far reaching as ours, but I'll be voting for it.
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  Speaker 1: Just one last question for you on the property tax
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  Speaker 1: amendment as it's fashioned right now, have you and your
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: team had a chance to look and determine I've been
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  Speaker 1: told by two different people, two different things. Does the
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  Speaker 1: measure allow for that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
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  Speaker 1: after the second year exemption to be raised by the
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  Speaker 1: legislature aside from.
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  Speaker 2: The Oh yeah, I mean it's an indirect way by
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: the legislature. But basically the legislature will adopt an implementing bill,
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  Speaker 2: and so I look, they're going to have to do it.
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  Speaker 2: I'll work with them in November December. I think it'll
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  Speaker 2: be a kin to like a taxpayer Bill of Rights,
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  Speaker 2: which will basically limit local spending to population growth and inflation,
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: and then anything above that then then then the the
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: limit gets raised, and so it'll end up being a
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  Speaker 2: phase out of the limit over a period of time,
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  Speaker 2: and that'll be up for the legislature. But two fifty
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  Speaker 2: is the opening salvo. Two fifty is not the end.
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  Speaker 2: Now they they apply that exemption for your property to
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  Speaker 2: every taxing authority, accept school districts, which you know, I
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: think a lot of people are like, well, wait a minute,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: like my house or is in my house. So my
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  Speaker 2: proposal applied it to all taxing authorities and kind of
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: gave you that. And the reason is just, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we've got a lot of money coming in from other ways.
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  Speaker 2: But nevertheless, for those other taxing authorities, it will be
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  Speaker 2: an exemption. Two fifty will be the opening salvo. Legislature
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  Speaker 2: is going to have to do a bill to implement that,
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  Speaker 2: and I think it'll be something along the lines of
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  Speaker 2: a Textpaer bill. It's interesting the state of Florida. So
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: I have the budget now, I'll finish that by the
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: end of the month. I got to do right item
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  Speaker 2: veidos and I'm gonna liign item veto enough. It's not
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  Speaker 2: going to be like huge compared to what I've done
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: in the past. But we got to we got to
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  Speaker 2: pair it back, and that will be the fourth straight
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  Speaker 2: year where we're spending less than a year before, not
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  Speaker 2: even an inflate yes, and inflation adjusted, yes, in population adjusted,
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  Speaker 2: but just at nominal dollars. Florida's had a stable budget
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: at the state for the last four years. That's not
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: true for local governments. I mean, we've seen some of
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  Speaker 2: these budgets double in the last seven years. So if
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  Speaker 2: they had just spent consistent with inflation and population growth
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: over the last seven years, we wouldn't even be needing
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: to have this discussion because you'd have ten, fifteen, maybe
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: twenty billion dollars that would not have been spent and
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: then could go back in the hands of the tax
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  Speaker 2: and the pots of the taxpas. You know, I read
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  Speaker 2: some of these headlines like, oh, you know, Manitique County,
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: you know going to lose you know this much, and
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: I'm just thinking, it's not Manatee County's money. It's your
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  Speaker 2: money and your property. The fact that they're not able
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: to take as much as they did in the past,
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  Speaker 2: that's a benefit to the property own are in the taxpayer,
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  Speaker 2: And it's like, whose money is this? This is not
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  Speaker 2: the government's money to begin with.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I spend some time and I want to
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  Speaker 1: get your thoughts on this earlier this morning, on what
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  Speaker 1: I think are the ridiculous demands that the Republican Party
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  Speaker 1: of Florida has put on candidates for governor, not allowing
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  Speaker 1: for debates because they don't reach this mythical ten ten
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  Speaker 1: ten arbitrary status governor. I just I get so frustrated
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  Speaker 1: with the party, whether it's the state or the national Party.
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  Speaker 1: They don't seem to be able to get out of
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  Speaker 1: their own way.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's ridiculous. So they've taken this position. It's basically
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  Speaker 2: just the chairman saying, you can only participate in debates
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  Speaker 2: that are sponsored and sanctioned by the Republican Party of Florida,
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: and if you go to a TV debate that we
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: don't sanction, you're going to be penalized. But oh, by
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: the way, the debates that we're sanctioning were not actually
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: not going to put them on because only our preferred
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: candidate is qualified under these bogus metrics. I can tell
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  Speaker 2: you those metrics I would not have caught for the
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  Speaker 2: debate that we did in Fox News in June of
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  Speaker 2: twenty eighteen, I didn't have ten thousand individual donors. I
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: was down pretty significantly in the polls fifteen fifteen points
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  Speaker 2: or so. And I just remember, you know, the rpof
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  Speaker 2: was not for me. I walked out on that debate.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: Go go to your congressman, just Santas. It was like
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: a kind of a golf clap. My opponent walked out. Man,
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: it was like Elvis entered the building just rocket. I mean,
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: it was backed and everything. Now, by the end of
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  Speaker 2: the debate, I had won, and I think the crowd
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: realized that, and then the race kind of was over
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: at that point. But the reality is is when you
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: do this stuff that's not on the level, voters get picked.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: Even voters that are supporting are inclined to support your
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: preferred candidate. They know it stinks, and so your betted
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: they would have been better off just not being involved
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  Speaker 2: in this process and saying candidates can do what they
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: want when you limit them from artificially limit them from
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: participating in other debates. Then you canceled the one debate
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: you claimed you were going to do. People look at
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: that and say, come on, head, you win, tails, we lose.
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  Speaker 2: Give me a break. So I think that they have
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  Speaker 2: totally botched this. And here's the thing. The reason why
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: we went from three hundred thousand more registered Democrats when
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: I got elected in eighteen to now one point five
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: million more Republicans today is not because of the rpof hierarchy.
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  Speaker 2: It's because Florida has delivered major victories. We have fought
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: and defeated the left on a variety of fronts. We
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: stood up for people's freedom during COVID, we fought the woke.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: We've set up for law enforcement, on and on it,
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: ghost supported taxpayers, run surpluses, paid down debt, basically governed
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: the way most people center right thinks that you should govern,
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: and governed very successfully. That is what has caused people
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: to identify with the Republican Party. And if it becomes
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: about you know what insiders are trying to do to
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: angle themselves for this, or that you are going to
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: alienate people. So I think it's a huge pick. They
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: need to do a debate, and look, I'm willing to
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: kind of help with this. You know, I know people
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: that are that have the big TV platforms. I'm sure
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: some of them would be willing to do it. But
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: you've got to put a debate on TV, and you
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: got to let the candidates have their say. And you know,
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: here's the thing, Preston. The filing deadline just ended on Friday,
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: so we didn't even know for sure who the field was.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: Anyone could have filed up until that point, right, And
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  Speaker 2: so the notion of well, you don't have enough name
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: id before the campaign really has started is absurd. It's
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: basically a way to make it impossible for any candidate
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  Speaker 2: other than the machine back candidate that raises all the
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: special interest money. And you know, Florida is a very
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: difficult state to get known, and it's massive media markets,
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: it's very expensive, and it's hard to raise that kind
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: of money. I got out spent three four to one
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: and was fortunate to win. But like a lot of times,
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: that doesn't work out for people. So having a platform
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: where candids can get out articulate their vision contrast with
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: the other candidates there will be broadcast statewide, gives voters
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: an opportunity to look at these folks and I think
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: that I think that they're First of all, it's the
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: right thing to do, but second of all, it's what
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: the RPOF promised to do, and you know, kind of
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: give with one hand and take what the other doesn't work.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Well, as you well know, and you know better than
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: most anybody else. Governor, the north half of the state,
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: included the Big ben in the Panhandle, is one hundred
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: and eighty degrees different than the central southern part of
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: the state.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, well we are five states into one. Yeah,
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, you look at northwest Florida, you
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: look at Northeast Florida's even different than northwest Florida. You
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: look at the center part of the state, like the
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: Tampa Bay area where I grew up, and then you
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: look into Orlando, all kinds of stuff. Southwest Florida is
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: like the Midwest transplanted to southwest Florida. You know, Miami
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: is like, you know, it's almost like a separate state
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: in terms of the culture, Palm Beach and all that. More.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: New York kind of influenced all this stuff, and that's
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: like you've got to be as a candidate, you know,
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: you got to be able to harmonize that. And so
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: for example, when I ran in twenty two, we were
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: able to win record margins in the Panhandle, but I
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: was also the first Republican to win Palm Beach County
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: in forty years. Not the same type of voters in
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: Palm Beach County as you would get in like Oklahoosa County. Right,
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: it just is what it is, and you've got to
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: be able to do that. And so having a process
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: or a platform where people from all these different areas
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: of the state are able to kind of take measure
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: and then make a judgment, you know, I think is
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: a good thing, and I think it should happen. And
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: like I said, I mean, I'm willing to help make
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: it happen because I think it's good for the voters.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: And you know what, if you have a candidate that
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: you really like and there's a debate and they hash
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: it out and the voters come down differently, then what
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: are you going to do? You know, right, you're going
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: to go and you're going to support the nominee and
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: go forward. If you feel like it's been rigged, well
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: then I think it's a different kind of response once
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: the primary ends. And yeah, I think a lot of
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: people like in the party now think oh we's got
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: one point five million advantage, it doesn't matter. You know,
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: we're gonna win. No matter what. And that's true until
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: it's not right. Uh, you know, you could have a
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: challenging year in twenty twenty six. Certainly the winds don't
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: look very favorably. You know, maybe the Democrats get their
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: act together. I don't know. I mean, they've obviously been
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: they haven't had much of a pulse since I've been governor.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: But you know, who knows going forward. So you got
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: to do things right, and you've got to do things
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: above board.