Charlie Crist

DEFENDING REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

On Day 1, Charlie will sign an Executive Order defending the right to access a safe abortion as guaranteed by the Florida Constitution and the United States Constitution.

The Florida Constitution enshrines a right to privacy, stating that “every natural person has the right to be left alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life.” With the Supreme Court’s radical decision to take away the right to privacy that tens of millions of Americans have had for the last 50 years, Charlie Crist will go on offense and take executive action to safeguard the protections of Roe v. Wade. As governor, Charlie will fight for Floridians rights to make decisions about their own bodies.

As governor, Charlie will:

• Veto any anti-choice legislation passed by the legislature
• Prohibit state agencies from infringing on Roe v. Wade or Florida’s constitutional Privacy Clause.
• Take any locality in Florida that infringes on Roe v. Wade to court.
• Make Florida a safe harbor for doctors, patients, and those who provide abortion assistance while ensuring no cooperation with federal agencies or other states seeking to punish their residents for receiving abortion care in Florida.
• Protect abortion care for those who get their health insurance under Medicaid.

Voting Is A Right

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Republican colleagues in Tallahassee care more about their political futures than our democracy and your right to vote. There is no other explanation for their constant voter suppression efforts.

If Charlie Crist is elected as Florida’s next governor, here are five steps he would immediately take to make it easier to vote:

1. He would reverse the DeSantis limits on mail ballots, which are opposed by the local supervisors of elections. If the Legislature refused to act, he would declare a state of emergency before the next general election and make the changes himself. The Republican attack on our democracy is an emergency.
2. He wants Florida to join about 20 other states and automatically register to vote anyone who seeks a driver’s license or conducts business with the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If the Legislature refused to act, the governor and Cabinet could require the department to do it.
3. He would push the Legislature to move the Florida primary from August to the spring, when more voters are here and turnout would be higher.
4. He would make Election Day a state holiday so every voter has a better opportunity to cast their ballots — particularly wage earners for whom taking time off to vote on a Tuesday takes money straight from their pockets.
5. He would make it easier for the governor and Cabinet to restore felons rights — just as he did before. He also would demand that lawmakers allow felons who have completed their sentences to register to vote as Amendment 4 intended while continuing to pay their fines, court fees and restitution.

Clean Water for All

Clean water is essential for the health of every Floridian – and for the health of our precious environment. But it’s also essential for a healthy economy. We’ve seen the economic and environmental devastation when our elected leaders look the other way and let special interests pollute our water. And then Floridians pay the price. With Red Tide once again hitting the state’s Gulf Coast and with Blue-Green Algae choking Lake

Okeechobee and threatening coastal communities, our economy, our jobs, and our way of life are at stake. The Crist administration will make it a top priority to ensure our water is clean for all Floridians.

REDUCE THE RUN-OFF

• Pollutants from farms and ranches such as fertilizers, manure and pesticides harm drinking water, kill fish and trigger algae blooms.
• The Crist administration will strengthen regulations regarding run-off from agricultural lands.
• The Crist administration will strengthen “best management practices’’ for agricultural lands to reduce runoff and water use.
• As governor, Crist will oppose state preemption over local control of environmental issues and the retail sale of fertilizer.
• As governor, Crist will push for incentives for homeowners to create Florida- friendly landscaping that uses less water and requires less fertilizer and herbicide, which feed algae blooms and kill our seagrasses.

IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM TASK FORCE

• Red Tide causes $20 million in tourism-related losses each year in Florida.
• Now Red Tide is wreaking havoc again. The city of St. Petersburg – Crist’s hometown – picked up 9 tons of dead fish in 24 hours.
• Red Tide also forces us to stop the harvesting of oysters, clams and scallops.
• Red Tide has been found this month from Pasco to Sarasota counties, irritating the eyes and respiratory systems of Floridians and tourists.
• Florida’s Harmful Algal Bloom Task Forces have made recommendations, and the Crist administration will implement them.
• From runoff to sewage and stormwater, Florida needs tough new rules to protect our fresh water and our coastal areas.

REPLACE ALL SEPTIC TANKS – AND STOP ADDING NEW ONES – IN URBAN AREAS

• There are roughly 2.7 million septic tanks in Florida.
• Many septic tanks are old, too close to important watersheds, and not designed to remove nitrogen.
• Contaminants seep out through sand and limestone and into the aquifers, polluting our springs, lakes and rivers.
• As governor, Crist will work to replace all urban septic tanks and connect them to central sewer systems.
• All new urban developments should connect to centralized sewer systems – not septic tanks.
• Florida can use American Rescue Plan dollars to pay for these improvements.

SUPPORT WATER STORAGE AND WETLAND RESTORATION

• Dispersed water management cleans water, creates more habitat for plants and wildlife, and provides groundwater recharge for the water supply.
• The Crist administration will make more public lands available to store and clean water and restore wetlands.
• As governor, Crist will find more ways to encourage private landowners to store and clean water on their property.

PROTECT FLORIDA’S FRESHWATER SPRINGS

• Florida’s freshwater springs are the largest of their kind in the world.
• Excessive nitrogen has polluted 80 percent of our freshwater springs.
• We should be protecting our springs from agricultural runoff and excess consumption.
• Crist supports a Right to Clean Water constitutional amendment.
• As governor, Crist will fight state preemption of local governments adding additional protections for clean water.

FULLY FUND AND STAFF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

• As governor, Crist will appoint an environmentalist to lead DEP, not someone from an industry the state regulates.
• Florida is only the third state to take over wetlands permitting from the federal government.
• More responsibility means DEP needs more resources to do the job right and protect our wetlands and waterways.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers processed about 1,000 wetlands permits a year in Florida.
• The Crist administration won’t streamline bureaucracy to please industry and developers. It will do the job right to protect our precious resources from development.

STOP POLLUTING LAKE OKEECHOBEE

• Florida’s “liquid heart’’ has been polluted for decades.
• Tons of legacy pollution along with flood control efforts and the lake’s natural geography have vexed efforts to fully restore Lake Okeechobee. But we can at least stop making the problem worse.
• As governor, Crist will crack down on agriculture runoff, improve management of the watershed north of the lake, and limit back-pumping.
• Communities around the lake and coastal communities on the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers have been the ones paying the price for Lake Okeechobee polluters for too long.

RESTORE AND PROTECT OUR EVERGLADES

• In Congress and as governor, Charlie worked across the aisle to secure billions of dollars for critical Everglades restoration.
• For decades, special interests blocked efforts to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee for water storage and treatment, the missing link to truly restore the Everglades.
• As governor in 2010, Charlie beat the special interests and signed a historic agreement to purchase over 100,000 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Although Charlie’s successor let the deal collapse, he remains committed to getting the job done.
• In addition to keeping bipartisan, state and federal Everglades projects funded and on track, Charlie will use Amendment 1 dollars to purchase more land to enable fresh water to flow south into the Everglades and Florida Bay.
• This will avoid saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise and protect coastal communities and their estuaries. Charlie’s plan will improve water quality, mitigate harmful algae blooms, support ecotourism, sequester carbon dioxide, and safeguard drinking water for millions of Floridians.

Office for New Floridians

As Governor, Crist Will Create State Office for New Floridians

More than 900 people move to Florida every day. That’s nearly 330,000 new Floridians every year, and we want to welcome them with open arms. Between 2010 and 2020, Florida’s population grew by 2.7 million residents or 14.6 percent, double the nation’s overall population growth. More than 20 percent of our residents were born in another country.

Sometimes our new neighbors need assistance navigating their new home—and the Office for New Floridians will cut red tape, reduce bureaucracy, and provide essential information and services to ensure every New Floridian can make a successful transition.

New Floridians are an essential part of the economy of our state. They buy houses, open new businesses, send their children to school and help improve our communities. As governor, Charlie Crist will make sure our new neighbors get essential assistance to make a successful transition — regardless of whether they’re moving to Florida from another state or another country.

The Crist administration will establish a new office to accomplish this: the Office for New Floridians.

It can be hard to move to a new state and sort out which government office can help you obtain a driver’s license and change your motor vehicle registration, seek a professional license to pursue a particular career, or obtain the proper local licenses and permits to open a new business. You might need help finding a job, finding the right school for your children, learning how to save money for college, or accessing social services available in your neighborhood that can help with the move and transition. This will provide one stop for new residents seeking help as they put down roots in the Sunshine State.

• New Floridians Hotline: The Office for New Floridians will offer a hotline in several languages whereNewFloridians can get answers to common questions that cut through red tape and help them make a successful transition. The Hotline will offer answers to questions such as obtaining a drivers’ license, immigration status, job training programs, legal aid programs, and rental assistance. Calls will be confidential.
• Opportunity Centers: The Office for New Floridians will sponsor existing community organizations to offer wrap-around transition services for new Floridians. Community organizations are the closest to the need, and ONF will provide grants and other resources to them.
• Resources Hub: The Office for New Floridians will set up a directory for accessing and navigating a variety of free services throughout the state.
• Hub for Skilled Professional Services: Too often, professional and trade certifications do not easily transfer across state or national borders. The Office for New Floridians will establish a smooth process by which skilled professionals and trade workers (such as cosmetology, barbering, engineering, real estate, contracting, or construction) can transfer existing certifications to Florida while learning any necessary new skills quickly.
• Digital Hub: The Office for New Floridians will create a digital hub that will be open around the clock and available to everyone: WelcometoFIorida.gov. It will be available in multiple languages, with information specific to your community.

Florida currently does not make it easy enough to become a New Floridian. Paperwork, red tape, and bureaucracy create burdens that are too high and prevent New Floridians from making a smooth and quick transition. By focusing on solving this problem, we will grow our economy, create jobs, and put power in the people’s hands. Whether a New Floridian is coming from Boston or Bogata, the Office for New Floridians will ensure Florida is the most welcoming state in the union for new residents.

Justice for All

1. Restoring Voting Rights

Restoring voting rights. As governor, Charlie Crist will honor the intent of the voters who overwhelmingly approved Amendment 4. He will seek a new state law that would enable felons who have been released from prison to have their voting rights automatically restored while they continue to pay what they owe in court costs, fines and restitution. Crist also will immediately initiate a rigorous effort to reform and accelerate consideration of clemency requests, just as he did when he was governor when the state restored rights to more than 150,000 deserving Floridians.

2. Reducing Gun Violence

Reducing gun violence. In St. Petersburg and too many other cities across Florida and the nation, gun violence is on the rise. The homicide rate in Florida rose 10 percent in 2020 over the previous year. Gov. Crist will encourage and invest in local, grass-roots efforts in St. Pete and elsewhere aimed at uniting communities against gun violence. He will partner with local governments in gun safety campaigns to encourage legal gun owners to keep their guns locked up and properly stored. He will invest the state’s time and money in a comprehensive approach to reduce gun-related crime by improving neighborhoods through better social services, expanded affordable housing, better schools and more economic opportunities. As governor, Crist also will continue to seek stronger gun safety laws that include universal background checks for legal gun buyers as well as bans on large magazines and assault rifles.

3. Marijuana Reform

Legalizing marijuana. As governor, Charlie Crist will call for the full legalization of marijuana for adults, which already exists in nearly 20 states. Revenue from taxes on legal sales will be used to fund the police, drug treatment programs and diversion programs. Funds will also be used to support our teachers. Adults will also be able to legally grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use. Crist will also call for dismantling the unfair vertical integration model for medical marijuana, which requires license holders to cultivate, process and sell their product. That limits competition, creates a handful of powerful cartels and discriminates against Black farmers with limited resources. Crist will create a new structure that will significantly increase accessibility to medical marijuana, decentralize operations, and enable minority entrepreneurs and others to enter the market and focus on what they do best, whether it is farming, processing or selling the product.

Expunging marijuana charges. Crist will seek legislation to expunge all existing charges and sentences for misdemeanors and third degree felonies for marijuana possession, which covers up to 30 grams of marijuana or 1 ounce. Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, for example, has essentially been diverting those cases. At least four states provided similar relief in 2021: New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Virginia. Nationally, Black residents are nearly four times more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than white residents — and seven of 10 voters nationally believe marijuana should be legalized.

4. Reforming Florida’s Justice System

Sentencing reform. Charlie Crist will establish a blue ribbon commission to review Florida’s mandatory minimum criminal laws. He will support legislation (SB 1032) filed in 2021 that would authorize prisoners to earn rehabilitation credit for completion of a high school equivalency diploma, vocational certificate, drug treatment program, mental health treatment program, life skills program, behavioral modification program, reentry program, or equivalent rehabilitative program. The bill’s sponsors included Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando.

Expanding conviction review units. Gov. Crist will provide financial assistance and encourage state attorneys in every circuit to form conviction review units like those in Hillsborough County and several urban Florida circuits. These offices work to prevent, identify and remedy wrongful convictions. Smaller jurisdictions could form regional review units.

Improving data collection. To root out racial disparities in the criminal justice system, we need better data. In 2018, the Legislature overwhelmingly voted to approve the Criminal Justice Data Transparency Project. Three years later, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has failed to deliver, and this state still does not have a publicly accessible website containing comprehensive criminal justice data. As governor, Crist will make it a top priority to ensure FDLE delivers so Floridians have a clear picture of the system and policymakers can better target reforms to ensure equal justice for all.

Sentencing reform for juveniles. Charlie Crist will seek legislation vetoed by Gov. DeSantis this year that had broad bipartisan support (SB 274) and would have made tens of thousands of juveniles eligible to have their criminal record expunged if they took part in behavioral programs rather than serve prison time. The bill would expand current law, which only allows the expungement of misdemeanors for juveniles. The bill’s sponsors included Democratic Sens. Gary Farmer of Lighthouse Point and Annette Taddeo of Miami.

Expanding civil citation programs for juveniles. Gov. Crist will expand civil citation programs for juveniles. While state law requires these programs in every circuit, their scope and success vary. Crist will seek legislation to make these programs consistent statewide and expand them to include all misdemeanors except for a handful, such as those involving firearms. Escambia County adopted this expansion this summer. This will result in better outcomes for youths statewide and save taxpayers money.

Create a reentry program task force that would assess reentry programs across the state and compile a standard of best practices. Gov. Crist’s administration will provide incentives and grant opportunities for programs that follow the standards set forth by the task force.

Crist Action Plan for Florida Seniors

Charlie Crist believes seniors play an essential role in communities throughout Florida and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Charlie is committed to fighting for affordable health care; lowering the costs of prescription drugs; safe, comfortable, and accessible housing; preserving Social Security and Medicare; and expanding opportunities for seniors to remain active in their communities.

As governor, Charlie will continue to fight for seniors like he has his entire career. The Crist Administration will be ready on day one to:

• Expand Medicaid
• Lower prescription drugs costs
• Support safe and comfortable living
• Support Floridians with disabilities
• Make sure Florida state employees get the retirement they earned
• Roll back Tallahassee’s misguided voter suppression law and make it easier to vote

Charlie’s commitment to supporting Florida’s seniors runs deep. As governor, he created the ‘’Florida Discount Drug Card’’ that helped thousands of Floridians save upwards of $6 million at thousands of pharmacies across the state. In Congress, Charlie has continued to work for seniors. He’s fought to give Medicare the authority to negotiate cheaper prices with drug companies, and for lowering the price of insulin to $10 a month.

Charlie has blocked proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and made sure seniors were included in stimulus payments. Charlie has fought to help seniors remain in their homes safely and is leading the charge to protect seniors and persons with disabilities from guardianship fraud and abuse. Charlie has called for inspections for aging condo buildings and continues to work to provide affordable options for costly condo special assessments for seniors on fixed incomes.

As our next governor, Charlie will honor the “Golden Rule,” and fight for what’s right for Florida’s seniors. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again.

POLICY PROPOSALS

Expand Medicaid

• Charlie will fight for Medicaid expansion because Floridians shouldn’t have to worry about going bankrupt when they’re sick. He knows that expansion will save lives, keep tax dollars at home, create jobs, grow the economy, keep rural hospitals open, help more Floridians get the care they need, and enable the state to clear the waiting lists for home and community-based care.
• As governor, Charlie will veto any budget that does not expand Medicaid.
• The Crist Administration will use the additional Medicaid expansion dollars to fully fund senior services, including home care and Meals on Wheels.

Lower Prescription Drug Costs

• Charlie will take on the big pharmaceutical companies gouging Floridians. In Congress, Charlie is fighting to allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription drugs, and he’ll take that fight to the Governor’s office on behalf of Floridians.
• Charlie will fight for an independent prescription drug affordability board that will work to improve public health, reduce the price of health expenditures while ensuring care is not compromised, better the patient experience, recruit and retain quality health-care professionals, and set target and maximum prices for prescription drugs. This board would be able to request information from drug manufacturers justifying their prices, review medication costs, and set ceilings for costs.
• As governor, Charlie would provide Medicaid insulin pricing for every Floridian who needs insulin. Taxpayers won’t pay a dime. Drug companies will.
• Charlie will ensure Floridians can finally import cheaper prescription medicines from Canada.
• Charlie will work toward the creation of an online tool for consumers to compare prices of similar drugs.

Empower Seniors to Live Safely and Comfortably

• Charlie supports expanding opportunities for seniors who wish to live in their own homes safely, independently, and comfortably. As governor, Charlie will allow Florida’s Medicaid program to pay for home renovations like wheelchair ramps or lifts, grab bars, wider doorways, and no-step bathing that will keep low-income seniors safe and out of the hospital or nursing home unnecessarily. This will make homes safer and save taxpayer dollars.
• As governor, Charlie will restore his “Operation Spot Check” to ensure that all nursing home regulations are being enforced, including COVID-19 protocols and requirements for post-hurricane power supplies. He will hold nursing home owners accountable for having all staff up to date on COVID vaccines and push to get all residents boosted.
• Charlie will roll back Tallahassee’s misguided voter suppression law and make it easier to vote by mail. He’ll make sure all legal votes are counted and will give voters the ability to fix ballots that have been rejected for issues such as signature match and change of address.
• In Congress, Charlie wrote a new law, the Building Age-Friendly Communities Act, to shine a light on what seniors need to enjoy growing older in their own homes and the importance of social interactions and getting out in the community.
• He also wrote the Senior Accessible Housing Act, which would cover the cost of senior home modifications up to $30,000 over a lifetime.
• Charlie will fight to make critical safety assessments more affordable for seniors in aging condo buildings and will support construction of affordable senior housing units.

Support Seniors With Disabilities

• As governor, Charlie will increase inclusion, accessibility and individual approaches. Charlie will include people with disabilities in development of disability policy and will enforce our civil rights laws. He’ll work to increase pay for care workers and require paid sick leave.
• Charlie will deliver needed home-based services and long-term support. Charlie will expand access to assistive technologies and adapted housing and transportation. Charlie will crack down on abusive and unnecessary guardianships in favor of an informed decision-making model.

Support Care Workers

• When care workers have to come in sick because they can’t afford to take time off, it endangers themselves, their colleagues and the seniors they are caring for every day. Charlie will propose paid sick days for care workers. If your job is caring for seniors, you shouldn’t come to work sick.
• Charlie voted for billions of dollars in the Build Back Better Act to raise wages for workers who care for seniors under Medicaid.
• In a Florida for All, Charlie believes that every elderly Floridian and their family should be able to get the home care they need at a price they can afford. Charlie will allow Medicaid to pay for home modifications that keep low-income seniors safe and out of the hospital or nursing home.

Ensuring State Employees Get The Retirement They Earned

• Florida seniors represent 30% of the state’s population, and many of them have earned their monthly check from the Florida Retirement System. After years of hard work and service to our state, they deserve to be treated fairly.
• At a time when prices are up, it’s not fair to let inflation continuously eat up the hard-earned retirement benefits for firefighters, teachers, or police officers who spent their career serving our state. As governor, Charlie will restore cost-of-living adjustments for retired state workers.
• Charlie will improve the retiree health subsidy, so the benefits that retirees earned will keep up with rising costs. With Medicare premiums going up $22 per month in 2022 alone, the Health Insurance Subsidy should keep pace.

Affordable Florida for All

Across the Sunshine State, it has never cost more to be a Floridian. Housing prices continue to soar, making the dream of buying a home impossible for many families, while renters are getting slammed with record rents and sky-high increases. Premiums for property insurance and car insurance are reaching all-time highs alongside electric bills, with the Florida Public Service Commission in the pocket of big utilities and acting more like a lapdog than a watchdog. Meanwhile, both wages and the rate of wage growth in Florida are well below the national average.

Governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t just ignored these issues — he’s made them worse. Florida has become unaffordable under this governor. He signed into law legislation that permanently cut the Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund in half, and he made it harder and more expensive for homeowners to get property insurance. All while this governor takes giant campaign contributions from electric utilities, then watches quietly as the PSC rubber stamps their outrageous rate hikes. At every turn, Governor DeSantis sides with corporations over consumers, puts profits over people, and donors over Floridians. The result: an unaffordable Florida.

Charlie Crist has a proven record of putting people first. As Governor, Charlie tackled the 2008 recession head first, pulling our state out of the financial crisis while fighting the insurance and utility giants. He demanded lower rates, and he appointed consumer-oriented regulators. In Congress, he has fought for housing affordability, access to capital for small businesses, a $15 minimum wage, the child care tax credit and stimulus checks to help people weather the covid pandemic. He’s spent his lifetime in public service taking on powerful special interests for the people. And when he’s elected, he’ll do it again.

Charlie’s Affordable Florida Plan is a promise to all Floridians that as governor Charlie will:

• Work to make housing more affordable for renters and homebuyers
• Stop outrageous electric rate increases and reform utility regulation
• Expand fast broadband internet so it is accessible to all
• Lower homeowner insurance rates
• Fight to secure better, lower cost car insurance

POLICY PROPOSALS

Part 1: UTILITIES

• As governor, Charlie Crist will put the word “public’’ back into the Florida Public Service Commission and the Office of Public Counsel, which represents ratepayers, by appointing watchdogs instead of lapdogs.
  • He will steadfastly oppose unreasonable rate increases by the for-profit utility companies and call on the Public Service Commission to set ambitious energy conservation goals.
  • Charlie supports changing state law so that the governor appoints the public counsel instead of the Legislature, and he promises to appoint an independent, experienced public counsel and supports additional resources to the office.
  • Charlie will also seek the repeal of legislation signed into law by Gov. DeSantis that imposes term limits on the counsel, which undercuts the office’s authority, so it can fight harder for consumers.
• Charlie will call for eliminating the nominating process that is controlled by the utilities so that the governor can appoint Public Service Commission member directly without being forced to choose from a one-sided list of finalists. Charlie will give voters a voice at the commission by giving voters the power to decide whether PSC members should be retained or removed every four years.
• Charlie will seek the repeal of legislation signed into law by Gov. DeSantis that prevents local governments from banning natural gas as an energy source in new construction and restricts the use of natural gas obtained by fracking. Charlie also supports the repeal of legislation signed by the current governor that prevents local governments from imposing requirements on gas stations.
• Charlie will add more electric vehicle charging stations throughout Florida to emphasize convenience for drivers, not profits for utilities.
• Charlie will expand solar energy, preserve net metering, and oppose Tallahassee politicians’ efforts to make solar more expensive.

Part 2: Housing Affordability

• As governor, Charlie Crist will fully fund the Sadowski Trust Fund for affordable housing and work to repeal the law that permanently cut it in half. Once restored, he will line-item veto any raids on the Trust Fund. Sadowski belongs to the people of Florida for affordable housing, not politicians in Tallahassee.
• For the veteran, young family, or first-generation homebuyer looking to own their own home, Charlie will strengthen and expand down payment assistance programs to help more Floridians achieve the American Dream of home ownership.
• Charlie will appoint a Housing Czar who will report directly to the governor and be empowered to support the work of local governments to innovate and meet broad housing affordability goals, while respecting the unique local differences in communities throughout our state.
• As governor, Charlie will restore housing funding that politicians took from the people of Florida and spent elsewhere, investing in homeownership, affordable rental units, climate resiliency, and energy efficiency.
• Charlie will work to reform Florida’s documentary stamp tax to work better for Floridians who live in, or rent their homes. Charlie will fight for a healthy, sustainable real estate market for Florida families — not overseas billionaires.
• Charlie will crack down on Wall Street abuse that is hurting Floridians and driving housing prices to unaffordable levels.

Part 3: Property Insurance

• Pass National Catastrophic Insurance Plan. In Congress, Charlie introduced the FAITH Act to limit the amount of catastrophic reinsurance insurance companies have to buy. One of the biggest drivers of cost for Floridians is reinsurance, or insurance for insurance companies. The reinsurance market is global, unregulated, and increasingly disinterested in helping Floridians. With a federal backstop for catastrophic reinsurance to cover the true, once-in-a-lifetime catastrophes, hardworking Floridians would no longer be at the whims of the global reinsurance market.
• End the “Hurricane Tax” Surcharge Policyholders Pay to Overfund the CAT Fund. Charlie will work to end the surcharge policyholders pay to pre-fund the catastrophe fund, which was always meant to be temporary. For the future, the rapid cash buildup should only be used to replenish the fund. It should not be a hurricane tax.
• Lower the CAT Fund Attachment Point. As governor, Charlie will work to lower the CAT fund attachment point from $8.2 billion to $4.5 billion, further reducing the cost of private reinsurance. The CAT Fund was set up to stabilize the market and lower rates. It should have the flexibility to replace the highest cost reinsurance.
• Appoint an Insurance Commissioner For The People. As governor, Charlie will appoint an insurance commissioner who supports Floridians over Big Insurance and will hold the line on rate increases.
• Require Big Insurers Profiting Off Auto Insurance to Provide Homeowners Insurance. Charlie will require large insurers that sell auto insurance to Floridians to also offer homeowners insurance, allowing Floridians to “bundle and save.” This provision is already in state law, but the DeSantis Administration refuses to enforce it.
• Re-Establish My Safe Florida Homes. Charlie will also help Floridians better protect their homes from hurricanes and lower their insurance premiums by re-establishing his “My Safe Florida Homes” program. When he was governor, the state provided 400,000 free wind inspections and helped 35,000 homeowners pay for hardening homes, which reduced their premiums. The legislature allocated funds for this, but DeSantis has not acted to operationalize the program.
• Fight Fraud. Charlie will fight fraud by creating an insurance fraud task force to protect hard-working Floridians and stop the fraudsters who drive up rates. Insurance fraud is real and illegal. Instead of dealing with fraud that we all have to pay for, DeSantis and Attorney General Moody have been too busy in court trying to rip away Floridians’ right to have an abortion. DeSantis made a big spectacle of arresting 20 ex-felons who were told by the state that they could vote. He knows how to use law enforcement to send a chilling message. Why not do it to the fraudsters?

Read more about Charlie’s plan to fix property insurance here.

Crist’s Million Solar Roofs Plan

THE SUNSHINE STATE SHOULD BE A NATIONAL LEADER IN SOLAR POWER

Florida is blessed to be the Sunshine State. We should put our blessing, the abundance of sunshine, to good use to power Florida homes and businesses. Solar will lower electric bills, create jobs, protect small businesses, and fight climate change and sea level rise. Solar technology is constantly improving, with lower costs and improved efficiency. Across America, millions have made the switch to solar. Yet, the Sunshine State lags way behind our solar capacity, a problem driven by a lack of leadership and foresight on solar policy. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Florida should lead the way — both in solar policy and outcomes.

As governor, Charlie Crist will set a bold new goal for Florida, putting our state on a path to reach one million solar roofs.

To achieve one million solar roofs, Charlie will take an all-of-the-above approach, with solar solutions for All Floridians.

• Protecting and Enhancing Solar Incentives
• Fighting Legislative Attacks on Net Metering
• Creating Solar Renewable Energy Credits
• Supporting and Expanding Low-Cost Financing Options for Homeowners and Small Business Owners
• Creating “Solar for All” Low-Income Grants
• Allowing Third-Party Ownership
• Streamlining Permitting and Interconnection Standards
• Instituting a Renewable Portfolio Standard and Efficiency Standards
• Installing Solar on State Buildings

This is a jobs plan that will create and support tens of thousands of solar-related jobs in Florida, including manufacturing and installation.

HOW WE’LL GET SOLAR ON A MILLION FLORIDA ROOFS

Protecting and Enhancing Solar Incentives

• Incentives put solar within reach for more families and small businesses. For many, state policies like net metering were part of the financial calculation of going solar.
• When he was governor, Charlie directed the Florida Public Service Commission to develop a rule for rooftop solar that increased choice and market freedom by letting residents and business owners who generate their own extra power sell it back to the utility companies at a fair price. The Public Service Commission set the net metering rules two years later, but the utilities have been trying to kill it ever since.
• Once again, Tallahassee lawmakers, doing the bidding of big utilities, are trying to kill net metering and make solar power more expensive. As governor, Charlie would veto any attempts by the Legislature to turn back the clock on solar, including by repealing or weakening the current net metering rule.
• Charlie will institute Solar Renewable Energy Credits to put more money in Floridians’ pockets. Under his plan, if utilities are having trouble meeting their solar energy goals, they will be able to purchase credits from homeowners and businesses that generate solar power. This will make choosing to install solar more financially viable for more middle class families, and let everyday homeowners and businesses be part of the solution. In the eight states and Washington, D.C. that have a similar program, this is a proven way to encourage more solar and lower prices.

Supporting and Expanding Low-Cost Financing Options

• For homeowners and businesses that want to install solar panels, but lack the up-front cash to purchase the system outright, Charlie will build on proven, low-cost financing options like the non-profit Solar Energy Loan Fund.
• Under Charlie’s 1 Million Solar Roofs plan, the State of Florida will have skin in the game to lower interest rates and increase available capital.
• Between jobs, energy reliability, lowering power bills, improving air and water quality, and fighting climate change and sea level rise, the Sunshine State has a vested interest in more people going solar. And it’s time we start acting like it.

“Solar for All” Low-Income Grants

• Under Charlie’s 1 Million Solar Roofs plan, All Floridians will have the option to take advantage of the reliability and cost savings of going solar, including low-income homeowners and renters.
• Charlie’s “Solar for All” initiative will offer grants on a first-come, first-serve basis to low-income Floridians who can use state-certified installers to put solar on their roofs.
• “Solar for All” will put solar savings and reliability in reach for more seniors on a fixed-income, rural families, and even renters if their landlord agrees.

Allowing Third-Party Ownership

• As governor, Charlie will allow third-party ownership of rooftop solar, opening the door for families to realize solar savings and reliability without the cost of owning the system outright.
• By banning homeowners and businesses from directly purchasing power from solar companies that install solar panels on their roofs, Florida is in the minority of states, limiting our distributed solar capacity.
• Charlie will insist on strong consumer protections and oversee any third-party rooftop arrangements, including leases and power purchasing agreements.
• Bottom line: utility monopolies should not have a veto over how Floridians put solar power on their roofs.

Streamlining Permitting And Interconnection Standards

• Florida’s one million solar roofs need to be connected to the electric grid. Charlie will work to streamline the interconnection process to avoid delays and undue costs.
• Charlie will support efficient permitting and will strengthen laws preventing HOAs or condo boards from infringing on Floridians’ rights to install solar technology.

Instituting the Renewable Portfolio Standard and Efficiency Standards

• When he was governor, Charlie made Florida a national leader on climate change, clean energy, and energy efficiency. If elected, he’ll get the job done on a renewable portfolio standard to require all utilities in the state to meet increasingly ambitious renewable energy and solar goals.
• 31 states and the District of Columbia have renewable standards, and another seven have renewable goals. As Florida remains uniquely vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise, the Sunshine State cannot afford to keep its head in the sand on renewable energy.
• In 2021, Gov. DeSantis chose polluters over people — and further eroded local control — when he signed a law banning local governments from restricting the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity used in their communities. In contrast, Charlie will let local communities fight climate change, protect their environment and quality of life, and push for clean air and water.
• As governor, Charlie will restore energy efficiency goals for utilities.For energy efficiency performance and savings, Florida Power and Light, Duke Energy, and TECO rank near the bottom in the nation. Most states have long-term energy efficiency goals. Not Florida — because the utilities don’t want any goals at all. Charlie will demand that the Public Service Commission set robust energy conservation goals. When it comes to adding insulation, energy efficiency windows, and other improvements to save energy and lower power bills, Florida utilities should be part of the solution — not the problem.

Solar on State Buildings

• With Charlie as governor, the State of Florida will walk the walk to reach one million solar roofs, starting by installing panels on the Governor’s Mansion.
• He’ll issue an executive order to install solar panels on every possible state-owned building to meet energy needs.
• Charlie will support municipal buildings, schools, and other public buildings that want to install solar technology to save money, enhance reliability, and fight climate change.

Safer Florida For All

Safer Neighborhoods, Safer Schools, Safer Florida

After the tragedy in Parkland, students bravely pushed for legislative action to end gun violence. The actions and advocacy of those students led to major bipartisan improvements to gun safety in Florida. Raising the age to buy a gun, creating a waiting period for dealer purchases, and a red flag law that helps keep guns out of the hands of those who represent an extreme risk of violence, were all steps taken after Parkland.

These actions were significant, but a lot of important work remains. Gun violence continues to threaten our schools, churches, synagogues, and communities. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted. It’s clear we have a lot more to do to protect Floridians.

From the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Floridians have had enough. There have been more than 100 mass shootings in Florida in the past four years. Majority-Black areas of Charlie’s hometown of St. Petersburg are suffering from a rash of gun violence. His friend, Chief Anthony Holloway, said it best: “The more these guns are on the street, the more harm they can do.”

We owe it to our communities, the memories of those we’ve lost and those left behind, to learn from these tragedies and continue to improve our gun safety laws. Reasonable steps to prevent gun violence include extending background checks, preventing domestic abusers from access to firearms, limiting high capacity magazines and assault weapons, and funding locally driven violence prevention strategies.

Thoughts are kind, and prayers are touching sentiments, but it’s time to honor victims and survivors of gun violence with action — which is exactly what our campaign’s “Safer Florida for All” plan will do.

ASSAULT WEAPONS REDUCTION

Banning The Sale Of Assault Weapons — Assault weapons are a semi-automatic firearm, based on high-powered military designs, designed to kill people quickly and efficiently. We’ve seen shooters use these battlefield weapons to murder hundreds in schools, theaters, concerts, churchs, and city schools. We must do more to protect Floridians from these often lethal weapons and pass common sense reform.

ENFORCE GUN LAWS

Background Checks — From Pulse to Parkland to Pensacola, our state has endured too many mass shootings caused by people who should not have been able to buy a gun in the first place. Right now federal law lets dangerous people, who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing guns, have easy access to guns from private parties without a background check. As governor, Charlie will work to close these dangerous loopholes and require universal background checks for gun sales.

Crackdown on Ghost Guns — Florida has no laws concerning untraceable or undetectable firearms. Known as ghost guns they are used in crimes throughout the country. We should work to ban sales of partially finished receivers without a serial number, require serialization of those that are already in the community, and establish penalties for 3D-printed weapons.

Crackdown On Gun Trafficking — As governor, Charlie will work to end gun trafficking by cracking down on straw purchases, corrupt gun dealers, gun thefts, and bulk gun purchases. Handguns bought in bulk purchase are dramatically, 64%, more likely to be used in a crime than a handgun bought in an individual purchase. Limiting buyers to one handgun purchase per month is a reasonable, straightforward, proven way to reduce gun trafficking and violence.

Report Lost or Stolen Firearms — Florida law does not require gun owners to report theft or loss of their firearm. Stolen guns are often sold on the black market where they help fuel crime across the country. Reporting lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement would help reduce gun trafficking and crime. Reporting laws also help prevent prohibited persons — like career criminals, stalkers, and domestic abusers — from getting a gun. These laws also protect lawful and responsible gun owners from false allegations if a gun stolen from them is later found at the scene of a crime.

NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY

Locally Driven “Focused Deterrence” — If we want to end violence, we must instill hope and grow opportunity. Charlie will invest the state’s time and money in a comprehensive approach to reduce gun-related crime by improving neighborhoods through better social services, expanded affordable housing, better schools, more economic opportunities, and funding locally driven violence prevention strategies.

Violence begets violence, creating a killing chain that continues without community intervention. As governor, Charlie will work with community leaders like local law enforcement, civic leaders, clergy, and social workers to implement a program of “focused deterrence.” Incredibly successful in cities throughout the country this model could save tens of thousands of lives in Florida. Charlie would work with civic leaders to make sure they have state-backed support with local solutions.

This simple three-step model of focused deterrence has created major drops in gun-related crime and death in cities throughout the country. Tracking crime, involving the community, and following up with outreach programs is one of the best locally focused solutions to reduce gun violence.

• Gather and Evaluate: The first step of focused deterrence is gathering respected civic leaders like clergy, social workers, and law enforcement officers into a working partnership. This local partnership then begins the process of examining violent incidents and trends to figure out who is most likely to shoot or be shot.
• Communicate the Message: These folks are invited to a community meeting with the working members of the partnership and others like faith leaders, victims of gun violence, former perpetrators who have moved on from their old life, and parents of gun violence victims to communicate a clear and strong message — the shooting must stop. Law enforcement officers then convey a clear and strong message that if the community’s plea is ignored they will act on the community’s wishes and swift action will be taken against any future perpetrators of violence. Meeting attendees receive the message that the community cares about them and wants to see them healthy and understand that, at the request of the community, any future violence will bring strong and swift action by law enforcement. At the end of the community meeting people are connected with social workers that can help steer folks in the direction of resources like tutoring, mental health treatment, transportation assistance, and housing support. This creates a forceful “focused deterrence” effect that has been proven to rapidly reduce local gun violence.
• Follow Through and Repeat: The next time a violent incident occurs law enforcement follow through on their commitment to take swift action. Other community meetings are held until the message is adequately distributed. Progress is tracked and measured.

Strengthen Red Flag Laws — After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida passed a red flag law. This law creates a process for civil courts, after petitioning from law enforcement, to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order that temporarily suspends firearm access if the civil court determines there is ample evidence that a person is at extreme risk of significant violence in the immediate future. Law enforcement officers and agencies can file a petition for an Extreme Risk Protection Order when a person “poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to himself or herself or others by having a firearm or any ammunition in his or her custody or control or by purchasing, possessing, or receiving a firearm or any ammunition.”

In countless instances friends or family noticed warning signs that those closest to them were at extreme risk of harming themselves or others. Right now in Florida only law enforcement can petition for an extreme risk protection order. As governor, we would work toward allowing family and household members, as those that know them best and see the earliest signs, to also petition the courts. This simple step would save lives. We would also work for funding statewide officer training in use of these red flag laws instead of placing that burden on local departments as it is now.

Strengthen firearm safe storage law — Kids throughout the country are killed by mishandled firearms every year. Children shot accidentally — almost always by other children — is all the more crushing because they’re often preventable. Currently, Florida law calls for the proper and safe storage of a loaded gun if the owner could reasonably assume a child could have access. While this law is a step in the right direction, as governor, Charlie will work to pass additional child access prevention laws — like storing ammunition and firearms separately and requiring safe storage of an unloaded weapon — to stop these devastating and accidental deaths. Keeping firearms away from children is a reasonable step that would dramatically reduce death and injury that every responsible gun owner is already doing.

Deny Guns To Domestic Abusers — Every fourteen hours a woman is shot and killed by her partner. An abusive partner’s access to a gun can mean the difference between life and death. A woman is five times more likely to be murdered if an abusive partner has access to a gun, nearly five million women report a partner has threatened them with a firearm, and another million report having been shot. We must put a stop to this.

As governor, Charlie will work to limit stalkers and abusers access to firearms. Federal law prevents convicted domestic abusers from firearm access but only applies to current or former spouses, if the couple is living or lived together, or if they share a child together. As governor, Charlie will work to broaden firearm prohibition to those convicted of misdemeanor stalking crimes or convicted of domestic violence of someone they aren’t married to. We can save lives and stop guns from being used to intimidate, coerce, and abuse.

Let Cities Make Decisions About What’s Best For Them — We should repeal Tallahassee’s Community Safety Pre-Emption that takes control away from communities that know their own neighborhoods best. What works best in Liberty County may not work best in Broward. We should let people have local control, not put all the power in Tallahassee, and let them make the decisions that are best for them, their families and neighborhoods.

Lengthen Waiting Period — Lengthening the waiting period from three to five days would help decrease impulsive violence and suicide. It would also allow law enforcement a longer time to complete background checks.

SUPPORT SURVIVORS AND FAMILIES

Establish The Mass Shooting Emergency Response Fund — Floridians join together to lift up survivors and family members of victims, Our state should too. Establishing a mass shooting emergency response fund could assist with hospital bills and funerals, and ongoing mental health treatment. Survivors need to focus on healing — not worry about GoFundMe.

Bring Caseworkers To Help Survivors Access Services — Survivors should have easy access to services, like victim’s compensation, healthcare, and disability. Too often, law enforcement has to shoulder the burden of helping survivors and families navigate services they may be eligible for. In order to better care for survivors, the State of Florida should surge knowledgeable caseworkers to the community following a mass shooting.

Establish An Office of Gun Violence Prevention — As governor, Charlie will work to create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and appoint a Director to be a tireless advocate for making Florida a safer place, while protecting Floridians’ 2nd Amendment rights.

Accessibility For All

Every Floridian should be treated fairly and with dignity. That means providing reasonable accommodations in employment, housing, transportation, communication, health services, voting, and recreation. It also means supporting families, not ignoring their needs or sweeping them under the rug as the DeSantis Administration has done.

As Governor, Charlie created the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities so that Florida’s disability community would have a seat at the table during his Administration. In Congress, he has a solid record of fighting to better serve the disability community. When elected Governor again, he has a comprehensive plan to deliver better care with dignity and equal access

Policy Toplines

Better Care

• Charlie Will Fight For Medicaid Expansion. In addition to providing coverage for 800,000 uninsured, working Floridians and lower premiums for everyone, Medicaid expansion will strengthen Florida’s Medicaid program and draw down billions in additional federal dollars that can be used to better serve the waiver population.
• Charlie Will Fight To Clear The Waiting List. Charlie will fight to ELIMINATE the Medicaid Waiting Lists for the iBudget and Long Term Supports & Services Waivers by actually providing the needed services. DeSantis has ignored the needs of the Disability & Seniors Communities and has cut funds on an annual basis, driven caregivers away and made it impossible for families in crisis to qualify.
• Charlie Will Increase the Number of Caregivers. Charlie will support caregivers and the vital work they do. He will increase the minimum wage for Medicaid caregivers to at least $15 per hour and work to provide healthcare to them as well. This will ensure a quality workforce with enough caregivers to meet the need.

Dignity And Equal Access

• Charlie Will Reserve a Seat at the Table for Floridians With Disabilities. No decisions about us without us! Charlie will stand for full inclusion of people with disabilities in the development of policy and fight for and enforce civil rights laws. As governor, Charlie will promote inclusion, accessibility, and individual needs.
• Charlie Will Fight For Accessible Schools, Housing, And Transportation. Charlie will fight for ESE students to provide better access and protect alternative educational opportunities when public schools do not meet the need. He’ll expand Voluntary Pre-K to 3-year-olds, so that children with developmental disabilities can access supportive services sooner in life. He’ll work to make accessible home modifications an eligible expense under Medicaid, and he’ll fight for transportation that is accessible and useful.
• Charlie Will Make Sure People with Disabilities Are Safe During Hurricanes. Charlie will work to build a strike force of emergency caregivers to fill gaps during hurricanes or family crises. People who need a hand should not be on their own when disaster strikes.
• Charlie Will Repeal DeSantis Restrictions On Vote By Mail. Charlie will fight to repeal DeSantis’ restrictions on mail in ballots because every Floridians has the right to have their voice heard. In Congress, he has secured additional federal dollars to make polling locations more accessible.
• Charlie Will Deliver Fast Affordable Internet for All. For many Floridians with disabilities, internet access is essential for being able to participate and thrive. Using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law he helped pass, Charlie will work to deliver affordable, high-speed internet to every corner of the state.

Record Of Fighting For People With Disabilities

• Charlie Pushed the US Department Of Education To Sue Florida Over Inaccessible Mask Policy. Charlie referred Florida schools’ inaccessible mask bans to the United States Department of Education, which initiated a federal civil rights investigation. Students with disabilities are guaranteed equal access and reasonable accommodations, and when Governor, Charlie will deliver.
• Charlie Blew The Whistle On Sunshine Health Medicaid Meltdown. When families of children with severe disabilities were crying out to the DeSantis Administration that their caregivers were no longer getting paid by Sunshine Health, they were ignored. Parents were losing their jobs. Small businesses were losing their livelihoods. And children were losing their care. When Charlie learned about this, he took action. Charlie blew the whistle, going directly to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to accuse DeSantis’ Agency for Health Care Administration for neglecting their responsibilities under the Medicaid waiver. The public pressure forced AHCA to finally act, resulting in accountability for Sunshine Health.
• Charlie Is A National Leader On Fighting Back Against Abusive Guardianships and Conservatorships. Long before Britney Spears drew the world’s attention to the horror of fraudulent and abusive guardianships, Charlie was fighting. He worked to protect a person under guardianship’s Social Security benefits from going to known abusers, and he alerted the FBI to the scourge of abuse and fraud taking place in these arrangements. In response to the Free Britney movement, Charlie introduced two, bipartisan bills to create a guaranteed federal right for a person under guardianship to get themselves out under the Fourteenth Amendment. His legislation would provide independent advisers to persons under guardianship to inform them of their rights and monitor for signs of abuse or neglect. He would also expand criminal penalties to go after crimes committed against a person under guardianship, official personhood status notwithstanding. As Governor, Charlie will reform Florida’s guardianship and conservatorship system to make guardianship only available as a last resort — in favor of an Informed Decision Making model. For Charlie, this is an issue of fairness, due process, dignity, and respect.

Freedom to Learn

Charlie Crist’s plan to improve pre-K through 12 public education

Topline: As Florida’s last elected Commissioner of Education, Charlie will be a governor who guarantees a world class education for every Florida student. Just as he did when he was your Education Commissioner and your Governor, Charlie is going to put education first and invest in our children’s future.

As Governor, Charlie will:

• Declare a teacher shortage emergency and aggressively begin recruiting teachers and education support staff to fill 9,000 empty classrooms and other critical education positions;
• Listen to and respect parents while easing their pain of politicized classrooms and pandemic learning loss, including the reduction in reading scores over the past few years;
• Invest in higher teacher pay by bringing starting salary beyond $47,500 and veteran salary to national average of $67,000; increase investments in students to enhance curriculum and improve ESE and CTE education;
• Expand voluntary pre-kindergarten to 3-year-olds, increase availability of all-day pre-K;
• Make schools safer by building a culture and climate of trust and respect between parents, teachers, students, non-instructional staff, elected officials, and law enforcement.

Charlie’s “Freedom to Learn” plan will put educating Florida’s children first.

Charlie’s Plan Will:

• Declare teacher and staff shortage emergency
• Increase teacher and non-instructional staff pay; starting salary beyond $47,500 and average veteran salary to the national average of $67,000 by 2026
• Increase health care options
• Qualify teachers for special risk retirement
• Increase per-student spending to the national average
• Stop the unwarranted politicization of our classrooms and attacks on educators
• Improve Exceptional Student Education
• Restore local control and respect the separation of powers under Florida’sConstitution
• Make Education Commissioner an elected position
• Harden schools against gun violence
• Foster cooperation between schools and community partners to reduce threat of violence
• Get students back on track after pandemic learning loss
• Expand voluntary Pre-K to 3-year-olds and expand all day Pre-K
• Expand access to AP, IB, and community college dual credits
• Provide additional CTE flexibility to meet local workforce needs
• Expand CTE to include entrepreneurial and leadership training
• Hire more school counselors
• Invest in STEM
• Invest in reasoning, problem-solving, and life skills in the curriculum

More on the Freedom to Learn Plan:

Creates great classrooms.

Ending teacher and non-instructional staff shortage emergency.

• Florida has 9,000 empty classrooms along with severe bus driver and custodial staff shortages.
• Charlie’s mother and two sisters are public school teachers. He respects teachers and support staff for the professionals they are. While a governor cannot legislate respect, their words and actions set the tone.
• Charlie will aggressively recruit teachers and school support staff with the same vigor that he’ll recruit new businesses to our state.With our beautiful weather, low taxes, environment, and quality of life, Florida should be the destination for education professionals.
• Charlie will strengthen the pipeline for educators from high school to higher education to Florida classrooms. He’ll expand incentives to study in Florida colleges and stay and teach in Florida.
• So many of us know a great teacher who was forced to leave the profession due to an unexpected expense or issue. As governor, Charlie will focus on what we need to keep teachers in place, with the goal of supporting and retaining educators. Charlie does not want one more teacher to have to make the choice between sticking with the profession they love and dealing with life’s unexpected moments.

Raising teacher and non-instructional staff pay, both starting and overall

average.

• Over 4 years as Governor, Charlie will invest over $5.5 billion to increase teacher pay to the national average.
• He’ll bring starting salary beyond $47,500 and veteran salary to the national average of $67,000.
• As salary compression leaves veteran teachers to fend for themselves or leave the profession altogether, Charlie wants to reward experienced educators and keep them in the classroom.

Increase health care options

• After hearing from educators and support staff that healthcare costs continue to chip away at take-home pay, Charlie will give districts the option to enroll in the state employee health plan. Teachers and non-instructional staff are public employees, too.
• The state will even pick up the tab if districts use existing expenditures to increase teacher and non-instructional staff pay.
• The district and the union will decide how to allocate the salary increase.
• If educators can have health insurance that costs less and delivers more, along with a meaningful pay increase, that is a win-win -win for teachers, students, and classrooms.

Qualify teachers for special risk retirement.

• Florida teachers were essential to educating students during the darkest during the darkest days of the pandemic. Many teachers and support staff died from COVID.
• Additionally, and unfortunately, school employees are the first line of defense during a school shooting.
• It’s past time we recognize the enhanced risk of the education profession by qualifying teachers and support staff for special risk retirement.

Increase investment in per-student spending.

• In real dollars, per-student spending was higher under Governor Crist, and he’ll do it again.
• Investing billions of additional dollars in Florida students will expand curriculums, make classrooms safer, improve ESE, and prepare students to be successful in college, their jobs, and their lives.
• With Florida poised to lead the nation in Space, the Crist Administration will redouble our efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and will invest in students’ reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Charlie listens to parents and trusts that they want what is best for their children. Parents know that students learn life skills alongside their academics at school and at home.

Getting politics out of our schools.

• Parents send their children to school to learn. Injecting politics into our schools hurts students and disrupts their education.
• This is the real indoctrination happening in schools — not Critical Race Theory and Don’t Say Gay. Those are not and never have been taught in our public schools.
• Classrooms should be above politics, and as Governor, Charlie will hold this principle sacrosanct.
• As the last elected Education Commissioner, Charlie knows what it’s like to be accountable to the people. We’re seeing what happens when Education Commissioners are only accountable to the governor: banning books, micromanaging lessons, and disrupting learning. If elected, Charlie will work to put parents back in charge by once again letting the people elect their Education Commissioner.
• Charlie will return power to elected local school boards, those closest to the community, to do the right thing for our schools and their communities. Local control means local decision-making.

Creating safe classrooms.

• It’s not fair that Florida students master how to hide from active shooters before they learn how to read and write.
• In Congress, Charlie secured funding to harden Florida schools, improving school safety, and making schools a much more difficult target for would-be shooters.
• No student or teacher should feel unsafe because violence in the community spills over into school. Charlie will encourage cooperation between schools and community partners to reduce the threat of violence in the classroom.
• Students deserve safe technology so they are not vulnerable to predators or privacy violations from large corporations or foreign countries.
• Charlie will work to make school safe and accessible for all students. When he was Education Commissioner, he stood up against anti-gay bullying because we’re all children of God. Our public schools exist for all students, and ALL students should feel loved, safe, and supported. This isn’t “grooming” or “indoctrination.” This is the Golden Rule — treat others the way you want to be treated. Charlie will focus on teaching and learning — not making up imaginary culture war issues that divide and distract.

Delivers great outcomes for students.

Making up for the learning loss.

• Between pandemic lockdowns, mental and behavioral health issues, and DeSantis’ teacher shortage emergency, students are falling behind.
• 1 in 4 3rd graders scored the lowest mark possible on state language arts assessment this year — the worst since the test was introduced in 2015.
• As Governor, Charlie will work to recruit community leaders, seniors, pastors, and business professionals and train them to tutor students and help get them back on track.
• It should not just be on teachers and parents. Having students proficient in core subjects like reading matters to all of us and we all should be part of the solution.
• If the achievement losses become permanent and we do not give districts and teachers the flexibility, time, and resources they need, there will be major implications on future earnings, crime, and other inequities.

Renewed commitment to Exceptional Student Education

• Parents of ESE students want the same quality education as anyone else, but these days, ESE services are being scaled back.
• With community fears that disability scholarships will serve fewer children and provide fewer options, it’s more important than ever that students are provided with a range of educational opportunities that meet their needs.
• Governor Crist will invest in the individualized education and services ESE students need to succeed.

Expanding VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten) to 3-year-olds.

• By expanding investments in voluntary pre-kindergarten and making 3-year-olds eligible, more children in the State of Florida will be ready to hit the ground running in kindergarten.
• This is especially critical for children with developmental disabilities, who often do not get the care and support they need until they’re eligible for VPK.
• He’ll also work to increase availability for all-day pre-K so parents can work.

Enhancing partnerships with Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and community college dual credit, so Florida’s college-bound students can start with a leg up.

• Politicizing classrooms and culture wars are jeopardizing Florida students’ access to Advanced Placement credit. As Governor, Charlie will encourage schools to offer more AP, IB, and dual credit partnerships with community colleges.

Increasing and improving career, technical, and entrepreneurial (CTE) training and apprenticeships.

• Charlie will expand and support high-quality CTE programs staffed with highly trained and certified teachers and staff.
• He’ll help districts set up new CTE programs with the flexibility to meet local workforce needs.
• In Monroe County, getting students certified in boat engine repair does not count due to Tallahassee-knows-best regulations.
• As early as middle school, students can find their path with the support of an adequate supply of school counselors.
• Crist will expand CTE to include entrepreneurial and leadership training to equip students with the life skills they need to succeed.
• Delivering on CTE is good for students, good for Florida’s workforce needs, and good for graduation rates — 93% of students who participate in a high quality CTE program graduate and 70% go on to college.

Wall Street Housing Crackdown

Under Ron DeSantis, Floridians are facing one of the worst affordability crises our state has ever experienced. Gov. DeSantis has been letting Wall Street run amok through Florida neighborhoods, and it’s because of his failure to lead that more Floridians have been paying more and more to live in the communities they’ve spent their whole lives in. It’s just wrong.

Charlie Crist won’t stand idly by as Floridians get squeezed out of their communities and the state they have always called home. Back in January, Charlie was the first to release an Affordable Florida plan to tackle housing affordability by fully funding the Sadowski Trust Fund, expanding down payment assistance programs, and appointing a Housing Czar who will report directly to the governor and support the work of local governments to innovate and meet broad housing affordability goals — but as folks continue to be priced out of their homes Charlie is ready to do more.

That’s why Charlie is proposing a 3-point plan to crack down on the Wall Street practices that are hurting Floridians and driving housing prices to unaffordable levels. Wall Street-backed firms are undermining homeownership, especially in predominantly Black and Hispanic communities in cities and states with weak tenant protections, by buying up single-family homes with all cash offers and converting them to rental properties that price locals out of their own neighborhoods. These firms have been accused of abusing tenants and holding back inventory, constraining supply and further driving up prices for their own gain while Floridians suffer. Wall Street has also stripped homeownership wealth — that would otherwise be generated for middle-class and working Americans — but is now being scraped out of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and delivered to shareholders. And Governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t done a single thing to fix this crisis.

Floridians need leadership now more than ever. That’s why Charlie’s Wall Street Crackdown Plan is about empowering local governments and enforcing reasonable measures that ensure housing gets into the hands of Floridians — not Wall Street firms looking to make a quick buck.

Charlie’s 3-point plan will:

1. Build off of his Affordable Florida for All plan and tap in the newly created Housing Czar to help local governments lead the fight against out-of-state, large investment firms, including limits on the number of single-family rental properties these firms can own in a neighborhood and taxing vacant properties owned by non-persons.
2. Request a statewide grand jury to crack down on tenant abuse and investigate illegal housing practices, including market manipulation and anti-competitive vertical integration.
3. Temporarily but significantly increase Documentary Stamp Tax paid by large, out-of-state investment firms on single-family real estate transactions. Revenues will be dedicated to the Sadowski Fund for housing affordability.

Charlie’s message to Wall Street firms is clear — once he’s elected Florida’s governor, they won’t get away with buying up Florida.

Equality For All

CHARLIE WILL FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AND FAIRNESS

Charlie believes we are all children of God, and as such, we all deserve to be treated fairly and with dignity. Apparently, Governor DeSantis has forgotten the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like to be treated – as he bullies LGBTQ+ Floridians, even children! Charlie is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community across Florida and the country.

As governor, Charlie will deliver Equality for All LGBTQ+ Floridians, so they can have the freedom to live and work in the Sunshine State, free from discrimination and hate.

CHARLIE’S EQUALITY FOR ALL PLAN WILL:

• Sign An Executive Order On Day One Protecting LGBTQ Floridians: Charlie will extend the non-discrimination Executive Order to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. In Florida, state law bans discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations by race, religion, sex, age, disability, national origin or marital status – but state law does not ban discrimination against LGBTQ Floridians. As a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Charlie has been fighting for the Equality Act at the federal level, and will get the job done in Florida.
• Appoint Regional LGBTQ Liaisons: Charlie will appoint regional liaisons to the LGBTQ community who will report directly to the governor’s office, so that when things like Monkeypox or meningococcal disease impact the community, the Governor will be the first to hear about it and take action.
• Fight Monkeypox and Meningococcal Disease: Charlie will improve Florida’s pathetic Monkeypox response by providing clear, accurate communication, acquiring as many vaccines as possible, and make vaccines fully available for prevention for at-risk groups. On July 14, Charlie was the first official in either party to press the Biden Administration on the federal response on Monkeypox. While it’s true that the virus is currently most prevalent among men who have sex with men at the moment, we know – if not contained early – Monkeypox will spread across our state, impacting everyone. He’ll also increase awareness of meningococcal disease and accessibility of vaccines. While neither is a “gay disease,” Charlie will make sure that every health agency is responsive to all Floridians no matter who you are, who you love, what color you are, or what language you speak.
• Order The State To Investigate Conversion Therapy As Child Abuse: As a cosponsor of legislation to ban so-called “conversion therapy” in the United States, Charlie knows this harmful practice is nothing more than child abuse. That’s why as governor, he’ll push to ban conversion therapy and direct his Department of Children and Families to vigorously investigate conversion therapy as child abuse.
• Protect Trans Health Care: Charlie will restore Medicaid coverage for age-appropriate, gender-affirming care and require that all medical standards of care are made by medical consensus not politics. On Day 1, Charlie will fire DeSantis’ quack surgeon general.
• Repeal Don’t Say LGBTQ Law and Limit its Impact. As we work to repeal the Don’t Say LGBTQ law, Charlie will direct his education commissioner to update the law’s discretionary guidance to reflect Floridians’ values that we’re all children of God and that we all deserve dignity and respect. Charlie’s new education commissioner will make it clear that:
  • teachers can have a picture of their spouse,
  • students can talk about their two moms or two dads, and
  • LGBTQ teens can be supported with safe spaces, accurate pronouns, and respect.

My message to LGBTQ youth of our state is this. Your existence is never inappropriate.

CHARLIE’S RECORD OF FIGHTING FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY:

In 2000, as commissioner of education, Charlie Crist was the first statewide elected official to support an anti-bullying bill that specifically included protections for LGBT students, and he refused to back down in the face of criticism from within Republican leadership. As governor, Crist ended his support of Florida’s notorious anti-gay adoption ban and pledged to help dismantle it. When a Miami judge ruled the ban violated basic rights and harmed children by denying them the security of a forever family, Crist refused to appeal the decision and ordered the Department of Children and Families to stop enforcement of the ban that same day, paving the way for adoptions to take place immediately.

Charlie has worked hand in hand with the community in Congress as a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and is lead cosponsor of the Equality Act. Charlie is proud to support legislation to fight HIV criminalization and ban the form of child abuse commonly known as “conversion therapy.” Charlie took on the Pentagon over Trump’s trans ban and battled with HUD Secretary Ben Carson for discriminating against homeless trans women.

Charlie was the first elected official of either party to call on the Biden Administration to take stronger action on Monkeypox. Charlie is proud to have earned the endorsement of Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the first openly gay Latino elected official, and Sen. Shevrin Jones, the first openly gay Florida state senator, and to have a 100% Rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Black Voters for Crist

CHARLIE CRIST WILL SHOW UP FOR US

It’s no secret why Black Floridians are supporting Charlie Crist. To quote the Honorable Sean Shaw, Senator Shevrin Jones, the Honorable Arthenia Joyner, and Senator Bobby Powell, “when Black Floridians need a helping hand, or a seat at the table, or an equal opportunity to build successful careers, Charlie Crist has been there.”

DeSantis doesn’t share those priorities. His policies have benefitted corporations and the folks at the very top and left everyone else out to dry. Black Floridians are hurting, and Charlie has a plan to help.

As governor, Charlie will fight for our businesses, our neighborhoods, our rights, our children, and our health care:

OUR BUSINESSES

• Black-Owned Businesses: When Black-owned businesses are successful, we all benefit. In Congress, Charlie defended fair lending and provided record funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. He fought the big banks that weren’t giving PPP loans to smaller, Black-owned businesses. As governor, Charlie will deliver fairness in state contracting by helping identify Black-owned businesses that can deliver, increasing awareness of contracting opportunities, and providing technical assistance to new applicants. Empowering Black entrepreneurs not only creates jobs and strengthens our economy, it enables Black families to build the type of generational wealth previously denied due to Jim Crow, redlining, lender discrimination, and other systems of racism.
• State Government Should Reflect Florida’s Diversity: Charlie knows that one of Florida’s greatest strengths is its rich and vibrant diversity. This understanding drives his commitment to appoint individuals who reflect the diverse backgrounds and talents of our state. When Charlie was governor before, more than 21% of his new hires were minorities, and he named 15 Black judges to the bench – including appointing Justice James Perry to the Florida Supreme Court. As Governor, Charlie will keep a direct line to Florida’s Black communities.

OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

• Safer Neighborhoods and Schools: While gun violence continues to threaten majority-Black communities, it seems like it gets little attention. Charlie has a comprehensive plan to reduce gun violence, including getting illegal weapons off our streets, while investing in locally driven focused deterrence. We should fight gun violence with solutions that work like what St. Petersburg’s Black chief of police, Anthony Holloway, is doing: community policing, solving homicides, and getting tough on illegal guns. The children of Florida deserve to grow up in communities that are safe.
• Housing You Can Afford: It’s never cost more to be a Floridian. Home prices and rents are out of control, and Ron DeSantis is making it worse. Moreover, property insurance premiums have doubled under DeSantis, and 1 million people have lost their insurance during hurricane season. Charlie stabilized the property insurance market in 2007 and lowered premiums 10%. He’s got a plan to do it again. For housing, Crist will fully fund the Sadowski Trust Fund for affordable housing and work to repeal the law that permanently cut it in half. Better yet, he’ll replenish the billions of dollars that have been raided over the past decade. He’ll also appoint a housing czar to help local communities meet their affordability goals. Finally, Charlie will help local governments crack down on Wall Street-backed firms that are coming in – particularly Black neighborhoods – buying up houses, and turning them into rentals that no one in the community can afford.

OUR RIGHTS

• Protecting the Sacred Right to Vote: In the United States, voting is a sacred and fundamental right. When people were waiting in long lines to cast their ballot in 2008, Charlie unilaterally extended voting hours so that every citizen who wanted to vote could do so. At the time, Republicans told him he was handing the election to President Obama, but Charlie knew it was the right thing to do for Floridians. As governor, Charlie will make it easier to vote, including reversing limits on mail ballots, fighting for automatic registration, and making Election Day a holiday. Charlie will also make it easier for the governor and Cabinet to restore civil rights for returning citizens, honoring the will of the people when they passed Amendment 4. When he was governor, he automatically restored the rights of 155,000 Floridians who paid their debt to society. In Congress, Charlie helped advance the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and passed an amendment to protect Souls to the Polls Sunday early voting. Charlie knows that voting is right that ought to be protected and cherished, and he’s got a plan to deliver.
• Justice for All: Charlie’s comprehensive criminal justice plan will keep communities safe and fight racial discrimination built into the system. Black Floridians deserve to be safe from crime and safe from racial bias. Charlie will legalize marijuana and expunge all non-violent marijuana convictions. He’ll support prosecutors like Hillsborough’s Andrew Warren, whose juvenile diversion programs kept streets safe and kept kids out of the system.

OUR CHILDREN

• Freedom to Learn: As Florida’s last elected Commissioner of Education, Charlie will be a governor who guarantees a world-class education for every Florida student. Just as he did when he was your education commissioner and your governor, Charlie has a plan to put education first and invest in our children’s future. He’ll declare a teacher shortage emergency and aggressively begin recruiting teachers and education support staff to fill 9,000 empty classrooms and other critical education positions. Parents deserve to be listened to and respected, along with their pain of politicized classrooms and pandemic learning loss. Under DeSantis, our own history is being whitewashed, while reading scores are down. To invest in our future, Charlie will bring starting teacher salary beyond $47,500 and veteran salary to the national average of $67,000. He’ll increase investments in students to enhance curriculum and improve ESE and career, technical, and entrepreneurial (CTE) education, so graduates can get a job. To help more students get ready for kindergarten, Charlie will expand voluntary pre-kindergarten to 3-year-olds and increase availability of all-day pre-K – a win-win so more parents can work! He’ll make schools safer by building a culture and climate of trust and respect between parents, teachers, students, non-instructional staff, elected officials, and law enforcement. Students deserve to feel that people are rooting for them and their success. Finally, Charlie helped bring home over $156 million for Florida’s four HBCUs. He’ll continue that strong support as governor, by fighting for fair and equitable university funding and reviewing performance-based budgeting.

OUR HEALTH CARE

• Affordable, Accessible Healthcare: Charlie has vowed to veto any budget that does not expand Medicaid for the 800,000+ working Floridians who are uninsured. Medicaid expansion will improve coverage, while bringing billions in additional health dollars into our state and lowering premiums for everyone. Under the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, Charlie cut the cost of premiums, co-pays, and deductibles under the Affordable Care Act, making it more affordable for you to see your doctor and afford your prescriptions. Finally, Medicare will now be able to negotiate for cheaper prescription drugs, while seniors will soon have their out of pocket prescriptions capped at $2,000 per year.
• Reducing Health Disparities: Charlie was proud to work with Rep. Lauren Underwood as a founding member of the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus because we are facing a crisis. The United States has the worst maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and for Black mothers, it’s three to four times worse. That does not even count the “near misses,” where Black women face severe, sometimes debilitating complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Charlie is also committed to tackling diseases that disproportionately impact the Black community. Crist wrote and introduced groundbreaking legislation to give everyone who needs insulin access to the price Medicaid pays, with the goal to lower the cost to $10 per month. He’ll bring that same fight to Tallahassee. Finally, Charlie was proud to work with doctors and advocates to draft and introduce the Sickle Cell Care Expansion Act to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to improve care. Florida for All means that the color of your skin should not determine your health outcomes.

Entertainment Florida

With beautiful beaches, scenic cities, and great people, Florida should be a worldwide destination for feature film and television production. Charlie knows that film and television are drivers in Florida’s economy, and that industry and government can work together to boost Florida’s economy, create good paying jobs for Floridians, and promote tourism.

When Charlie was governor, Florida ranked third in the nation for film production. Under Governor DeSantis, Florida isn’t even in the top 20.

DeSantis has failed Florida, failed Florida’s economy, and failed Florida’s film industry. Despite signing into law Florida’s largest budget ever, DeSantis failed to support Florida’s film industry and pushed billions of dollars away from Florida’s economy into nearby states. Even Republican legislators urged DeSantis to invest in Florida’s film industry to create new jobs and boost our economy, but he refused, ignoring a critical Florida industry.

As governor, Charlie will make Florida a thriving center for film and bring hundreds of thousands of jobs to the Sunshine State, boosting Florida’s economy and expanding Florida’s tourism industry.

THE COST OF DESANTIS FAILED LEADERSHIP

The cost of DeSantis’s failed leadership is stark. Florida lost:

• $1.5 Billion in Film and Entertainment projects that should have been based in Florida;
• 250,000 potential lodging and hotel room nights;
• 125,000 cast and crew jobs for Floridians.

The loss of these jobs is even more devastating when you consider that professionals in the Film, Entertainment and Digital Media Industry make on average $85,000 per year, which is 62% higher than the average wage of all industries in Florida.

ENTERTAINMENT FLORIDA

Charlie’s “Entertainment Florida” platform will:

• Rebuild the Film And Television Industry: Restore Florida into a “Film Friendly” state through targeted, proven incentives to attract film and television production, boosting Florida’s economy and pulling jobs back into the Sunshine State.
  • The American film and television industry supports 2.2 million jobs, pays out $192 billion in total wages, and comprises more than 110,000 businesses.
• Support Workforce Development: Support industry-led training and apprenticeship programs to cultivate talent from right here in Florida and support the workforce needs of the film industry, including developing new programs in high schools and community colleges and partnering with existing programs to build the future industry workforce.
• Consult With Local And Industry Leaders: Consult with County and City Film Commissions that have successfully brought film work to Florida along with industry trade associations and professionals.
• Elevate Florida’s Film & Entertainment Advisory Council: Elevate Florida’s Film & Entertainment Office to report directly to the Office of the Governor, so progress can be closely monitored, Florida’s economy boosted, and Florida’s film industry restored to its former strength.

BENEFITS OF A STRONG FLORIDA FILM INDUSTRY

Thousands of Florida businesses and residents will gain, directly and indirectly, from the revival of Florida’s film and television industry through high paying jobs, lucrative contracts, and use of Florida’s tourism and lodging industry. Florida’s job market, hotels, restaurants, and production-related businesses will also feel the ripple of billions flooding into Florida’s economy as cast and crew travel the state. Some of the industries impacted by this economic activity include:

• Hotels, Lodging and Hospitality
• Legal, Accounting and other Professional Services
• Amusement and Recreational Services
• Eating and Drinking Establishments
• Finance, Insurance and Real Estate
• Couriers and Messengers
• Communications
• Sound Recording Industries
• Printing and Publishing
• Equipment Rental and Leasing
• Data Processing and Information Services
• Federal and Local Government
• Transportation
• Wholesale and Retail

Graduates from Florida’s 30+ college and university film and digital media programs will have expanded opportunities for Florida-based jobs. With a renewed film and television industry, Florida graduates from nationally leading Film, Movie and Digital Media programs will be able to stay, work, and contribute to Florida’s economy. Because of DeSantis, too many Floridians have to go to Georgia or other states to find industry jobs.

Florida’s tourism industry will benefit from world-class films showcasing Florida’s natural beauty and allure. Increasing Florida film production increases tourism for Florida, just like it did for:

• The Show “Miami Vice” in the ‘80s helped put Miami on the map leading to a strong boost in tourism to the Miami area.
• The Truman show filmed in Seaside helped put this beautiful Florida city on the map and led to a substantial increase in tourism and business in this Seaside community.
• The beloved Dolphin Tale movies filmed at the Clearwater Aquarium boosted tourist traffic to the Aquarium and Clearwater from 75,000 guests per year to 800,000 annually.

Take Back Your Power

Charlie Crist’s Plan to Fight for Lower Energy Costs

CHEAPER POWER BILLS, MORE JOBS, AND ENERGY SECURITY

• Hold the line on rate hikes
• Save you money with new energy efficiency standards
• Restore local control over source of energy
• Prohibit FPL from buying regulators and politicians
• Speed up transition to cheaper, more reliable, clean power
• Freedom to put solar on your roof without utility monopoly interference

Floridians are facing rising power bills and unsustainable gas prices at the pump. Addressing these challenges means expanding the use of cheaper, cleaner energy while reducing our dependance on expensive, dirty fossil fuels. As governor from 2007-2011, Charlie Crist made Florida a leader in clean energy – setting renewable energy goals, moving the needle on utility energy efficiency programs, and implementing a policy on net metering to spur the solar industry, all while standing up to big power companies’ rate increases.

When he becomes governor in January, Charlie will go all in, leveraging the new Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to transition Florida’s power generation to cheaper, more reliable clean energy and make it easier for you to save money. He will also press utilities to offer meaningful energy efficiency programs and deliver on his goal of 1 million solar roofs. This will increase our energy security and independence, lower electricity bills, make our air and water cleaner, and better protect our state against severe weather and flooding.

As governor, Charlie will:

• Appoint a Public Service Commission that Puts People First: As governor, Charlie will put the “public” back into the Public Service Commission. Charlie will appoint watch dogs instead of lap dogs that stand up to big power companies on behalf of Florida ratepayers to keep electric bills under control. We must put the interests of Floridians over power company profits, including FPL’s recently approved $5 billion rate hike.
• End Power Companies’ Bribery: Before getting rate hikes rubber-stamped, Florida power companies such as FPL give millions of dollars to the politicians that pick the PSC members and write our state energy laws. Their corporate contributions and dark money schemes result in higher bills for consumers and small businesses. As governor, Charlie will push to prohibit campaign contributions by state-regulated utilities to state candidates and political committees.
• Set Energy Efficiency Goals that Save Floridians Money: The fastest way to reduce costs is to use energy more efficiently. Upgrades like high-efficiency air conditioning and insulation can significantly reduce your costs without sacrificing your comfort, but for many low-income Floridians brand-new, efficient appliances are unaffordable. The reason? Most states have long-term energy efficiency goals. Not Florida – because the utility monopolies don’t want them. Like he did in 2009, Charlie will demand that the PSC set aggressive energy efficiency benchmarks and provide robust incentives for utility customers to add improvements to lower their power bills. Charlie will make sure the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes rebates to help homeowners make their homes more efficient, is fully implemented at the state level so that Florida families see their costs go down. He will insist these upgrades are available on a level playing field so that every single Floridian can save money on their power bill.
• Transition Utilities to Cheaper, Clean Energy by 2035: Charlie will direct the Public Service Commission to set Florida utilities on a path to cheaper, clean energy sources by 2035. That means phasing out power plants fueled by fossil fuels – and not building new ones, which makes bills go up. Setting ambitious standards for utilities will help us meet our goals of investing in the clean energy of the future and creating jobs. The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act that Charlie supported includes billions of dollars in investments to make this process even easier: tax credits to make clean energy more affordable, grants to help utilities make the switch, and incentives for domestic manufacturing of clean energy technologies. Increased reliability and expanding rooftop solar means that more people will get the lights back on more quickly after a storm.
• Allow Local Communities to Make Their Own Energy Decisions: Gov. DeSantis chose polluters over people – and further eroded home rule – when he signed into law HB 919 that bans local governments from making their own choices about where they get their electricity. Charlie will press the Legislature to restore local control and give Floridians the freedom to choose their energy sources. Gov. DeSantis also sided with polluters when he signed HB 839 into law that banned local regulations on gas stations and electric-vehicle charging stations. If communities want to take the lead at the local level, that should be their right.
• Leverage the Power of the Sun in the Sunshine State: Charlie will work to install solar panels on a million Florida roofs. Florida is blessed to be the Sunshine State. We must put this gift to good use and grow solar. If you want to put solar on your home to save money, you should have that right – without interference from the utility monopolies. This will save you money, create jobs, and help preserve our beautiful state. Solar costs have dropped dramatically, and that’s why over 100,000 Floridians have already made the switch to solar. With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Florida can lead the way. Charlie will work to protect and enhance solar incentives, support low-cost financing options, streamline permitting, put solar on state buildings, and allow third-party ownership.
• Expand Electric Transportation Options: Between the war in Ukraine, price gouging and record profits from big oil companies, and Gov. DeSantis’ refusal to lower taxes, summer was a nightmare for working Floridians at the pump. Thankfully, the Inflation Reduction Act will put electric vehicles within reach for more and more Floridians who want to make the switch. Pay less? Energy independence? That’s a win-win! But this goes beyond your own car or truck. With electric school buses, students won’t be breathing dirty diesel fumes. With electric public transportation, postal vehicles, and even garbage trucks, we will save money, enjoy fresher air and quieter streets, and keep Florida beautiful. On top of that, we need chargers everywhere – not just in wealthy neighborhoods. Gas stations, apartments, condos, and parking lots should all be connected. Imagine solar panels over parking lots providing shade and charging your car! Charlie worked in Congress to make federal funding available. We just need a governor who will get it done.

Veterans for Crist

Florida is home to twenty bases with every branch of the military represented. Over a million veterans who served their country live here, along with millions of military family members. In Congress, the first bill Charlie Crist got signed into law was his Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act to expand and support vet courts making sure veterans in trouble get the help they need instead of jail time.

Charlie has always been on the side of our servicemembers and veterans, that’s why Charlie wants Florida to be the number 1 state in the union for our and their families.

Charlie’s “Veterans for Crist” plan is a promise that as governor, Charlie will deliver for Florida veterans by fighting to:

• Lower cost of living
• End homelessness
• Enhance mental health services and expand veteran treatment courts
• Assist the VA in keeping its promises

LOWER THE COST OF LIVING FOR VETERANS

Lowering Property Taxes

As governor, Charlie will work to pass legislation that lowers property taxes for veterans. Charlie will fight to have the state pay property taxes for veterans who are 70% or more disabled, with a sliding scale down to 30%.

Free Tolls

As governor, Charlie will fight to make toll roads completely free for veterans. Just send your Department of Veteran Affairs registration to SunPass, and Florida will take care of your tolls.

END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

As governor, Charlie will work tirelessly to get every single veteran without a home into housing in Florida. Charlie will bring together federal and state resources and work alongside non-profits to find veterans in need of homes and veterans on housing waiting lists and work to quickly connect them to permanent and affordable housing.

Fully Fund The Sadowski Trust Fund

As governor, Charlie will restore funding to the affordable housing trust fund and veto any budget that fails to do so, without raising taxes. That means another $200 million a year for down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, repairs of older homes, and construction of affordable houses.

More and Bigger HUD VASH Units

To meet the existing need, Charlie will incentivize development of residential buildings with dedicated set-aside units for HUD-VASH vouchers. At least half of the veteran units will include two or more bedrooms to keep families together.

Improve Down Payment Assistance Programs

Charlie will strengthen existing homeownership programs like Hometown Heroes by making down payment assistance forgivable for veterans. Many of Florida’s down payment and closing cost assistance programs require immediate repayment upon sale, moving, or refinancing. For properties like mobile homes that do not appreciate as quickly or for permanent change of station, you could be left footing the bill. We should do better by those who serve.

Empower Local Governments

Charlie will appoint a Housing Czar who will report directly to the governor and be empowered to support the work of local governments to innovate and meet broad veteran housing affordability goals, while respecting the unique local differences in communities throughout our state. It should be easier, not harder, for local governments to add housing for veterans.

ENHANCE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND EXPAND VET COURTS

Expanding Medicaid

Charlie will fight for Medicaid expansion because veterans shouldn’t have to worry about going bankrupt when they’re sick. He knows that Medicaid expansion will save lives, lower premiums for everyone, keep tax dollars in our state, create jobs, grow the economy, keep rural hospitals open, and help more Florida veterans get the care they deserve. Charlie will veto any budget that does not include Medicaid expansion.

Legalize Marijuana and Fight Opioid Addiction

Congressman Crist will legalize marijuana in Florida and expunge all non-violent convictions. He will continue to lead in preventing discrimination in hiring for federal employees who use marijuana consistent with state law.

Expanding Medicaid will free up State Opioid Block Grant funding, which he will use to increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for veterans.

Truthful Suicide Data

Charlie will make sure state medical examiners determine the veteran status of a person who died by suicide. Currently, medical examiners only check with the VA to see if someone is a veteran, even though over half of veterans do not go to the VA. Medical examiners should also be checking with VSOs and veteran community leaders, especially for veterans who were in crisis. It will be the first time in Florida history that we will have an accurate count of the veterans who die by suicide. You cannot fix something if you do not know the full extent of the problem. Charlie has been calling on DeSantis to make this change, and as governor, he will get it done.

Expand Veterans Treatment Courts

Florida’s successful vet courts connect veterans with appropriate treatment like outpatient and residential substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, job training, and care for service-connected injuries like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Military Sexual Trauma. When President Trump signed Charlie’s Veteran Treatment Court Coordination Act into law, it opened the door to create and support vet courts throughout Florida, and as governor, Charlie will draw down maximum funds so every Florida veteran can benefit from a hand up when they need it.

ASSIST THE VA IN GETTING VETERANS WHAT THEY DESERVE

More Doctors in Florida

As governor, Charlie will recruit more doctors, nurses, and specialists to come to our Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Centers and get more veterans the care and prompt medical attention they deserve. With our beautiful weather, low taxes, environment, and quality of life, Florida should be the destination for medical professionals to work in the VA, and Charlie will work to fill these available jobs with vigor.

Support Veteran Law Centers

As governor, Charlie will work with the Department of Veterans Affairs and provide state funds to assist with the establishment and expansion of Veteran Law Centers within Florida’s law schools modeled on the success of programs like the Stetson Veterans Law Center.

Charlie’s Plan to Fix Property Insurance

Ron DeSantis is the worst property insurance governor in Florida history. Under his failed leadership annual premiums have more than doubled, rising from $1,900 to more than $4,200. For the average Floridian, that is an additional tax of more than $2,200 per year.

Floridians now pay the highest property insurance rates in the country, almost triple the national average. It’s not just owners of single-family homes who are getting squeezed. Property insurance premiums for condominiums also have risen dramatically, driving up costs for condo owners.. Landlords’ out-of-control insurance rates also are contributing to the rent crisis plaguing Florida.

Worse yet, insurers are taking your money and running! This year alone, six insurance companies have failed, more than 10 have left the state, and more than a dozen teetering companies are being propped up with smoke and mirrors paid for by Citizens’ customers.

Hundreds of thousands of Floridians have been dropped by their insurer with thousands unable to find new coverage during hurricane season. DeSantis was finally bullied into calling a special session, but after insurance companies invested $3 million in the governor’s campaign, he gave them another $2 billion in taxpayer money– while completely failing to fix the problem.

As Florida begins to rebuild, Gov. DeSantis shamefully turned to hurricane victims to help prop up his failing insurance market, telling hurricane victims to trust their insurance company.

Share your story about how the DeSantis insurance disaster is impacting your family.

Charlie Crist has always stood up to the insurance companies. When he was elected governor in 2006, the market was in turmoil after the devastating hurricanes of 2004 and 2005. Charlie called a special session in 2007 and worked with Democrats and Republicans to deliver solutions. The bipartisan reforms stabilized the market, held insurance companies accountable, and lowered rates 10%.

Now, Charlie has a plan to do it again. Charlie’s 7-point plan would significantly lower rates and remind the insurance companies that they work for you – not the other way around. Independent experts describe Crist’s plan as “tremendous” and a “massive, quick, quick fix for the market.”

1. Pass National Catastrophic Insurance Plan. In Congress, Charlie introduced the FAITH Act to limit the amount of catastrophic reinsurance insurance companies have to buy. One of the biggest drivers of cost for Floridians is reinsurance, or insurance for insurance companies. The reinsurance market is global, unregulated, and increasingly disinterested in helping Floridians. With a federal backstop for catastrophic reinsurance to cover the true, once-in-a-lifetime catastrophes, hardworking Floridians would no longer be at the whims of the global reinsurance market.
2. End the “Hurricane Tax” Surcharge Policyholders Pay to Overfund the CAT Fund. Charlie will work to end the surcharge policyholders pay to pre-fund the catastrophe fund, which was always meant to be temporary. For the future, the rapid cash buildup should only be used to replenish the fund. It should not be a hurricane tax.
3. Lower the CAT Fund Attachment Point. As governor, Charlie will work to lower the CAT fund attachment point from $8.2 billion to $4.5 billion, further reducing the cost of private reinsurance. The CAT Fund was set up to stabilize the market and lower rates. It should have the flexibility to replace the highest cost reinsurance.
4. Appoint an Insurance Commissioner For The People. As governor, Charlie will appoint an insurance commissioner who supports Floridians over Big Insurance and will hold the line on rate increases.
5. Require Big Insurers Profiting Off Auto Insurance to Provide Homeowners Insurance. Charlie will require large insurers that sell auto insurance to Floridians to also offer homeowners insurance, allowing Floridians to “bundle and save.” This provision is already in state law, but the DeSantis Administration refuses to enforce it.
6. Re-Establish My Safe Florida Homes. Charlie will also help Floridians better protect their homes from hurricanes and lower their insurance premiums by re-establishing his “My Safe Florida Homes” program. When he was governor, the state provided 400,000 free wind inspections and helped 35,000 homeowners pay for hardening homes, which reduced their premiums. The legislature allocated funds for this, but DeSantis has not acted to operationalize the program.
7. Fight Fraud. Charlie will fight fraud by creating an insurance fraud task force to protect hard-working Floridians and stop the fraudsters who drive up rates. Insurance fraud is real and illegal. Instead of dealing with fraud that we all have to pay for, DeSantis and Attorney General Moody have been too busy in court trying to rip away Floridians’ right to have an abortion. DeSantis made a big spectacle of arresting 20 ex-felons who were told by the state that they could vote. He knows how to use law enforcement to send a chilling message. Why not do it to the fraudsters?^[102]