TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' first State of the state address is a message calling for environmental protections, low taxes, big changes in education and safer schools while telling lawmakers to "be bold."
- Governor spoke about education, environmental matters
- Read the governor's full speech here
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The speech delivered Tuesday also serves as a list of what DeSantis has already accomplished in his first two months in office.
Included on that list is securing millions of dollars in federal aid to help Hurricane Michael recover, an aggressive plan to address problems with red tide and algae, the removal of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for his handling of the Parkland high school shootings that left 17 dead and appointing three Supreme Court justices.
The governor addressed those impacted by Hurricane Michael:
"To the people of Northwest Florida: we pledged to stand with you as you work to rebuild your communities stronger than before — and we have followed through on that pledge," he said.
He said lawmakers must be bold to accomplish a big agenda in the 60-day session that began Tuesday.
"How can we accomplish this task? I answer simply: be bold —
- be bold in championing economic opportunity,
- be bold in protecting Florida’s environment,
- be bold in improving education,
- be bold in defending the safety of our communities,
- be bold because while perfection is not attainable, if we aim high we can achieve excellence."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.