National Scorecard Ranking DeSantis and Florida Legislature Just Released
Florida Earns High Marks on Protecting Individual Liberties – Lags on Regulations and Fiscal Policy
WASHINGTON, DC – A just released vote record analysis of the Florida Legislature – including the most expansive state lawmaker and Governor scorecard ever produced for Florida – found in 2023 the legislature and Governor over-performed on protecting individual liberties and improving education, but struggled on the regulatory and fiscal front through a policy agenda which didn’t align well with limited government and free market principles.
The report evaluated each state lawmaker and Governor DeSantis on how well their vote or bill signage history aligned with the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution. The analysis included over 8,943 votes and bill actions, with the Governor and each lawmaker rated on a 0 to 100 scale (“100” represents perfect alignment with limited government). The Institute for Legislative Analysis awards all officials across the nation who earn scores of 80% and above, with 47 Florida state officials receiving ILA’s “Defender of Limited Government Award”.
Governor Ron DeSantis earned a Limited Government rating of 76.25%, while the average Republican score was 77.29% and 27.62% for Democrats. The analysis found DeSantis performed significantly better than the legislature on the Local and National Security category (100% vs. 60% legislature) largely due to his efforts vetoing multiple soft-on-crime bills which would have threatened public safety. However, DeSantis lagged the legislature on Tax and Fiscal policy (33% vs. 42%) and slightly on Regulations (50% vs. 51% legislature) due to signage of many anti-free market and wasteful spending initiatives.
“As the home of two great leaders – Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump – with excellent track records of safeguarding individual liberties and fostering school choice, it is great to see the Florida legislature working to enshrine itself as the national leader on these policies,” said ILA CEO Ryan McGowan. “However, there were multiple disappoints this year on the regulatory and fiscal side from a limited government perspective. While perhaps well-intended, the growth of the regulatory state and unnecessary spending can quickly place a cloud over the sunshine state.”
Earlier this year the ILA published the most comprehensive scorecard ever constructed at the federal level and presented awards to Sen. Rick Scott, Greg Steube, Kat Cammack and other Members of Congress who are leading the fight for limited government. Additional policy comparisons between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump and Nikki Haley can also be found on the ILA website.
The ILA serves as the new data and policy hub for national conservative and liberty-minded organizations. Prior to the launch of the ILA, the team previously served together for nearly a decade at CPAC and the American Conservative Union where they constructed the nation’s first 50 state legislative scorecard.
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Institute for Legislative Analysis
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