He had the mic and the moment, but offered no common-sense solutions for everyday Floridians

TALLAHASSEE — Last night, Byron Donalds took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. As expected, his remarks were long on rhetoric and short on substance — offering no new or real answers, and no accountability for the affordability crisis impacting hardworking Floridians. He focused on blaming others, criticizing his opponent, and leaning into his typical culture wars rhetoric to divert attention from the issues that really matter.

“Byron Donalds left many questions unanswered last night. He talked a lot about ‘common sense,’ but couldn’t point to a single real solution for the problems Floridians are actually facing,” said Lisa Zayas, Deputy Communications Director for Florida Watch.

Here are six pressing questions on issues Donalds either ignored or lied about during his appearance:

1. Healthcare Hypocrisy

Donalds said Democrats “created the affordability crisis that is hurting hardworking families all across America.” Yet he voted for the largest healthcare cut in history, which cut Medicaid by over $800 billion, while providing tax cuts for the rich, and supported letting the enhanced premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expire, resulting in roughly 440,000 Floridians — more than in any other state — losing coverage and spiking premiums statewide. How does Donalds reconcile his support for policies that also increased costs and made life less affordable for Floridians?

2. Data Centers Double Standard

Donalds said “when an entrepreneur wants to build in Florida, we don’t crush them with red tape and bureaucratic nonsense.” Donalds has said he supports building new AI data centers in Florida, sponsored legislation in Florida to exempt data centers from certain taxes and voted in Congress to give data centers tax breaks, and accepted millions in donations from AI data center companies. Does he mean that common-sense oversight should stop to clear the way for data centers that drive up our costs and destroy the Florida way of life?

3. Floridians Left to Fend for Themselves

Donalds said “When the big storm hits… You know who’s going to get stuck with the bill? You will.” What he doesn’t tell you is that he voted against billions of dollars in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 2022 and 2024 during hurricanes Ian, Helene, and Milton. What he also doesn’t mention are any solutions of his own to fix the property insurance crisis or provide relief for devastated Floridians. So, who is going to pay when the storm hits if you’re Governor, Byron? Floridians?

4. “Unapologetic” Support of First Responders

Donalds said he backs law enforcement officers and first responders “24 hours, 7 days of the week.” However, he supports Amendment 3, the property tax question on the November ballot, despite The Florida State Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, and Florida Association of Professional Firefighters all coming out in opposition to Amendment 3. What does that “unapologetic support” look like, when you campaign against first responders for a policy that they have publicly warned will put public safety at risk?

5. No Solutions to Sky-High Premiums or Affordable Housing

While Donalds said his party has “the resume and the credentials and the plans and the policies to get our country back on track,” the truth is that after nearly three decades of GOP leadership, Florida ranks near the bottom on real affordability: single adults in Florida need over $100,000 to live comfortably — significantly more than even the median household income in the state, Florida homeowners pay $3,400 more than the national average for property insurance and the state is home to the least affordable city in the country. What is Byron Donalds’ solution to lower the cost of housing, bring down property insurance premiums, and lower the cost of childcare for Florida families?

6. For-Profit Education Conflicts

One thing Donalds was surprisingly silent about was education. Perhaps it’s because the Donalds family’s corporate-run schools have benefited from billions of taxpayer dollars being redirected from neighborhood public schools into unaccountable, for-profit schools despite lagging student achievement in their schools. Why should Floridians trust his education policy decisions when his own household stands to gain financially from them?

“Common sense is making sure families have help after a hurricane. Common sense is investing in healthcare instead of handing more tax breaks to the wealthy. Common sense is standing up to AI data center companies that are threatening our communities, our environment, and our Florida way of life. Byron Donalds voted against all of it — he voted against common sense every time. If last night made anything clear, it’s this: we need sensible leaders, and Byron Donalds is, without a doubt, not one of them,” said Zayas.

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Florida Watch is a communications and research organization that serves as the progressive community’s in-state hub for message development, digital communications, and research. Florida Watch keeps an eye on everything that goes on in our state to hold our elected officials accountable when they support laws and policies that make it harder for everyday Floridians to be healthy, prosperous, and safe. You can follow along with Florida Watch on social media on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.