Here are all the policies Byron Donalds wants as Florida’s next governor

TALLAHASSEE, Florida. – Following Republican candidate Byron Donalds’ victory for Florida’s gubernatorial seat this week, many residents may be wondering: What does he plan to do now?

Donalds is expected to succeed current Gov. Ron DeSantis in January, and the next legislative session is expected to begin soon after.

Donalds’ campaign website lists the top 11 issues he plans to tackle after taking the reins.

You can find the full breakdown of these issues – and the policies he wants to implement – ​​below:

AFFORDABILITY

• Reduce insurance bills

  • Abuse in court: Protect reforms and end lawsuit abuses that drive up rates for everyone, saving homeowners hundreds of dollars a year.

  • Cost mitigation: Reduce costs by reducing state fees when reserves are full so those extra dollars stay in residents’ wallets. Pursue regulatory reforms that reduce insurance premiums.

  • My Safe Home in Florida: Reform the My Safe Florida Home program and other grant programs to fund real storm-resistant upgrades that reduce annual premiums the most.

  • Citizens insurance: Keep Citizens Insurance small so everyday drivers and homeowners are never hit with a surprise “hurricane tax” bill after a big storm.

  • Rationalization permit: Cut out the tedious paperwork and red tape that makes rebuilding a home after a storm unnecessarily expensive and drive up your insurance rates.

• Holding Insurance Companies Accountable

  • Online scorecards: Create a simple online scorecard where you can compare insurance companies side by side in terms of price, how quickly they pay claims, and how often they deny coverage.

  • Data report: Require insurers to report accurate data or pay actual fines, keeping the tool free for taxpayers by having the insurance industry cover the cost.

• Protecting homeowners and utility payers

  • Property taxes: Control property taxes so that seniors and working families are not taxed out of their homes.

  • Data centers: Stop giant industrial data centers from passing on their huge electricity and water bills to ordinary households.

HEALTH CARE

• Clear and immediate spot prices

• Best Price Guarantee

• No off-grid traps

• Fast Insurance Approvals

• Cheaper prescriptions

ECONOMY

• A public timer on permits

  • Put every business, construction and road permit on an open public website with a clock, requiring local offices to approve projects on time.

• Streamlined state exams

• Specialized commercial courts

• Keeping Florida Income Tax Free

  • Keep the personal income tax at zero, make sure Tallahassee balances its books responsibly every year, and cut taxes at every opportunity.

EDUCATION

• Read to succeed

  • Class reading: Train future teachers in proven phonics and reading science so that every classroom teaches reading the right way.

  • Reading problems: Detect reading problems in kindergarten through 2nd grade, before children fall behind.

  • Reading tutors: Provide free, state-funded tutoring to every 3rd grade student with reading difficulties.

  • Reading teachers: Reward top-performing reading teachers with a real bonus for achieving results.

  • “Real books”: Bring real books back to class instead of leaving young children in front of screens all day.

• LaunchPad Florida

  • Learning: Connect high schools and community colleges with local businesses to offer paid apprenticeships in construction, advanced manufacturing and defense.

  • Career objective: Help young Floridians jump straight into careers earning around $60,000 a year without incurring student debt.

• Personalized success plans for each student

  • Plans for success: Each student benefits from a tailor-made success plan no later than 6th grade, with annual updates until graduation.

  • Higher education: College, university, professional/vocational, military, entrepreneurial, and hybrid majors are equally resourced and respected. The stages of internships, apprenticeships and industrial certifications are integrated into each plan and are not treated as add-on modules.

  • Family roles: Families are co-authors, not spectators. Annual plan reviews include conversations with parents.

  • No status quo: Transparency for parents means schools are held accountable so that every student receives a plan to express their God-given talents. No more educational factories or the status quo.

• Fitness

  • Fitness tests: Bring back the Presidential Fitness Test to build healthy habits and keep kids active throughout the school day.

  • Mini-grants: Provide mini-grants to schools that encourage regular daily recess and structured physical activity.

  • Parents get scores: Send fitness results straight home to Mom and Dad, keeping kids’ private health data out of state databases.

• Parental rights and guidance in class

  • Parental choice: Let education dollars follow the student so parents can choose the best school for their child.

  • No politics: Keep partisan political theories out of the classroom so schools focus strictly on the basics: reading, math and science.

SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Bringing NASA headquarters to Florida

• Accelerated space hubs

• Practical technical training

  • Train Florida high school and college students to become skilled aerospace welders, machinists and launch technicians.

• Host the Space Race Summit

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Fix traffic and congestion

• Strengthen the electricity network

• Quick storm cleanup

  • Keep utility trucks, repair crews and emergency fuel supplies ready to move into affected neighborhoods even before a hurricane hits.

LAW AND ORDER

• No handouts for taxpayers

• Enforce workplace rules

• Remove dangerous criminals

• Crack down on fentanyl

A HEALTHY FLORIDA

• Clean school food

  • Junk food: Remove ultra-processed junk food, chemical additives and artificial colors from school breakfast and lunch menus.

  • No candy: Stop schools from selling candy, sugary sodas and energy drinks at after-school events.

  • Cafeteria menus: Require school districts to post all cafeteria menus and ingredient lists online so parents can easily see what their children are eating.

  • Florida Farms: Support our state’s farmers by connecting local Florida farms directly to school lunches.

• Clean water in every school

  • Tap water: Require every Florida school to test tap water for lead and harmful chemicals, and post each result online.

  • Old pipes: Repair old pipes and install certified water filters immediately whenever unsafe water is detected.

  • “Chemicals Forever”: Test for modern contaminants like microplastics, pharmaceuticals and “forever chemicals.”

  • Water analysis: Offer free or low-cost water testing to Florida families with young children who rely on private well water.

SUPPORT BLUE

• Recruit the best officers

  • Offer competitive hiring bonuses and salaries to bring the best police officers, sheriff’s deputies and first responders to Florida.

• Defend law enforcement

• Keeping Violent Criminals in Prison

ENVIRONMENT

• Restoring the Everglades

  • Complete reservoir and canal projects currently under construction to keep clean, fresh water flowing south into Florida Bay. Work with stakeholders to advance Everglades restoration.

• Fighting Red Tide and Algae

• Protect our beaches and water supply

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• Regular independent audits

  • Annual audits: Conduct annual audits at all levels of government, from agencies in Tallahassee to local utilities and special districts.

  • Surveillance audits: Expand state oversight audits to track waste, eliminate bloated programs, and save taxpayers’ money.

• Every penny online

  • Public website: Put all state, county and city contracts on a public searchable website that anyone can view from their phone.

  • Simple graphics: Demand that every city hall and county commission publish a simple pie chart showing where your tax dollars actually go.

• Open public salaries

• Honest taxes and fees

  • Property Tax Mailings: Clean up the annual property tax mailings so you see a clear, simple chart showing exactly which local offices are taking a cut of your money.

  • Mystery Fees: Review all local permits and municipal fees to prevent local governments from slipping hidden mystery fees onto your monthly utility bills.