They arrived early, packed the room near West Palm Beach and expected to be wowed. And the hundreds of Republicans weren’t disappointed. They heard what they were seeking, and more, from Congressman Byron Donalds, whom they’d like to see as Florida’s next governor.
First and foremost: Donalds’ loyalty to — and from — President Donald Trump.
Donalds also promised to continue conservative policies started under Gov. Ron DeSantis, vowed to champion conservative approaches and fight liberal influences, and highlighted economic challenges such as property insurance and property taxes.
He also sought to temper some expectations, warning for example that the notion of eliminating property taxes altogether is unrealistic. Donalds also explained he has some plans that may not be embraced by local government officials, whose regulations the candidate suggested need some reining in.
“Their sphincters are getting a little tight,” Donalds observed.
Speaking for about 50 minutes Monday night at Club 47, a large South Florida-based pro-Trump organization, Donalds paid extensive tribute to Trump, offered some praise for DeSantis, provided outlines of some policy initiatives and drove home the point that he’d be steadfast at upholding conservative ideas — standing firm even in the face of heavy political pressure.
On the campaign trail, Donalds said, “This is the seminal question: Can we count on you to keep Florida the free state of Florida?” The answer, he said, is an unequivocal yes. “When it comes to the rights of the people of Florida, there is no negotiation, there is no compromise. I will always stand with you,” Donalds said.
The Brooklyn native had some words for people who want to relocate to Florida from New York City.
“If you come here, Florida is red. If you come here, we are going to make sure parents are first. If you come here, boys are not allowed in women’s sports. If you come here, we don’t have woke in our educational system,” he said. “If you want to be a part of Florida, understand that our government works very, very different than New York government. We are smart and we make sense.”
Stoneman Douglas law
In describing his conservative bona fides, Donalds explained his opposition to the school safety legislation passed and signed into law by his fellow Republicans in the aftermath of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, in which 17 people were killed and 17 wounded.
Serving then as a junior member of the state House of Representatives, he said Republican leaders pressured him to vote for the measure. He was told it was essential for Republicans to show they could act after a crisis.
Donalds refused, citing provisions of the law that raised the age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21 and gave Florida a “red flag” law, allowing law enforcement officers to petition a court to seize weapons from someone who is seen as dangerous.
The price for defying his party leaders’ demands, Donalds said, was having his legislation and spending priorities put on ice. Donalds said he was honoring his pledge to voters “that I would protect their constitutional rights. That’s what I told the people. … They put their faith in me that when the rubber met the road and the tough decision had to occur, I would be on the right side of the issue.”
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David Jolly, a former congressman seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, has criticized Donalds’ position, arguing that “greater gun safety measures keep us safe and allow our kids to go to school without getting shot.”
Donalds said in a brief interview after his speech that the massacre at the Parkland school didn’t justify violating what he sees as Second Amendment rights. “It’s one thing to make sure the schools are safe. It’s another thing to take away constitutional rights, he said. “Tragedy is an unfortunate part of what occurs in human life, but people’s rights have to be held consistently over time.”
Trump
Donalds spent much of his speech emphasizing a key credential for Republican voters: His unwavering support for Trump, who has returned that support by endorsing Donalds for governor.
“I’m very blessed to have the president’s support. Complete and total by the way, like he did the whole deal. He didn’t mess around,” Donalds said.
Donalds then focused his attention on the new Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who describes himself as a democratic socialist. “My message for all of you here is get a bigger room, add some more seats, cause something tells me we’re about to get some new New Yorkers (moving to Florida) if Mamdani becomes mayor of New York.”
Momdani’s proposals, including government-run grocery stores, are doomed to fail, Donalds said. “He’s not somebody who’s had to go out and actually get food when you’re poor.”
Donalds used the subject as a window to some of his own background with poignance and humor.
Growing up poor, “My mom and I had to stand in line and get government cheese, government peanut butter in New York, in Brooklyn, two blocks from my house. That stuff was awful. It sucks. This is the stuff when the oil’s at the bottom” and it had to be stirred to spread.
Today, many people look at that kind of peanut butter differently, he observed. “They put that in like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods now, and people think it’s like healthy. But it still looks nasty,” Donalds said. “Just mix all the oil for me, OK?”
Florida
Donalds credited DeSantis for his leadership of Florida during the coronavirus pandemic, praising his early reopening of the state.
But he also challenged what may be the final big policy push from DeSantis — the idea of eliminating property taxes. “ If you repeal all property taxes in the state of Florida, the sales tax has to go to 13%,” Donalds said.
Unlike DeSantis, who has to leave office after the 2026 election because of term limits, if Donalds is governor he would have to implement the idea and oversee its consequences.
“We have to be realistic and we’ve got to be open, we’ve got to be direct. We can’t just float out phrases. We have to be honest with the people of Florida,” he said. Pointing to a sheriff’s deputy providing security, he said, “We still have to be able to pay that man’s salary. We still have to be able to pay the salary of our firefighters.”
Donalds also said:
— Targeted property tax relief, especially for longtime homeowners is possible. He said he’s studying the issue and would offer proposals.
— Spending would be scrutinized, promising to continue the DeSantis-launched effort to DOGE local governments, modeled after the Trump-Elon Musk efforts to slash federal spending and end programs.
— State agencies, which have been controlled by Florida Republicans for decades, would also be subject to DOGE-ing, promising “no sacred cows.”
— School district spending would also come in for heavy scrutiny. “All these school board members around the state of Florida, they’ve been sucking up all the property tax money.”
Donalds said artificial intelligence would be used to improve and streamline state government, said companies fleeing places like New York would be lured to Florida — but not with subsidies, he promised — and said regulations that add time for projects to begin would be scrutinized.
It is the targeting of those regulations that prompted his suggestion that local officials would feel apprehensive about the changes ahead.
Donalds said one way to lower insurance rates for consumers would be to educate reinsurers, the big organizations that cover some of the carriers’ risk, suggesting they may be misinformed about potential perils. The state needs to “make sure that they know the true risks of Florida and not the risks of Florida that they hear on MSNBC. That they know the true risks that they’re accounted for so we can stabilize our insurance market and make sure people can afford Florida.”
Support
“He’s got the Trump endorsement, he’s a rock solid Republican. He’s got a fabulous wife. What more do you want?” said Sid Dinerstein, a former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican party, and self-described Donalds fan.
Axios reported Tuesday that Donalds raised $22 million from the time he announced his candidacy in February through the quarter that ended Monday.
“He has a substantial fundraising advantage and an endorsement that clearly matters in this state,” said Michele Merrell, the elected state committeewoman for Broward County. He’s also been on the campaign trail at political clubs and county party fundraising dinners, Merrell said.
On Monday, Donalds began at home in Naples. He gave a speech in Bonita Springs, visited the Pratt & Whitney facility in western Palm Beach County, where he saw the test of a jet engine, and spoke at Club 47 just outside West Palm Beach. After the evening speech, he stayed for about 45 minutes, until everyone who wanted to snap a selfie or get his signature got one.
On Tuesday, he was in Collier County for Trump’s visit to the new migrant detention center the government is calling “Alligator Alcatraz.”
So far, no other major candidate is running, and DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, has not said if she will end up seeking the Republican nomination.
Club president Larry Snowden said he “can’t imagine anyone beating Byron Donalds in a primary.”
Club 47, which gets its name because Trump in his second term is the 47th president, often fills to capacity. Trump is the only speaker who gets a bigger crowd and has sold out faster, Snowden said.
Donald Goldstein, of Delray Beach, said he’s rarely seen a Club 47 crowd as excited as it was on Monday. “He’s very competent, very sincere, very conservative. Just the guy we need.”
Raviv Laor, of Boca Raton, said Donalds was “relevant, powerful and speaks to what Florida needs,” adding that, “He’s wonderful. I think he’s the future of the Republican Party. I think he’s a great heir to the Trump movement.”
Political writer Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.