Today, the Florida Chamber of Commerce unveiled its 2024 Legislative Report Card, showcasing grades earned by all 160 legislators in the Florida House and Senate based on their votes during the 2024 Legislative Session, and also awarded 15 Legislators the 2024 Distinguished Advocate Award.

“Florida currently has a $1.62 trillion economy and is continuing to grow and diversify,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson. “I want to thank Governor Ron DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Speaker Paul Renner and the pro-jobs legislators who continued to put Florida’s business climate first by prioritizing the growth of private sector jobs and diversifying our economy.”

DISTINGUISHED ADVOCATE AWARD:

The Florida Chamber Distinguished Advocate Award recognizes lawmakers who ensured consideration of the business community’s legislative priorities and fought tirelessly for the passage of a Chamber-backed policy or a priority piece of pro-jobs legislation.

2024 Distinguished Advocate Award Recipients:

House Speaker Paul Renner
Representative Jennifer Canady
Representative Tiffany Esposito
Representative Sam Garrison
Representative Mike Giallombardo
Representative Jason Shoaf
Representative John Temple
Representative Dana Trabulsy
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo
Senator Jim Boyd
Senator Colleen Burton
Senator Nick DiCeglie
Senator Erin Grall
Senator Jay Trumbull
Senator Clay Yarborough

For a full description of the leadership each legislator exhibited to earn the Distinguished Advocate Award, click here.

REPORT CARD:

The Florida Chamber’s 2024 Legislative Report Card is an annual opportunity to recognize members of the Florida Legislature who placed making Florida more competitive through their support for free enterprise over special interests and attempts to protect the status quo. The Report Card also lets Florida families, local businesses, taxpayers and voters know who voted in favor of private sector job creation and a stronger, more diversified economy.

After tabulating more than 5,700 votes cast during the 2024 Legislative Session, the Florida Chamber’s Legislative Report Card shows:

• Average GPA for both legislative chambers was 87 percent
• Average Senate GPA was 89 percent
• Average House GPA was 86 percent

Lawmakers who earned high grades this legislative session focused on important competitiveness issues such as those outlined in our end-of-session recap, which can be found here.

GRADES ARE EARNED USING A TRANSPARENT GRADING PROCESS:

• The Florida Chamber’s legislative grading process is both transparent and accountable.
• The Florida Business Agenda (FBA) was announced in concert with the opening of the 2024 Legislative Session.
• The Florida Business Agenda, outlined in the Chamber’s annual Where We Stand publication was delivered to each member of the Florida Legislature in advance of voting.
• Florida Chamber leadership raised awareness of the legislative agenda through meetings with numerous media, legislators and staff in advance of session, during the interim committee weeks, and over the nine-week legislative session.
• Most importantly, prior to each vote graded on the Report Card, a “Your Vote Matters” letter outlining the pro-business position and the Florida Chamber’s intent to score the vote was transmitted to voting members of the legislature.

To see the grades received by each of Florida’s 160 Legislators following the 2024 Legislative Session, visit https://reportcard.flchamber.com/.

The Florida Chamber will soon release its annual How They Voted publication, which in addition to legislator grades and awards, will include a full recap of what passed, what was defeated, and what remains unfinished business following the 2024 Legislative Session.

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Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson stood with former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Rick Scott yesterday in Tampa at a local manufacturing facility to announce the rollout of the “Small Business for Rick Scott” coalition and formally announce the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s endorsement of his reelection to the U.S. Senate.

In addition to providing remarks at the press conference, Mark Wilson released the following quote in support of Senator Rick Scott, who signed all 138 Chamber-backed bills sent to his desk during his tenure as Governor:

“No one fights harder for jobs than Senator Rick Scott, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce is proud to endorse his reelection. Senator Scott was Florida’s jobs governor, and we were proud to work with him every year to reduce unfair taxes, excessive litigation and nonsensical regulations which helped lead to the incredible economic growth we see in Florida today. As Senator, he’s continued to focus on reining in wasteful spending and getting government out of the way so local businesses can thrive. We look forward to him continuing to serve as Florida’s voice for jobs and a strong economy in Washington!”

Senator Rick Scott thanked Mark Wilson and the business community for their support noting that “the Florida Chamber of Commerce is the best Chamber of Commerce in the country. You talk to people all across the country and there is no Chamber like the Florida Chamber.”

In the Florida Chamber’s recent statewide voter poll, Rick Scott is leading his reelection opponent 54-39 and is up 36 points with Hispanic voters. Video of the full press conference can be found here and you can learn more about the “Small Business for Rick Scott” coalition here.

In addition to Senator Rick Scott’s reelection, the Presidency, the entire Florida Congressional Delegation, all 120 State House seats, half of the Florida Senate seats, 2,637 local offices and half a dozen proposed constitutional amendments are on the 2024 ballot. The Florida Chamber leads the business community’s efforts to recruit and elect better candidates through the Florida Free Enterprise Fund, Florida Chamber Political Institute, and the Florida Institute for Political Leadership. For more information about these initiatives, contact the Florida Chamber’s Executive Vice President of Government & Political Relations Frank Walker at fwalker@flchamber.com.

Today in battleground Wisconsin, beyond vibes and pundit speak, voters get to see the clear split screen between President Biden’s record of accomplishment and Donald Trump’s broken promises.

Hell, even our friends at Fox and Friends agree.

President Biden is announcing that Microsoft is making a multi-billion dollar investment in Racine, Wisconsin, that is expected to create thousands of jobs.

For those keeping track, President Biden is delivering JOBS across the Blue Wall:

In Wisconsin, nearly 200,000 new jobs. In Pennsylvania, 500,000 new jobs. In Michigan, 350,000 new jobs.

Donald Trump’s record of broken promises is clear across the country:

Trump’s Broken Promise to Wisconsin: Trump promised $10 billion in investment and up to 13,000 new jobs at the Foxconn plant, calling it the “Eighth Wonder of the World” and the embodiment of the MAGA agenda.

• Trump’s Reality: The Foxconn investment was a failure. It created little more than 10% of jobs promised and less than 7% of promised investment – and cost taxpayers $4.5 billion. Under Trump, Wisconsin lost tens of thousands of jobs – including thousands of manufacturing jobs.

Trump’s Broken Promise to Michigan: Trump promised Michigan “won’t lose one plant” and a “complete revitalization of the Michigan manufacturing sector.”

• Trump’s Reality: Under Trump, GM’s Warren plant closed and workers lost jobs, Fiat Chrysler closed their assembly plan in Detroit, and Ford closed its Romeo engine plant. Under Trump, Michigan lost hundreds of thousands of jobs – including tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs.

Trump’s Broken Promise to Pennsylvania: Trump promised, “your jobs will come back under a Trump administration” and “we’re going to bring back our manufacturing.”

• Trump’s Reality: By 2018, in Southeastern Pennsylvania alone, five plants closed and hundreds lost jobs. Under Trump, Pennsylvania lost hundreds of thousands of jobs – including 23,000 manufacturing jobs.

Trump’s Broken Promise to Ohio: Trump promised “those jobs have left Ohio. They’re all coming back” and “jobs will return … and new factories will come rushing onto our shores.” Trump boasted he would save the Lordstown plant.

• Trump’s Reality: GM shut down the Lordstown plant after Trump promised he would save it. Trump’s response to plant closure and lost jobs was, “It doesn’t really matter,” despite 1,500 workers losing their jobs. His next promise of a replacement plant… flopped.

Trump’s Broken Promise to Indiana: Trump promised to keep the Carrier plant and jobs in the U.S.

• Trump’s Reality: Carrier cut over 1,300 jobs from its plant and workers said they were “betrayed” by Trump.

Biden-Harris 2024 spokesperson James Singer released the following statement:

“The choice in this election is clear: Joe Biden is delivering jobs, while all Donald Trump delivered as president was broken promises.

“Joe Biden knows a job is a lot more than a paycheck – it’s about dignity. It’s why he’s spent every day working to bring our country back from the economic abyss Donald Trump left us in.

“Americans will go to the polls this November knowing that Joe Biden is a man of his word who has delivered 15 million new jobs, and that Donald Trump is a fraud who over-promised, under-delivered, and sold America out.”