Issue Position: Priorities

Issue Position

As a retired firefighter, Joe understands the importance of prioritizing emergency preparedness as Florida continues to grapple with the devastating health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Making sure our frontline workers and first responders have the resources needed to combat the spread of the virus is critical. Joe is also committed to safely re-opening our economy in a way which relies on data and science above all else. He has called for the state's broken unemployment system to be completely re-designed, the length of benefits to be extended, and the amounts claimants are paid to be increased.

This year, Joe worked to pass a state budget raising salaries for Florida's public school teachers. He fought for a sales tax exemption to save seniors money on health-related items.
On the environment, Joe put partisanship aside and came together with members of both parties to address the issue of toxic algae blooms and enhance water quality.

Outside of emergency preparedness and economic recovery, Joe's priorities include improving and fully funding our state's education system; ensuring a high quality of life for our seniors; instituting sensible gun safety laws and making schools safer; and protecting our environment.

These were the issues on which he first ran for election to the State House and during his time in Tallahassee he has committed himself to addressing them.

Drawing on his past experiences as a firefighter and service in the United States Air Force, Joe has been a strong and vocal champion for first responders, police and firefighters as well as military veterans. Last year, he sponsored legislation strengthening medical benefits for firefighters who contract cancer in the line of duty. He worked with his colleagues to pass a joint resolution allowing the surviving spouses of deceased disabled veterans to continue claiming the same tax credits to which their families were entitled before death.

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