Following Hurricane Irma. [applause] also joining us in the east gallery is his wife first lady ann scott. [applause] gov. Scott good morning. Thank you for your graciousness towards me and my wife. It is wonderful to be here. I think about the first time i gave this speech. I am honored to deliver my final state of the state address today. I would like to recognize a few people. First, speaker of the house richard corcoran. [applause] gov. Scott mr. Speaker, i appreciate your commitment to cutting taxes to make sure that every floridian can get a great education. To Senate President joe negron. [applause] gov. Scott mr. President , your focus on lake okeechobee and floridas environment will benefit future generations. Lieutenant governor carlos lopezcantera. [applause] gov. Scott carlos thank you for , all you do for our great state and for joining me in the fight for freedom and democracy in cuba and venezuela. I also would like to recognize attorney general pam bondi. I spoke to her this morning. She could not be here today. She has been a true voice for crime victims and has been a leading voice in the opioid epidemic. There is no doubt her efforts have saved lives. Lets give a big round of applause to the attorney general. [applause] gov. Scott chief Financial Officer jimmy patronis. [applause] gov. Scott jimmy, i was proud to appoint you as cfo. In a very short time you have , done so much to help florida families. I want to thank you for everything you are doing for florida firefighters. Thank you. Commissioner of agriculture adam putnam. [applause] gov. Scott adam, thank you for fighting for floridas critical agricultural community, and all you have done to help the citrus industry, especially after Hurricane Irma. I want to thank chief Justice Labarga and members of the florida supreme court. I want to thank each of you for all of your service. [applause] gov. Scott i would also like to thank my wife, ann. There isnt a day that goes by that i am not thankful for your unwavering support. As first lady, you have done so much to help florida families. From visiting schools, to promoting literacy and helping find forever homes for kids in foster care, i am so proud of all you have done. You took a chance on me 45 years ago, a skinny kid without a penny in his pocket, who talked too fast, with only a dream. You have believed in me every day since then, including the day i told you i wanted to run for governor. When no one else thought i had a chance, you stood by me. I love you. [applause] gov. Scott i also want to recognize my soninlaw pierre and my oldest grandson, auguste. [applause] gov. Scott auguste wants to either be a paratrooper like his great grandfather or a Police Officer when he grows up. And by the way, i love being a grandparent. It is the best job in the world. [applause] gov. Scott i know how disappointed you all must be that you will not get to hear and other greats beach like this. Great speech like this. [laughter] gov. Scott try to hold back the tears. Putting jokes aside, i stand here today, at the beginning of my last year as governor, thankful for the opportunity that we have all had to help our beloved state of florida. I am thankful that in 2010, with the amazing support of my family, the people of florida gave me the unbelievable opportunity to try to turn the state of florida around. This has been the most rewarding job. There were the naysayers who told us there was no way that a businessman with no experience in politics or government could possibly be successful at helping to turn floridas economy around. Fortunately for all of us, the naysayers were wrong. When i was in business, i would see politicians come and go and they would always make promises that they would be businessfriendly, cut taxes and reduce regulations. And usually, it was all just talk. Nothing much ever happened. I have been in business in almost every state, and when i brought an issue about permits or licensing to government leaders, they would often just repeat their same old promises, and reassure me that they would get back with me. Of course, they rarely did. In 2010, when i ran for governor, i promised to change the status quo and create an environment where businesses can succeed and create jobs for florida families. The results speak for themselves. Working together, we have created an environment where the private sector has added nearly 1. 5 million jobs. [applause] gov. Scott our gdp has grown 26 in seven years. Our home values have skyrocketed. We have decreased state debt by 9 billion. [applause] gov. Scott and our Unemployment Rate has gone from over 10 to now 3. 6 , which is almost a 10year low and lower than the national average. [applause] so, those are some great statistics, but this is not about statistics. Its about real people. Like many people, i grew up in poverty and i can tell you firsthand, having a job is not something anyone should ever take for granted. Florida has experienced this incredible economic revival because together we have worked , hard to cut taxes over 80 times, which has saved florida families more than 7. 5 billion. [applause] gov. Scott working together, we have taken billions of dollars out of the governments hands and given it back to florida families. Like many of you here, this is my last year in this position. This is my last session to cut taxes. And we must acknowledge that, unfortunately, at some point, there will be politicians sitting in this chamber who are not as fiscally responsible as we are today. I am sure there will be people who hold our jobs down the road who will want to increase taxes, otherwise known as taking more money from hard working floridians. Decades ago, florida voters approved an amendment to the constitution that prohibited a state income tax. The skeptics warned that bad things would happen. The skeptics were wrong. I want 2018 to be the year that florida voters pass a constitutional amendment that makes it harder for politicians to raise taxes. [applause] gov. Scott my proposal would require twothirds of the legislature to vote on a tax increase for it to become law. Some have asked if this proposal would be in effect during a financial emergency or another national recession, and my answer is clear. Absolutely. [applause] gov. Scott it is during times of economic downturn where this proposal is needed the most. It will force leaders to contemplate living within their means rather than taking the , easy way out and just sticking it to the public by raising taxes on families and job creators. [applause] gov. Scott i ask all of you to join me in this fight and ensure we do all we can to not let future politicians undo the hard work we have all done to grow floridas economy and create jobs. We need to secure a Strong Economy for our children and grandchildren. I also have put forward a tax cut package this year that will truly benefit every florida family. Before i took office, everyone who had a drivers license faced a massive fee increase. This year, i want to reduce those fees back to pre2009 levels by cutting the fee for the renewal of a regular drivers license by more than 58 , from 48 to 20. [applause] i want to cut the fee on an original regular drivers license by more than 43 , from 40 to 27, and i want to cut the fee on an original commercial drivers license by more than 10 . My dad was a truck driver and if he had extra money back in his pocket, that would have been a big deal. My tax cut proposal also includes sales tax holidays to help families prepare for the school year and hurricane season. After the storms we experienced last year, we need to have a longer sales tax holiday so people have time to buy the supplies they need like generators, batteries, and flashlights. My proposal extends the current oneweek sales tax holiday to three weeks over a threemonth period to ensure people have ample time to get the goods they need before the start of next hurricane season. I dont think anyone in this room could have predicted the mammoth Storm Hurricane irma would become. There wasnt a portion of our state that was safe from irma. We saw it shift, turn, and literally cover our entire state. It was like a scene from a bad movie. But floridians came together and we all faced Hurricane Irma together. As i traveled around the state, i heard story after story of families helping one another and communities standing together. The response and solidarity that was shown by our state was one of the proudest moments that i have had as governor. And when i was urging people to get prepared for the storm and to evacuate, many of you in this room helped to raise awareness in your community, and i want to thank you for doing that. [applause] gov. Scott and after the storm, we all showed up. From handing out water, to working at food banks, so many floridians and many of you in this room helped your neighbors in need. And i believe florida has come back even stronger. [applause] gov. Scott florida demonstrated to the entire world how to prepare and respond to a natural disaster, and two heroes who helped florida prepare and respond to Hurricane Irma are with us today. I would like to introduce you to lauren and Michael Davis from jacksonville. [applause] gov. Scott lauren and michael both serve in the Florida National guard, and were deployed along with thousands of our brave National Guard members during the storm. However, their deployment was at a very inconvenient time for the young couple. Their wedding was set in Jacksonville Beach the same week as the hurricane was impacting florida. So, instead of postponing getting married, lauren and michael decided to exchange vows in full uniform in front of their fellow guardsmen at the Orange CountyConvention Center as they prepared for poststorm response. [applause] gov. Scott isnt that great . Lauren and michael chose to put service before self, a trait we should all strive to have. Lauren and michael, thank you for your sacrifice to protect your fellow floridians. And please be sure to give all these legislators the details on your wedding registry. [laughter] just when we thought we got through irma, maria was quickly approaching puerto rico. While we are so blessed florida was spared, sadly our fellow americans in puerto rico were devastated. Like many of you in this room, i have been focused on helping puerto rico recover and rebuild. I have had the opportunity to visit puerto rico twice following the storm. I saw firsthand the devastation on the island and i have tried to help the people of puerto rico any way i could. We have had hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans come to florida since maria and my goal is that florida be the most welcoming place for people displaced by Hurricane Maria. [applause] gov. Scott we have set up centers to help Puerto Ricans get connected to services and resources, made it easier for students to get enrolled in our schools and removed barriers for professional licenses so people can quickly get to work in our state. But there is still more we can do to help Puerto Ricans and everyone impacted by the storm. This year, i am proposing 12 million in funding to establish the english language learners academy. This program will focus on reading improvements and making sure students displaced by Hurricane Maria have access to important learning programs. And, i ask that you join me in making sure we get support for this Important Program this year. [applause] gov. Scott as we saw throughout the storm, our First Responders came to the rescue of so many. Not only did our First Responders and National Guard do an outstanding job during hurricanes irma and nate here in florida, but they came to the rescue of our friends outside of florida. Following maria, 50 florida Highway Patrol members deployed to puerto rico to help with security and Traffic Control in san juan. And following Hurricane Harvey in texas, more than two dozen fwc officers helped rescue more than 500 people trapped in flooded areas. While they are not here with us today, please join me in giving these individuals a big round of applause. [applause] gov. Scott our Law Enforcement have done an incredible job protecting florida families. And i hope each of you will support my proposed pay raise of 30 million for all state sworn officers this year. I am also proud to support a measure that is going through the Constitutional Revision Commission to give free tuition to the families of fallen First Responders, state Law Enforcement officers and military members who have lost their lives in the line of duty. [applause] gov. Scott since i have taken office, 41 officers have tragically been killed in the state in the line of duty. These brave men and women died as heroes, and it is important that the state does Everything Possible to take care of the families who lost a loved one who was working to protect each of us and all of our families in all of our communities. When you think about it, its the least we can do. The last thing our military men and women and First Responders need to be thinking about when they go to work every day is will my family be taken care of , if i am gone . Two of those heroes that died in the line of duty last year are Sergeant Sam Howard and officer matthew baxter. They were senselessly shot while on patrol in kissimmee. Sergeant howards wife and daughter, billie jo and unique, are here today. [applause] gov. Scott officer baxters wife, sadia, is also here and was recently sworn in as a special agent for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. [applause] gov. Scott billie jo, unique and sadia, we will continue to do all we can to honor sam and matthew. Another incredible hero who was tragically killed in the line of duty is lieutenant deborah clayton. She was executed in cold blood and i have fought hard to ensure that her accused killer is prosecuted to the absolute fullest extent of the law. [applause] gov. Scott i will stop at nothing to fully support the families of fallen Police Officers like deborah clayton. That is why this year last year i removed cases from a , prosecutor last year who refused to seek justice for fallen Law Enforcement officers. I want to be very clear. In florida we have zero , tolerance for anyone who attacks florida Law Enforcement officers. [applause] gov. Scott i will fight to make sure justice is swift and these killers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That doesnt stop with Law Enforcement. We have to take care of all crime victims in our state. No one in florida who has been a victim of crime should feel ashamed. Victims of crime or harassment deserve to have their voices heard. Last year, i was stunned to hear that state employees who reported incidents of Sexual Harassment did not have their identities protected in many circumstances. If you were a state employee who was the victim of Sexual Harassment and you filed a complaint with your agency, your name and other identifying information was not always confidential. I have daughters, and learning that there was not a public records exemption for this really bothered me, so i vowed to change the law. With the help of all of you in this chamber, we passed a law to protect state employees who were victims of Sexual Harassment. Working together, we took a step forward to protect those in State Government who were victimized. But lets be clear. More must be done. Last month, i signed an executive order that outlines the process for Sexual Harassment training, reporting, investigating, and recovery for victims at all of my agencies. I urge both chambers, and all of the cabinet agencies, to follow our lead and do the same. I also want to take a step further and encourage the legislature to pass a bill that protects state employees who witness their colleagues being harassed or victimized. I want to ensure the identities of these brave individuals are protected so they feel encouraged to participate in investigations. Unfortunately, we have seen this play out all over the country, including tallahassee. Things have to change. It has to start here. It has to start in this building. The people of florida deserve much better than what they are reading about in the news. [applause] we all must join together and [applause] [laughter] it is important that we all stand together and send a very strong message, florida stands with victims. I now want to turn to another serious topic that i believe by working together, we must combat in our state. Like so many families, i have had to watch a loved one struggle with drug abuse. It is hard and very painful. When i first took office, i worked with general bondi and many of you in this chamber to crack down on pill mills. We fought hard to get pill mills of our street. But as we have seen with the National Opioid epidemic, our fight against drugs is not over. I would like to introduce you to sarah sheppard. [applause] gov. Scott sarah is a Parent Partner at healthy start, a