It was a full house during Thursday evening’s Villages Republican Club meeting at the Savannah Center where state Sen. Dennis Baxley and state Rep. Don Hahnfeldt were the guest speakers.
The two speakers emphasized their experience in business when explaining how they helped managed to make Florida number one in financial stability in the country, with the help of the people.
“I’m very proud of the record you’ve established for putting conservatives in leadership,” said Baxley. “Don has been a terrific partner.”
A presentation helped guide the audience along the progress both of them helped make during legislative session this year.
First focusing on key bills passed, the two lawmakers ticked off a list of bills projected on the screen that were passed: ethics reform, education, medical marijuana implementation, homestead exemption, opioid penalties, Visit Florida and ADA Tort Reform.
On the topic of medical marijuana, both agreed that while it was legalized by a vote this past November, they were not proud of it. Both said they are reluctant to “play doctor” without knowing long term effects or the correct amount of dosages by passing bills surrounding medical marijuana.
Baxley expressed his concerns with potential substance abuse and eventual recreational legalization with the passage of medical marijuana. However, he and Hahnfeldt continue to hold the reins on medical marijuana implementation “so it won’t run wild.”
Both lawmakers advised the audience that on the 2018 ballot, there will be questions regarding homestead exemption, which they believe that many in the room will take advantage of it.
As for opioid penalties, Baxley gave alarming statistics that more Floridians lose their lives to opioids than in traffic accidents. The state is on a projected track of losing 63,000 people this year, according to the state senator.
The Visit Florida bill required three extra days to be passed as it almost faced elimination. Both Hahnfeldt and Baxley touted their business mindsets when explaining that Visit Florida helps pay the bills, and when advertising is cut, the state loses a chunk of its funding.
The discussion then switched gears when both lawmakers talked about key bills that did not pass: certificate of need, local regulation pre-emption, whiskey and Wheaties, sanctuary cities penalties, second amendment issues, pro-life initiatives and Appellate/ Supreme Court judges term limits.
With just a few minutes to spare before the meeting was adjourned, Catherine Thompson of the Village of Glenbrook went up to the microphone to share what she said was an important message.
“I will not be putting one more penny to the Republican Club,” said Thompson if the members were not going to stand up for the country’s president.
A handful of members in the audience applauded her statement and a few people even stood up in support of Thompson. She said she has been a Republican her whole life, but would consider switching to Independent if the GOP party does not back President Trump as a whole.
Thompson blamed the lack of unified support for President Trump as to why nothing he has planned is getting done.
Hahnfeldt gave a response, saying that the state and, more particularly, the local government “is more conservative” than the federal government. Some members in the audience and Thompson dismissed Hahnfeldt’s comment and pushed again for the support for President Trump.
Thompson told Villages-News.com media at the end of the meeting that she wishes she knew in advance about this past week’s Trumper meeting led by Tony Ledbetter. Some members in the audience shared their beliefs that the Republicans have been “infiltrated by Democrats” to destabilize the party’s support for the president.
