Ron DeSantis (00:00):
It's great to be back in Titusville. Please have a seat. Please have a seat. Pleased to be joined today by our Fearless Commissioner of Education, Stasi Kamoutsas. We also have the principal of Titusville High School who is hosting us, Jennifer Gonzalez. We're joined by our congressman, my friend Mike Haridopolos. We also have the superintendent here in Brevard County, Dr. Mark Rendell, and of course Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who everybody loves around here. So thank you guys for coming. There's a lot of stuff that goes on obviously that we deal with at the state. There's lots of stuff going on in the country, but some of the things that are the most important is what are we doing to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to make the most of their God-given ability when they leave our school system? And so when I became governor, I made the point very strongly that there's more than one way you can succeed as a young person.
(01:02)
Not everyone needs to go to a traditional four-year brick and Ivy university. You certainly, unless you're going to MIT, you don't need to go a hundred thousand dollars in debt in order to do that. And so that's one way you can be successful. And we're proud of our university system, which is ranked number one in America the day I took office until now. Obviously you look around the country, we've had a period for the US economy of very, very high inflation, right? Groceries, all this stuff over four or five years. The tuition for Florida residents is the same today as the day I took office. Lowest in the country.
(01:42)
And we're proud of that. We're proud of what our universities are doing, and we want that to be a pathway. Absolutely. But the same time, and particularly if you look at the needs of the economy, there are so many opportunities for people that have vocational training, skills-based education to be able to get certified in high school. Maybe you go to State College for a year or two. Maybe you don't even need that and you're already doing... I know there've been people from Brevard Public Schools who've been hired by Elon Musk at SpaceX right when they graduate. I mean, that's a pretty good opportunity to have. And obviously the people here in the Space Coast, you have the proximity. And so that's really, really good. So I really believe, and when I was growing up, they would tell you, and I think it was well-meaning, they're like, "Unless you get a college degree, you're not going to be able to be successful in this."
(02:40)
And it was almost like this piece of paper was what people would worship. I remember when I graduated, I played baseball, I grew up in Florida, played baseball for Yale, and the degree was in Latin. I'm like, "Well, who the hell knows what this degree even is? I worked this hard to get it. No one could even read it in my office." But this piece of paper is not the end all be all right? It's what are you actually learning and how is that going to apply when you get out of school? And I just saw so many universities just dropping the ball with kind of political agendas, mushy courses and all these other things. Look, if you're going to get a degree in engineering from MIT and you go into debt, you're going to be okay. I mean, that's just the reality. So I'm not saying some of these, even going into debt on any of these programs necessarily is bad.
(03:34)
There's obviously some that it would make sense, but there's so many colleges, particularly third or fourth tier private universities over these years, massive tuition costs, massive fees, all these things, massive debt for the students. And then these students get out and they end up with jobs they could have had out of high school. Well, how is that doing well by those students? And so we said, but part of it was there was just the stigma that I think had been created over years that somehow you're somehow not as good because you're going vocational versus going to university.
(04:11)
And I'll tell you, there's people that graduate high school in Florida that come out of our state colleges, they're involved in HVAC, they're involved in electrical, they're involved in these things, they're working for a couple of years making good money, and then they start their own business because the state's growing. There's need. And then they do very, very well. Meanwhile, some of the kids that go to traditional universities, they toil five, six years, debt. Maybe they get some type of master's degree, but the seas aren't parting for them. So there's just more than one way to be successful, and we absolutely want to empower students to make the best choices that you can.
(04:46)
So that was the mindset that I had when I became governor. And so early, I think my first month in office, we issued an executive order, so this is 2019, and we had a very ambitious goal. We recognized that Florida was lagging in workforce education, we were in the bottom half of states at the time, and that we would set a goal to make Florida number one in America in workforce education by the year 2030. And that was ambitious, but we believed that if we did right, it was achievable. Well, I'm proud to say that we made that goal and we've achieved that goal. Today, I can say that Florida is ranked number one in the nation in workforce education, and we achieved that goal five years ahead of schedule.
(05:43)
And so here's where we are, and here's why we can say this. Florida's ranked number one in talent attraction for three years in a row. We ranked number one in public higher education nine years running. We're ranked number one in two-year college graduation rates, number one for lowest tuition and fees, number one in education freedom for the fourth consecutive year in the row. If you look at that executive order that I did back in 2019 and you look at all the bullets, every single bullet has been achieved, and these are things that are really significant and that are making a really, really big impact. And look, I'm not anyone that believes that money necessarily equals education outcomes. You have some of the worst schools in this country like Washington D.C. and Chicago. You look at how much money goes into that, it's feeding the bureaucracy. It's not educating students, and that's why they have failed schools.
(06:42)
Meanwhile, like in Washington D.C., I remember back in the day, Congress did the opportunity scholarships and charter, and the kids that were able to go there, they did well, but when they were caught up in the bureaucracies, they didn't. So there's some bureaucracies around this country that are not serving students well. So I've never said that like, oh, D.C. spends more, then they must be doing better, because that clearly isn't the case. At the same time, you do need to provide the tools, and that's not something that necessarily grows on trees. You do have to show a financial commitment to these programs and to this vision. And I'm pleased to say that since 2019, we have committed more than $12 billion to workforce education. To put that in perspective, that's more than anyone else has done by a country mile, and we're proud of doing that.
(07:33)
Now, the results of these investments are significant. During last academic year, Florida achieved a record-breaking CTE enrollment serving more than 818,000 K-through-12 CTE students and nearly 512,000 post-secondary CTE students. That's a 30% increase from where we were seven years ago, and we did the little hold room there when I was meeting with the participants, was the culinary program that they have. These kids were baking this stuff and I had it and it was good, and I probably shouldn't have had it, but you got to live once. So we're doing it. And you have all these different things, and those are really good, great programs where you're getting hands-on skills, which makes it really, really good. Now, we have grown our integrated education and training programs to a record 582 statewide. That's more than 11,000 students just in the last five years, providing adult learners the opportunity to earn credentials while completing their high school diploma.
(08:44)
I'm a big believer in there's certain value that can be had by sitting at a desk and listening to somebody instruct you. Obviously, to a certain extent, that's inevitable that that's going to be part of education, but I really believe you can learn by doing. And so we have really put forward an emphasis on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and we've now reached a historic milestone there. 25,000 active participants statewide right now in apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. That's an 11% increase year over year, and we've had a huge increase over the last seven years. This allows our students to actually get on the job training and learn. And you know what? If you're in this position, you're in high school, you're showing you can do it, the best thing an employer's going to look for is can you do the job? If you have a resume and all the education, that's an indicator if you can do the job. But if you're actually showing you can do the job, that's the best evidence there is. And so it's giving our students a huge job advantage to be able to get a foothold in the workforce. Since its inception, our Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program
Ron DeSantis (10:00):
... Program has allocated 240 million to bolster workforce education and training that has supported 80 agencies and 812 newly created or expanded programs. This is a huge, huge increase from what we are doing for that.
(10:15)
We also have the Pathways to Career Opportunities grant program. The goal of that is to expand registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships program. We've awarded over a hundred million dollars total and 20,000 participants have been served in that program.
(10:31)
So we are doing what we said we would do. I'm excited to see that this has been something that has come to fruition. I remember when we did it, I was like, well, can we actually do it because I hate politicians promising you the moon, and then just they get into office and it's like nothing materializes. And, everything I've promised you I've delivered on for seven years.
(10:56)
But you know, this was one where I told, I was like, can we do it? Because there's a lot of stuff that needs to be done. And like, yeah, we can do it. It's going to take us till 2030. That's why we set the goal. And I'm like, all right, so let's do it. And so to be able to deliver on that, and to be able to say, based on these metrics that we're number one, here, we basically did that by the end of 2025 instead of going into 2030. That's a great success story.
(11:24)
And these students that are involved in this, and it's not mutually exclusive between four year colleges and apprentice, apprenticeships and work certifications. I mean, I've met students that had all these workforce certifications and they're graduating, but then they also have opportunities to go to University of Florida, Florida State, all these places. So you can do both, right? I mean, it isn't like one or the other, but this has been really meaningful for a lot of students.
(11:50)
I want to thank everyone's been involved. I mean, we launched this when Richard Corcoran was education commissioner. He did a really good job of standing up and getting the vision going. And then, Manny Diaz, who's now the University of West Florida president, was his successor, really helped do it. And then Stasi has brought it in for a landing to say, yeah, here's where we are.
(12:11)
We're not stopping. We're going to continue to do more. But I think that looking at, somewhat failures of higher education over the years and some of these universities around the country, I mean, I think we're doing good with our universities, but we've had to do some reform there too. I mean, let's just be honest. It isn't like there's some of these universities left to their own devices. They're going to veer into pursuing an agenda. I don't know why that's been the case, but that's just been the case.
(12:37)
So what I don't want is people to go deep into debt, spend five, five years, six years trying to get the degree. Sometimes they don't even get the degree, but even if you do, and it's in zombie studies, well, what difference does that make at that point, right? You'd have been better off doing some of these programs that we've been able to now set up in the State of Florida, and we're going to keep doing it.
(13:00)
So thanks to everybody that's been involved. I'm happy we've been able to reach this milestone, and we're going to continue really pushing forward. And oh, by the way, this Space Coast, Brevard has done a very good job on all this, and I think you can see why. There's a demand for people that have the skills to do some of the things that are going on in these.
(13:20)
I mean, I don't know what the exact statistics are, but the number of launches worldwide compared to just here. It's like we have way more just here than the rest of the entire world. And that's something that's really special. And, especially just because a lot of you who've been here for a while, you remember what it was like when Obama retired the space shuttle, when you saw this dying. The space program was dying, the space industry was dying, and there was a lot of pessimism in the air for a few years.
(13:49)
And then, as the commercial investment started to take hold, it really reinvigorated everything and breathed new life in. And now we're talking about setting up colonies on the moon, and you've got kind of a space race. The space race in the fifties and sixties was U.S. versus Soviet Union. Now, the space race is kind of like Musk versus Bezos versus all these guys trying to see who can get to the moon, who can set up a colony.
(14:19)
Musk obviously wants to eventually go to Mars, but all that's happening right here in this backyard, and that's really, really exciting. So, thanks to everybody and Stasi, come on up.
Stasi (14:39):
Well, good morning. It's great to be here at Titusville High School to celebrate career and technical Education month. And this is such an important announcement. It's an announcement that talks about real opportunities for students in the state.
(14:53)
But I would be remiss before I talk about what the great work we're doing in Florida on workforce education. If I didn't, thank Principal Gonzalez for hosting us. Superintendent Rendell. I see multiple members of the school board here, like Matt Susan and Jean Trent and Megan Wright. Thank you for taking such a strong stance when it comes to the walkouts that are disrupting the learning environment here in our schools in Florida.
(15:16)
I am seeing, across the nation, these walkouts that are being huge disruptions, that are leading to student safety concerns. And just this weekend, you have seen the Florida Education Association. The Teacher's Union, had a press conference where there was a speaker, and the speaker gets up and talks about the protests that are taking place across the nation and says that they are rational, that they are reasonable, and that they are required, jarred parents across the country.
(15:45)
Immediate backlash. In the background of this statement were union members here in Florida nodding along with the messaging, totally inappropriate, totally unacceptable. Yet there was no condemnation from the union. There was no calling out the statement. In fact, they stayed silent.
(16:02)
And it wasn't until this weekend where they received national backlash that now they're attempting to change the narrative. This isn't the first time that the FEA has been on the losing side of an issue. You all recall time and time again, they fight parents, they fight students. Just a couple of weeks ago, they lost a lawsuit where they sued against the Department of Education because they did not want syllabi to be public for students to be able to review prior to registering for courses. We took them to court. They took us to court. They lost.
(16:34)
You remember, in 2020, the teacher's union filed the lawsuit because they did not want schools to reopen. The significant learning losses that would've happened here in the state of Florida had they been successful, would've been detrimental to our students. Yet, because of this governor, we fought back. We won, and students benefited across the State of Florida.
(16:56)
By now, one would think that union leadership would recognize that prioritizing their own agenda over what's in the best interest of students simply does not work, but they don't. And that is why I appreciate the leadership of Representative Persons-Mulicka and Senator Martin, championing legislation that is going to strengthen transparency and accountability in unions across the state to ensure that they are focused on student success, not their political agendas, but prioritizing teachers, parents, and students.
(17:30)
And so I am grateful for the support of the legislature on this important issue, and I am confident that this common sense reform will bring true accountability and transparency that is needed.
(17:42)
And no matter how hard the union tries, we will continue to put students first, which is exactly what we are doing by expanding career and technical education opportunities across the state. In his first days in office, Governor DeSantis issued an executive order with this very big goal in mind, to make Florida number one in workforce education by 2030.
(18:07)
Here in this room, you see the fruits of that labor. If you look around, this room was funded by the Workforce Development Capitalization Grant. Students in this program are equipped with in-demand skills in robotics, automation, fabrication, and systems technology. They gain experience in an industry-aligned environment, operating real manufacturing workflows from design and production to quality control, all while working directly with local industry partners for authentic career-ready experiences. This program and this strong vision workforce development and participation in career and technical education has reached historic levels.
(18:49)
You heard the governor say we have more than 818,000 K-12 CTE students who are now participating in our state and almost 512 CTE post-secondary students. That is an increase of 30% in post-secondary CTE enrollment since the beginning of this administration. In addition, Florida's adult workforce education programs now serve over 189,000 learners, expanding access to credentials, diplomas, and workforce pathways for students across the state.
(19:24)
This scale reflects both student demand and employer confidence in the value of Florida's CTE programs. And our focus is not just on enrollment in the programs, but we also are focused on outcomes for students. Since the beginning of this administration, Florida has awarded more than 524,000 rapid workforce credentials. Last year, more than 80,000 rapid credentials were awarded, which is an increase of 5.4% from the year prior.
(19:53)
And these credentials, they are directly tied to high-wage,-demand occupations. Florida has also expanded
Stasi (20:00):
... earn and learn opportunities through registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, as the governor mentioned, that is a record 25,000 active apprentices and pre-apprentices, an increase of 11% year over year. Florida continues to invest in these programs through the pathways to career opportunity grants, which as the governor mentioned we're at a million dollars. And these funds have supported over 350 apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, serving more than 20,000 participants.
(20:35)
Florida has the most aligned, accountable, and industry-driven workforce education system in the nation. And thanks to Governor DeSantis's leadership, we will continue to strengthen these pathways so that every student has access to programs that prepare them for in-demand careers with wages to support their families. Because of our governor's leadership, Florida set a bold goal to be number one in workforce education by 2030, and we achieved it five years early. So thank you so much, Governor, for your vision and your leadership. Thank you to the teachers across the state that are making this happen. And most importantly, thank you students for your hard work each and every day. God bless you all.
Ron DeSantis (21:15):
Okay.
Jennifer Gonzalez (21:26):
Thank you so much, Commissioner, and thank you Governor. Good morning everybody. My name is Jennifer Gonzalez and I'm so honored to have Governor DeSantis here with us at Titusville High School.
(21:36)
I'm proud to speak here today about career and technical education. Standing here, in our space mechatronics classroom, you are seeing more than a lab. You are seeing Florida's workforce in the making. Career and technical education, or CTE, has evolved far beyond the shop classes of the past. Today, Florida's CTE programs are aligned with high-demand industries. At Titusville High School, we have 10 high-demand programs available to our students. These include cybersecurity, criminal justice, 911 dispatch, culinary arts, automotive, patient care, foods and nutrition, TV productions, digital design and space mechatronics. These programs provide students with industry certifications, hands-on experience, and clear pathways to high-wage, high-skill careers. Our students are learning from top instructors that came straight from the industry into the classroom, including a top chef, a registered nurse, and an engineer. For our students, the CTE pathway has made education relevant, engaging, and purposeful. They graduate with not only a high school diploma, but with credentials, confidence, and direction.
(22:54)
Last year at Titusville High School, we graduated 302 students. Our students earned a total of 278 industry certifications through a career and technical education course. Many students have graduated from Titusville High School over the years and immediately taken positions as a 911 dispatcher, certified nursing assistant, or even an auto mechanic. For industry, CTE is not just beneficial, it's essential. Florida's economic growth depends on a talent pipeline.
(23:25)
Through partnerships with local businesses and internships, our students gain experience that reduces training costs for employers and strengthens workforce readiness. Our partners are paramount to our success. Our students are interacting with up-to-date resources, thanks to our partners such as Lockheed Martin and Parrish Medical Center. Starling Ford just recently donated a brand new truck to our automotive program, so that our students are working with the most modern vehicle technology.
(23:56)
Here in Brevard County, at the heart of the Space Coast, our programs directly support the aerospace and technology sectors that drive our region's economy. Students in this classroom are learning the same foundational skills used right across the river at the Kennedy Space Center. Our students watch rocket launches right from our campus all the time. Now, with our space mechatronics program, our students can become a part of industry right after high school.
(24:25)
When we invest in career and technical education, we invest in students who are prepared, industries that are strengthened, and communities that thrive. Titusville High School was established in 1927. Next year we're celebrating our centennial. We have been launching futures at this school for a century. Now we can launch them farther than ever before. Thank you for supporting the future of the Florida's workforce, and thank you for being here today at Titusville High School.
Ron DeSantis (24:52):
Good job.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Good morning. It is great to be on the Space Coast, and I wish we made Washington DC a little bit more like Florida. This is where the action takes place and we're just so grateful to have the governor here, and I want to give it a shout out to, of course, our school board members who are doing a fantastic job and meeting the needs of this community. Our community is growing like never before and it's fantastic to have our school board members who are committed to making sure they are ready to go to the workforce day one. That is a real accomplishment, and it's what education is all about, and I'm so proud to be a part of this team.
(25:38)
And I also see Commissioner Altman here and others who are committed to bringing this community together and making it the best place to live in America. Also want to of course recognize our superintendent, Mr. Randell, he's done a fantastic job. He and I worked together recently to bring over $2 million down to Brevard County, so a Space Coast high school could have the same type of program that the governor is spiking the football about today. So we are excited about that.
(26:11)
And what's CTE? Sometimes we get stuck in acronyms, but it's career technical education. It's making things work again. America is about doers, about accomplishments. And as an educator myself, I'm so excited about what's happening here on this Space Coast. And in case you don't know it, our governor is a former teacher. He knows what it's like to be in a classroom and he understands what those young people are dreaming about every single day. His wife is also educating our community today on healthcare. She is leading what we call the MAHA movement here in Florida, just like RFK Junior and our president is doing around the country, because we know when our kids are healthy and they're ready to learn, it makes all the difference in the world.
(26:53)
And so, I wanted to come here today more than anything else to thank a few people. One is of course our amazing sheriff who's keeping our community incredibly safe every day. You don't hear about that Minneapolis stuff in Florida because of his work on the front lines. And he makes sure that every single day our kids are safe in school. And that is such a blessing because we're seeing too often, in too many parts of the country, they're not looking out for our kids every day. They're not doing all the things that the governor has done in the front line to protect our kids. Because he has kids too who are moving through the system.
(27:31)
But most importantly, today I want to talk about our governor and what a difference elections make. What a difference in the fact that leadership truly matters. It was just a few years ago that we were wondering what the future of this community would be like, when COVID hit. He kept this state running. He kept Florida at the tip of the spear, even when all the so-called professionals say, "You shouldn't do this way." This man led by example. I wouldn't mind if he was up in Washington, we can use the help, I promise you that. But it is remarkable what's happening because he leads, and this is what we need so strongly in Washington, let alone here in Florida. We have a person who campaigns and governs the exact same way. That is rare, unfortunately, in American politics today. And we have a governor in that regard.
(28:26)
And I'll close with this. We are the Space Coast, and as the governor mentioned last year, over 160 launches right here in the good old USA. And your kids and my kids are going to be getting those jobs in the future, because of what's right behind me right now. Not just a job, but a career. And that's what our governor has done. He recognized that just a few years ago, we were relying on the old Soviet Union to get to our own space station, and now the jobs of the future are literally right outside this door.
(28:59)
And so, I want to applaud our governor for leadership, and a person who's willing to stand on principle even when it wasn't popular, and he has made a huge difference to the great state of Florida.
Ron DeSantis (29:19):
Well, I appreciate everybody. All the comments were great, so thank you guys for doing that. And this is a big day. You look at this, this is real, this is part of a vision. And look, I was the governor leading, there's a lot of people throughout this state that shared this vision and knew how important it was to be able to equip our young people with the tools they need to succeed. And you're doing it very well here at Titusville High School, very well in Brevard County.
(29:45)
And I know we've done things with the grants, but also there've been line items in the budget we've helped you with over the years, and we're happy to do that, and we see the results have been very, very positive. And we're also going to continue doing what we're doing with the universities.
Ron DeSantis (30:00):
Look, I think the fact that we have the lowest tuition for Florida residents is a good thing. I think it means you can go to school and not have to mortgage your future just to pay the tuition. Honestly, it's low enough, you get a part-time job, you could pay the tuition even if you didn't have any scholarship or any parental support at all. I think that that's something that's really, really, really good. It's not possible in most universities around this country, of course.
(30:26)
It used to be kind of an incentive, maybe. Our schools were not as selective when I was growing up in terms of the state universities, but you'd have, like I had friends, you go to school, don't graduate in four, stay for another football season maybe. That was when they were winning a lot. We haven't had as much, at least on our state. University of Miami did good, private school. But now it's like we want to get you in and get you out. We don't want you to staying five. Graduate in three. Definitely graduated in four because it's ultimately, for us, it's not about making money. It's like these universities are performing a service for our residents.
(31:03)
I think I'm also proud, and there's sometimes some misinformation about this, our undergraduate population are state universities, 90% of them are Florida residents, in-state, and then the other 10% is mostly Americans from the other 49 states. Sometimes people, some of these universities have all these foreign coming in, like massive foreign. Ours is small and we really put an emphasis on using these state universities to benefit Florida families and their kids, and I'm proud of doing that and we're going to continue doing that going forward. Okay. Do we got any questions back there? Yes, sir?
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Governor, you've accomplished so much in your office. Is this what you're most proud of?
Ron DeSantis (31:48):
Well, look, I mean people sometimes ask me, "Well, what do you think was the best?" or whatever. Look, I think what I say is when I became governor, not that Florida was bad, I mean I was born and raised here, we liked it, but we didn't necessarily have the moxie that we do now of being the free state of Florida. I think under that comes all this stuff. Equipping kids to be able to go into workforce, that gives them freedom to be able to make the most of their God-given talent. Our universities not having hundred thousand dollar debt millstone, those students are going to have the freedom to do well.
(32:24)
Of course, I'll have people come up to me to this day saying, "If you didn't do what you did during COVID, their businesses would've probably closed." So the freedom to be able to apply your craft, run your businesses, do all those things, all of that I think falls under that envelope. But certainly, I think if you look on education, states are copying what Florida has done almost across the board on all this stuff, and I think that that's instructive that we're doing the right things. Yes?
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Would you like to see Alcatraz stay open, Alligator Alcatraz?
Ron DeSantis (33:03):
We have an important mission to protect the people of the state of Florida vis-a-vis illegal immigration, and I've been strong on this from day one. If you look at what we've done, a lot of people forget, we did Operation Vigilant Sentry during Biden's administration for the boats off our coast, because remember, they were coming from Haiti. Biden didn't have enough Coast Guard ships, and if it wasn't for what we did, you would've probably seen a couple years ago, you would've seen half of Haiti end up coming on our shores. What did we do? We fortified all the gaps, and just our state vessels, we interdicted almost 20,000 illegal aliens who were then repatriated to their home countries, Bahamas, Haiti, Cuba, wherever they're coming from. We were able to do that.
(33:51)
Just imagine, had we not done that, to have flooding people just showing up. The thing is, some of the people that did get through, contraband in the boats, drugs in the boats, all this stuff. That's not what you want. We were able to do that through our ability to use Division of Emergency Management.
(34:09)
You look at what we've done to rescue Floridians in harm's way in foreign countries. Haiti I mentioned, when that instability, we rescued all these Christian missionaries from Haiti. They had no way to get out. We sent in our guys, they came out. Israel, when Iran was bombing Israel, I had students, Florida students over there, I had church groups over there. I had all these people over there that had no way. The airports were closed, all that. We got them on a boat to Cyprus and we flew them back. That was all because of our emergency management authority.
(34:40)
Then yes, the processing and staging of detainees so that DHS can deport them, that's been thousands and thousands and thousands of folks. Our facilities, we have probably 2,500 at any given time, but it's constantly rolling over. If you didn't have that capacity, guess what? When our guys, Highway Patrol or Wayne's people pick people up, they bring them to DHS. If DHS doesn't have anywhere to put them, what are they going to do? They're going to release them back into your communities. Is that what you want to see, illegal aliens release back into the communities, or do you want to see them removed from your communities like the President promised he would do and like he's trying to do?
(35:20)
I think that what we've done has really set the standard. In fact, we were down in West Palm Beach the other day and the President's there, I'm there, and Tom Homan is there. Tom said, "Florida is setting the standard. They are doing it the right... They are better than any other state and helping us," all these... Now, Wayne would've done it anyways, but we had to do legislation to say, "you got to be on the team here." We're not going to be Minnesota, okay? We're not going to be Minneapolis. Law is the law and we're going to enforce the law. I think that's been absolutely critical, it has saved lives, it's made our community safer, and it's exactly what republicans always campaign on. These guys go, "Oh, I'm going to get illegal... I'm so tough." Then they get in and then they don't want to do it sometimes. I'm one of the ones that said, "No, whatever we said we'd do, you can count on us. We're going to do it."
(36:15)
We need to keep that going. I think it would be really bad if you're in a situation where you're not doing that. Now at the same time, with both the facility we have in Baker up in north Florida and the one that we have with Alligator, people said, "Oh, is this going to be permanent?" I said, "No, it's not going to be permanent." DHS doesn't have the capacity at the time. They've now gotten more funding, and I think there's even been press reports, but I know for a fact they are working to build up more processing and staging capacity. If they have adequate capacity, then I'm all for them taking it. We're helping out of necessity. We're helping because if we don't do it, you're going to have a lot of illegal aliens, including criminal aliens, that are going to be released. Not because DHS wants to do that, but because they have no place to be able to put them.
(37:03)
So I think it's been instrumental, but it's not just about those current detention operations. It's also about stopping the boats coming in where the Coast Guard can't get to them, that's been hugely successful. It's also been our rescue missions that we've done. Talk to some of the people. I mean, I greeted them at the airport, these people. I remember a group from North Florida, they brought their church over. Because you go, you look at these really amazing holy sites, this is like you can open the Bible and go through all that and it's a big deal to be over there. Well, then you have ballistic missiles raining down. Well, what are you going to do? They called Florida. They called us because they know we make things happen, and I'm proud that we were able to save a lot of people doing that. So all of that has been a very positive success and we want to make sure that we'll keep going.
(37:50)
Look, I know that the folks in the legislature have campaigned on this stuff for many, many years, and so I'd be very surprised if they were going to do anything that was going to lead to the release of really significant numbers of criminal aliens and handicap our ability to protect Florida shores. Because it's much better with Trump as president with the Coast Guard, but they still don't have enough. If you take our people off that, you're going to see more boats landing in The Keys, in Jupiter and all these places. Why would we want to do that?
(38:25)
What are you going to say to somebody if they end up getting victimized by one of those folks who are coming? I think we've really done a good job of deterring this. All that instability in Haiti a year or two ago, remember people were saying there was going to be a flood, New York Times, "Florida's going to be overwhelmed," all these stuff, and it didn't happen. Was that luck? No, it was not luck. It was because they knew if they got in those boats and came to our way, they'd be stopped. Period. End of story. And we were able to do that. So we've got to keep doing all those things.
(38:57)
I hope DHS ramps up to where they have their own standalone capacity. We'll still be helping in the field like we're doing, for sure. But if they're able to assume a hundred percent of that mission, great. I mean, they should do that. But they did not have the resources when this administration started, I know they're trying to build it up. Florida had even less compared to a lot of other states per capita. We were one of the lowest. So they've got a lot that they'd have to build up here in the state of Florida, but I anticipate that that'll likely happen. It's not ready yet, but it'll likely happen probably within the next year. All right. Thanks, everybody. God bless.