Page 22 - Layout 1

TLBC0220.qxp_Layout 1 1/29/20 12:43 PM Page 20
Chip LaMarca
District 93 State Representative
Rep. Chip LaMarca
1827 Northeast 24th Street
Lighthouse Point, FL 33064
Capitol Office:
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: 850-717-5093
20
Tallahassee Update
eflecting upon 2019, I am proud to say our great state of Florida was under
strong leadership with Governor Ron DeSantis’ first year in office. Florida crime
Rhas dropped 6.1%, with around 17,100 fewer reported incidents in the state.
Florida’s economy continues to grow, and has an unemployment rate of 3.3%. From
Everglades restoration and protecting Florida’s water resources, to expanding school
choice for students and families, 2019 was a great year for Florida.
As the 2020 legislative session begins, the Florida House of Representatives will
continue working hard for the people of Florida and District 93 in Tallahassee.
Under the leadership of Speaker of the House Jose Oliva of Miami, we will
continue tackling environmental issues such as Everglades restoration and sea level
rise. A major issue, especially for coastal Broward, will be the rising tide and
raising seawalls. Sea level rise is not right or wrong, Democrat or Republican, but
rather a scientific fact we must deal with. We need to be prepared with real
solutions to keep salt water from intruding into our drinking water and inland
structures. I look forward to all the many things we can accomplish by working
together this session.
Governor DeSantis announced Florida’s high school graduation rate from the
2018-2019 school year has climbed to 86.9%. This is a monumental increase from
2006, when it was under 60%. These results show the positive progress of Florida’s
educators and students, with a 0.8% increase from the previous year. According to
our Educational Commissioner Richard Corcoran, more students than ever are
stressing the importance of a high school education in order to succeed after they
graduate. I applaud the hard work of our students and teachers as Florida
continues to strive for educational excellence.
The Governor also announced that $28.9 Million will be spread out to communities
in Florida who are still recovering from the last hurricanes. In 2019, more than
$1.4 billion was awarded in hurricane recovery dollars. In 2020, we will continue
to work alongside FEMA and FDEM in order to move quickly with this year’s
hurricane recovery efforts. So far, $11 million has been appropriated to Marion
County, $9 million for citrus growers impacted by Hurricane Irma, and more than
$2.8 million for Lee County Schools has been awarded.
Finally, the FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program, awarded $19.5 million in the
first week of 2020, providing important federal funding to communities in need
across the state. Through this grant program, FEMA provides assistance to state,
tribal, local governments and private non-profit organizations in efforts to help
communities quickly respond and recover from major disasters or emergencies. This
program also provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris
removal and emergency protective measures.
As always, it is a tremendous honor to serve you as your State Representative in
Tallahassee. n
Sincerely,
Chip LaMara
Representative, Florida House District 93
The Landings & Bay Colony