The Club for Growth Foundation’s 2024 Florida Economic Scorecard
In recent news, the Club for Growth Foundation’s 2024 Florida Economic Scorecard has unveiled a stark partisan divide in the approach to pro-growth policies in the state legislature. However, there are some surprising exceptions to this trend.
Top Performers and Notable Outliers
Among Republicans, State Senator Clay Yarborough and State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka have made a significant mark. These two lawmakers have led the pack with scores of 93% and 94% respectively, exhibiting a strong alignment with the Club for Growth’s priorities. These priorities include tax cuts, deregulation, and school choice.
On the Democratic side, there are a few outliers. Sen. Darryl Rouson was the party’s top Senate performer with a 42% score, while in the House, State Representative Johanna Lopez notched an impressive 46% score for a Democrat. Despite their achievements, both Rouson and Lopez still trail well behind even the lowest-scoring Republicans. These include Sen. Joe Gruters and Sen. Ileana Garcia, who both tied at 62%.
Low Scoring Lawmakers
At the other end of the spectrum, the lowest-scoring Republican overall was State Representative Mike Beltran with a score of 60%. The Democrats’ bottom performers were Sen. Shevrin Jones and Rep. Dotie Joseph, who scored 17% and 11%, respectively. These figures highlight the ongoing ideological divide in Florida’s legislature, with Democrats consistently scoring lower than Republicans on policies that the Club for Growth Foundation considers crucial for economic freedom.
The scorecard evaluates lawmakers on a scale from 0 to 100. Senate Republicans averaged 81%, and House Republicans averaged 85%. Democrats had an average score of 34% in the Senate and 23% in the House. The evaluation process focused on significant bills like the School Choice Expansion and the Fiscally Responsible Budget.
Conclusion
The Club for Growth Foundation’s scorecard offers a transparent insight into how state policies impact economic opportunity and growth. While some lawmakers have shown positive initiatives, there’s still much work to be done to foster an economic environment that benefits all Floridians. Both chambers of the Florida Legislature must continue to promote legislation that safeguards and promotes individual liberties and economic freedom for its citizens.
This scorecard serves as a resource for voters and businesses to evaluate how state legislators’ decisions impact Florida’s economic landscape. However, it’s important to note that the scoring reflects votes on select economic issues central to the Foundation’s mission and does not constitute endorsements or oppositions to specific lawmakers.
