Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist may both be claiming a victory in Monday night’s fiery debate.Early in the debate, DeSantis defended reopening schools in the fall of the pandemic’s first year by pointing to the new national report card on schools from the National Assessment of Educational Progress from the National Center For Education Statistics.“Florida is No. 3 in fourth-grade reading and No. 4 in the country in fourth-grade math,” DeSantis said. The governor’s statement about where Florida ranks is a fact but it leaves out vital information.Just look at the national report card headlines, such as “lower eighth-grade mathematics scores in 51 states” and “lower fourth-grade math scores in 43 states.” According to the national report card, for eighth-grade reading, the average score for students in Florida in 2022 was lower than their average score in 2019.In fact, Florida eighth and fourth-grade math scores also dropped, and fourth-grade reading scores remained the same. The bottom line is that the COVID-19 pandemic hurt education. Florida fared better.“I want to make sure we keep a woman’s right to choose available to the women of the state of Florida,” Crist said.Much of the debate focused on the sharp divide in Florida when it comes to abortion rights with Crist promising to sign an executive order, if elected, to protect access for women.“He supports dismemberment abortions where they literally tear the baby limb from limb. And he supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up to the moment of birth, and that is wrong,” DeSantis said. That claim is mostly false. The claim refers to the Women’s Health Protection Act which passed along party lines after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Crist voted with the majority on the measure that, technically, would make abortion legal up to birth. The Washington Post has pointed out this is more political than practical reality since just 5.5% of abortions take place after 15 weeks and 1.3% are performed at 21 weeks or later.The two sparred about who has done more to reduce crime.“Crime is up under Gov. DeSantis. Crime was down when I was your governor,” Crist said. “Because we enforced the laws and made sure Floridians were safe.” He should have cut that statement in half. To say crime is up under Gov. DeSantis is false.According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s uniform crime report, in the first two years of DeSantis’ term, crime dropped 14%, though it’s worth noting violent crime edged up 2.3%.The second part of Crist’s claim that crime dropped when he was governor is fact.According to FBI crime stats, violent crime in particular dropped from roughly 131,000 in his first year in office to 101,000 in his final year.Several times during the debate Crist asked DeSantis to commit to serving a full four years if elected and not run for president. DeSantis never gave an answer. That’s a fact. Just which candidate signed off on the biggest tax increase in Florida history, and who is to blame for Florida’s property insurance crisis?Among the first few minutes of the debate, Crist and DeSantis were asked about how they’ll tackle rising insurance rates with images of Hurricane Ian and its catastrophic damage fresh in their minds. “I want to make Florida more affordable again. When I was governor, I lowered your property insurance,” Crist said. That claim is mostly true.Crist made insurance a key part of his campaign for governor, and in a 2007 special session, lawmakers passed a bill that allowed insurance companies to buy Florida Hurricane Risk Reinsurance at cheaper rates. A staff analysis estimated rates would drop 10% to 15%.Crist got a lot of help, though, with no major storms when he was governor. So what about DeSantis?“He’s talking about property insurance and everybody watching tonight knows that your property insurance is up under him,” Crist said. That claim is a fact, but it needs a lot of context.Five years before Hurricane Ian battered Florida, Irma and Maria took their toll on the Sunshine State the year before DeSantis was elected which led to massive, often fraudulent repair claims.According to the Insurance Information Institute, “Florida leads the nation in homeowners’ insurance-related litigation, despite accounting for less than 10% of claims.”The result: Florida’s average annual premium now stands at $4,100 compared to a national average of $1,600 and roughly double what it was when DeSantis took office.“When Charlie Crist was governor, he ran saying he would not raise taxes. He became governor and he signed off on the largest increases in taxes and fees in the history of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. That statement by DeSantis is a fact.After Crist weathered the worst of the recession, in 2009 he signed off on a $2.2 billion tax and fee increase on things like tobacco and auto license tag renewals, as well as bumping up the amount of money businesses had to pay for workers comp insurance.At one point, DeSantis criticized Crist for showing up in Washington, D.C., just 14 days this year. True, Crist has voted mostly by proxy during the pandemic, but he’s missed just 2% of his votes during his career, according to GovTrack, which is average for Congress.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist may both be claiming a victory in Monday night’s fiery debate.
Early in the debate, DeSantis defended reopening schools in the fall of the pandemic’s first year by pointing to the new national report card on schools from the National Assessment of Educational Progress from the National Center For Education Statistics.
“Florida is No. 3 in fourth-grade reading and No. 4 in the country in fourth-grade math,” DeSantis said.
The governor’s statement about where Florida ranks is a fact but it leaves out vital information.
Just look at the national report card headlines, such as “lower eighth-grade mathematics scores in 51 states” and “lower fourth-grade math scores in 43 states.”
According to the national report card, for eighth-grade reading, the average score for students in Florida in 2022 was lower than their average score in 2019.
In fact, Florida eighth and fourth-grade math scores also dropped, and fourth-grade reading scores remained the same. The bottom line is that the COVID-19 pandemic hurt education. Florida fared better.
“I want to make sure we keep a woman’s right to choose available to the women of the state of Florida,” Crist said.
Much of the debate focused on the sharp divide in Florida when it comes to abortion rights with Crist promising to sign an executive order, if elected, to protect access for women.
“He supports dismemberment abortions where they literally tear the baby limb from limb. And he supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up to the moment of birth, and that is wrong,” DeSantis said.
That claim is mostly false. The claim refers to the Women’s Health Protection Act which passed along party lines after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Crist voted with the majority on the measure that, technically, would make abortion legal up to birth. The Washington Post has pointed out this is more political than practical reality since just 5.5% of abortions take place after 15 weeks and 1.3% are performed at 21 weeks or later.
The two sparred about who has done more to reduce crime.
“Crime is up under Gov. DeSantis. Crime was down when I was your governor,” Crist said. “Because we enforced the laws and made sure Floridians were safe.”
He should have cut that statement in half. To say crime is up under Gov. DeSantis is false.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s uniform crime report, in the first two years of DeSantis’ term, crime dropped 14%, though it’s worth noting violent crime edged up 2.3%.
The second part of Crist’s claim that crime dropped when he was governor is fact.
According to FBI crime stats, violent crime in particular dropped from roughly 131,000 in his first year in office to 101,000 in his final year.
Several times during the debate Crist asked DeSantis to commit to serving a full four years if elected and not run for president. DeSantis never gave an answer. That’s a fact.
Just which candidate signed off on the biggest tax increase in Florida history, and who is to blame for Florida’s property insurance crisis?
Among the first few minutes of the debate, Crist and DeSantis were asked about how they’ll tackle rising insurance rates with images of Hurricane Ian and its catastrophic damage fresh in their minds.
“I want to make Florida more affordable again. When I was governor, I lowered your property insurance,” Crist said.
That claim is mostly true.
Crist made insurance a key part of his campaign for governor, and in a 2007 special session, lawmakers passed a bill that allowed insurance companies to buy Florida Hurricane Risk Reinsurance at cheaper rates. A staff analysis estimated rates would drop 10% to 15%.
Crist got a lot of help, though, with no major storms when he was governor. So what about DeSantis?
“He’s talking about property insurance and everybody watching tonight knows that your property insurance is up under him,” Crist said.
That claim is a fact, but it needs a lot of context.
Five years before Hurricane Ian battered Florida, Irma and Maria took their toll on the Sunshine State the year before DeSantis was elected which led to massive, often fraudulent repair claims.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, “Florida leads the nation in homeowners’ insurance-related litigation, despite accounting for less than 10% of claims.”
The result: Florida’s average annual premium now stands at $4,100 compared to a national average of $1,600 and roughly double what it was when DeSantis took office.
“When Charlie Crist was governor, he ran saying he would not raise taxes. He became governor and he signed off on the largest increases in taxes and fees in the history of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
That statement by DeSantis is a fact.
After Crist weathered the worst of the recession, in 2009 he signed off on a $2.2 billion tax and fee increase on things like tobacco and auto license tag renewals, as well as bumping up the amount of money businesses had to pay for workers comp insurance.
At one point, DeSantis criticized Crist for showing up in Washington, D.C., just 14 days this year. True, Crist has voted mostly by proxy during the pandemic, but he’s missed just 2% of his votes during his career, according to GovTrack, which is average for Congress.