Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds met with Martin County residents Wednesday for a roundtable discussion on affordability issues including homeowners insurance and property taxes. The event at the Martin County Chamber of Commerce in Stuart drew about a dozen voters including insurance agents, realtors and homeowners.
Donalds fielded questions for about an hour in a small meeting room, encouraging open dialogue rather than delivering a formal speech. One homeowner asked what could be done about rising insurance costs, saying the increases are pricing people out of their homes. Donalds said higher construction costs have played a role in rising insurance premiums and outlined proposals he says would help lower costs for Floridians. The congressman discussed his support for reducing property insurance premiums by 20% to 25% and his long-term goal of eliminating homestead property taxes.
When another attendee raised concerns about increasing application fees and other costs imposed by local governments, Donalds said local officials should review their budgets and identify areas where spending can be cut. Throughout the discussion, Donalds emphasized making Florida more affordable for families, highlighting issues including insurance, housing and healthcare. Donalds said healthcare reforms should address in-network and out-of-network issues and prior authorizations.
In an interview afterward, Donalds addressed recent changes to his campaign website that removed prominent references to President Donald Trump's endorsement. Donalds said the campaign is not distancing itself from Trump and that website changes had been planned for about two months following the primary. Donalds said the campaign wanted the website to focus purely on the issues.
Donalds added that he remains grateful for Trump's endorsement. Ron DeSantis has also endorsed Donalds in the race for governor. Donalds will face Democrat David Jolly in the November general election, which is six weeks away.