The honeymoon was in Fort Lauderdale because plane tickets cost too much. Dinner was drive-through chili, with rice added to stretch it.
Byron Donalds is running on it.
The Republican nominee for Governor released two new spots on Wednesday. Both are about affordability, which his campaign has treated as the defining issue of the race since the Primary. The first, “Broke,” has Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, on camera talking about the early years of their marriage, when they each worked two jobs. The second, “Hurricane Tax,” points the same subject at Democrat David Jolly.
“When we got married, we worked two jobs each, and we were still broke,” Erika Donalds says. “We couldn’t afford plane tickets, so we honeymooned in Fort Lauderdale.”
“We know what it’s like to struggle,” she says later. “That’s why Byron will bring down costs for Florida families.” The spot closes on a line the campaign has been drilling for months: “Byron Donalds: A More Affordable Florida.”
To watch the ad, please click the image below:
The second ad is about Jolly’s insurance plan.
“How much will David Jolly’s hurricane tax cost Florida? According to a new study, a thousand dollars per Florida family every single year,” it says.
The ad says the bill would not stop at the coast. “No matter where the storm hits, Jolly’s hurricane tax will hit everyone: higher home insurance, higher car insurance, even higher renters insurance. A giant bailout for big insurance. A giant rip-off for you.”
It ends: “David Jolly: A total disaster for Florida.”
To watch the ad, please click the image below:
Jolly wants to expand the state Catastrophe Fund to absorb hurricane and wind risk outright, leaving private carriers with fire, theft and the rest. He puts the startup cost at $30-$40 billion. He says it would cut private premiums by 60% to 70%. He compares it to Medicare.
The campaign does not name the study behind the $1,000. The closest thing in public view ran Tuesday on this site, when former state Sen. Jeff Brandes cited a Florida State University feasibility study prepared for the Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. It estimates a structure like Jolly’s could raise the state’s risk exposure by at least $20 billion.
The phrase comes from Brandes, too. Post-storm assessments are what Citizens Property Insurance has long called a “hurricane tax,” and they land on policyholders who never filed a claim.
“The storm doesn’t change. Who pays does,” Brandes wrote.
Donalds wants an insurer scorecard that pairs rate data with claims performance so buyers can compare carriers before they sign. He says regulatory changes could bring rates down as much as 20%, with the risk staying off the state’s books.
The Friends of Byron Donalds PAC worked the same ground in late August with “More for It” and “Keep It.” “Keep It” also used the candidate’s paycheck-to-paycheck upbringing. These two ads run on the campaign account, and Erika Donalds does most of the talking in the first one.
Jolly has been predicting this run of ads for weeks. “Screaming ‘socialism’ didn’t work for Byron, screaming ‘radical’ didn’t work for him, vicious trans ads didn’t work, so now he’ll be angry about taxes this week,” he said last month. Guns, immigration and personal attacks came next on his list.
Ron DeSantis endorsed Donalds last week after months of holding back. The Cook Political Report moved the race to Likely Republican in late August, and a Democratic internal poll had Jolly up a point. Donalds holds a large fundraising advantage, which is the main reason to expect more ads like the second one.
Erika Donalds put rice in the chili to make it stretch. The campaign is doing the same thing with the story.
