Florida House Speaker Paul Renner previews 2024 legislative priorities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 2024 Florida Legislative Session officially kicks off three weeks from today and so far, little is known about what major policy priorities we might see lawmakers tackle.

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Action News Jax spoke exclusively with Florida’s House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) on Tuesday to get some insight on what we can expect to see coming down the pike.

Renner said energy policy is at the top of his list for the 2024 session.

He explained that will likely involve insulating utilities here in Florida from external pressures to move towards renewable energy sources on timelines Renner believes could be unsustainable.

“We all want to get to a cleaner energy future as quickly as possible, but by going on such an aggressively artificial timeline, my worry is that we’re gonna jeopardize our electric grid and have the potential for brownouts and blackouts,” said Renner.

Renner said he supports Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s (R-Naples) top priority, which aims to make healthcare more affordable and improve quality of care.

He also indicated he’s in line with the Governor’s proposal to cut the overall price tag of the state budget compared to last year.

“Make sure that we’re giving back as much as we can in tax relief, but also lowering our spending so that we’re in a place where we don’t have to cut government spending when we have a recession,” said Renner.

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Renner’s top priority last year was pushing for universal school choice.

This year, he said lawmakers will listen to feedback from participating families to find ways to improve the scholarship programs.

“You know we have this navigator concept. We want to make sure that each and every year you are customizing your education. So, I think that’s really the next frontier,” said Renner.

And while in the past two years bills dealing with culture issues like the STOP Woke Act and the Parental Rights in Education Act have dominated headlines, Renner said he anticipates the 2024 session will largely be focused on kitchen table issues.

“So that people can a afford a home, people can afford their rent, people can afford their property insurance. And we’re gonna really be focused I think where a lot of Floridians are, is those topics. Affordability, public safety, quality education,” said Renner.

Renner also mentioned a desire to address social media safety for children and find ways to spend the new revenues from the gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe on restoring and protecting Florida’s environment.

The 2024 Florida Legislative Session officially kicks off on January 9th.

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