JOINT STATEMENT FROM FLORIDA HOUSE SPEAKER CHRIS SPROWLS AND SENATE PRESIDENT WILTON SIMPSON

In response to today's morning press conference where Governor Ron DeSantis called for a special session to take a stand against the federal government's overreach, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) and Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) issued the following joint statement:

"Across the country, hard-working employees and business owners trying to make a living are being threatened by the Biden Administration's reckless one-size-fits-all approach to Covid-19 vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, the rights of parents are being trampled on. Florida will respond to this gross overreach by the federal government.

"In the coming days, we will review the Governor's specific proposals as well as discuss our own ideas for legislative action, including whether now is the time for Florida to withdraw from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and establish our own state program. We believe that by doing so, Florida will have the ability to alleviate onerous federal regulations placed on employers and employees.

"We stand with the dedicated health care workers, law enforcement, first responders, military service members, and all workers across the country who never got a day off and couldn't work from home during the pandemic. Too many of our esteemed heroes are facing termination thanks to heavy handedness at all levels of government. During the upcoming special session, our goal is to make our laws even more clear that Florida stands as refuge for families and businesses who want to live in freedom."