TALLAHASSEE, FL— Today, during a press conference at the Florida Capitol, Paul Renner released the Florida First: End Corruption, Restore Integrity and Accountability in Government proposal for transparency and accountability that serves the people, not government insiders.
“Trust in government is at an all-time low. Americans are tired of a system where politicians and the powerful get rich, while we citizens pay the price,” Paul Renner said.
“We don’t need another politician who campaigns as a conservative, but once in office spends all his time in self-promotion, getting rich and partying, while failing to deliver for We the People. Florida is not immune. With billion-dollar budgets and high dollar contracts— corruption can easily hide in plain sight. We must stop the growing divide between the insiders and our citizens, by supporting a system that is transparent, accountable and works for the people, not the connected few because Florida First means public service, not self-service.”
The key principle supporting the End Corruption, Restore Integrity and Accountability in Government proposal is that public office and government contracting rests on public trust— not a pathway to personal enrichment. The Florida First goal of ending corruption requires higher standards, real accountability, and transparency in government.
Florida First: Higher Standards for Elected Officials
- Stock Trade Disclosure: All stock trades by elected officials and their spouses must be disclosed within three days. Failure to comply results in a fine equal to the value of the trade and removal from office in cases of insider trading.
- Ban on Government Contracts: Elected officials and their spouses cannot receive first time government contracts or appropriations for themselves or their employer. Violations result in a fine equal to the contract value and removal from office.
- Ban Donations from Foreign Entities. Prohibit the use of funds from a foreign entity or individual in citizen initiatives.
- Equal Justice Under Theft Laws: Public officials who falsify documents or steal taxpayer funds receive penalties consistent with Florida’s theft statutes, ending the double standard that allows officials to receive lighter penalties than ordinary citizens.
- Minimum Mandatory Jail Time: Stealing from taxpayers will carry mandatory jail time, not just probation or fines.
- Automatic Statewide Prosecutor Review: All public corruption cases will be referred to the statewide prosecutor automatically, eliminating local conflicts and political pressure.
Florida First: Transparency and Accountability in the Use of Taxpayer Funded Contracting
- Strengthen Enforcement: Expand FDLE’s Public Corruption Unit and the statewide prosecutor’s office with more agents and prosecutors to handle complex, document-intensive corruption cases.
- Aggressive Auditing: Implement ongoing and surprise audits of government contracting and spending. Institutionalize DOGE-style oversight.
- Modern Oversight Tools: Leverage advanced technology to identify patterns of waste, fraud, and abuse that currently go undetected.
“When I’m Governor, there will not be a system that rewards the political establishment. Restoring trust in government requires more than rhetoric— it requires clear rules, tough enforcement, and real consequences for those who abuse the public trust. These Florida First reforms will make clear that no one is above the law, and that taxpayer dollars will be guarded with vigilance, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption,” Renner added.