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WATCH • HOME RULE AND DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Voices on the Trail: Rene Flowers on Legislators Who Know Better and Pass Laws That Hurt Families

David Jolly for Florida Published: 2026-06-01 Last updated: 2026-06-01
Rene Flowers of St. Petersburg speaks on the trail about legislators who once served locally

Key moments

0:35

"A majority of those legislators once served locally. So you know what home rule is. You know what public education means."

0:50

"You're passing legislation that hurts the everyday man and woman who's just trying to raise their families."

1:55

"Let's focus on legislation that matters."

Context

On the trail in St. Petersburg, Commissioner Rene Flowers names something plain. Many of the legislators writing state law once served in local government themselves. They know what home rule is. They pass laws that hurt families anyway.

What she says

This isn't a lack of knowledge. It's a choice. Flowers points to housing, economic development, and public education as places where legislation could work for communities instead of against them. Her frame lines up with David Jolly's home rule position: government closest to the people should be trusted to make local decisions. See the full argument in the transcript below, and the campaign's plan on the Home Rule and Direct Democracy hub.

Transcript

Verified transcript of the video above.

0:06 I think in Florida, our state legislature and whoever will be the next governor. And it's going to be David Jolly. I think that what we can do better is just do right by people. We see so many pieces of legislation that come out of Tallahassee that hurt the the voter, that hurts residents. It doesn't support us in any way, shape or form.
0:35 And I think what's interesting is that a majority of those legislators once served locally. So, you know what home rule is? You know what public education means. You know, the communities that you served in and ones that you come back and live in. However, you're passing legislation that hurts the everyday man and woman who's just trying to raise their families and take care of their children.
1:15 And so I think right now, what we need to do is focus on legislation that works best for the people in the community. If we're going to legislate housing, let's look at how we can make sure that some of the development policies and ordinances have the ability to make construction easier rather than harder if we're going to focus on economic development.
1:35 Let's look at some of the corporations that want to move here. Make sure that they are in tandem with what it is that the community wants, and let's work together on that. Public education lets pay our teachers what they are worth. Let's give them all of the attributes and support that they need in order to be the best teachers that they can be, so that they can help our scholars.
1:55 So if we want to focus on good legislation, those are the areas that we can focus on. And those are some of the things that we can do versus what they seem to have taken as a top priority, like Alligator Alcatraz, or taking money from Medicaid lawsuits that were supposed to go back into the kitty for people, but end up using it against the people.
2:00 Let's focus on legislation that matters.

Related questions

What is David Jolly's position on home rule?

Jolly proposes that Florida respect home rule and support the implementation of successful voter initiatives in communities across the state. This pushes back against the pattern of Tallahassee preempting local ordinances. Recent examples include HB 433 (2024), which preempts local minimum wages and heat protections.[2] His framing: local communities know what they need, and Tallahassee should not override local democracy on local matters. Flowers echoes this in the video above at 0:35.

How does Tallahassee override local decisions?

Through state preemption. Florida law preempts the entire field of firearm regulation to the state and can fine local officials personally.[3] A 2024 law further preempts local minimum wages and heat protections.[2] Home rule, created by Florida voters in the 1968 Constitution and broadened in 1973, was meant to give cities and charter counties broad authority to govern local affairs.[4]

Where can I see David Jolly's full plan on home rule and direct democracy?

The campaign's complete position is set out on the Home Rule and Direct Democracy issue page, which covers respecting local control, supporting voter initiatives, and making direct democracy easier rather than harder.[1] This video is one voice from the trail on that broader question.

More on this topic

OverviewHome Rule and Direct Democracy In depthLocal Control In depthWhy is Tallahassee overriding what local communities vote for? In depthWhat should Florida's next governor do to support families instead of hurting them? In depthWhy does Florida's state legislature pass laws that hurt local communities?

Sources

  1. David Jolly for Florida, Home Rule and Direct Democracy, https://davidjolly.com/home-rule-and-direct-democracy · 2024-01-01
  2. Florida Senate, HB 433 (2024) , https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/433 · 2024-04-11
  3. Florida Statutes section 790.33 (Florida Legislature) , https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799%2F0790%2FSections%2F0790.33.html · 2025-01-01
  4. The Florida Bar Journal (Judge James R. Wolf) , https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/the-effectiveness-of-home-rule-a-preemption-and-conflict-analysis/ · 2009-06-01

Local communities know what they need

Have a question for David? Visit the Town Hall and ask.