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Candidate Paul Renner pitches property tax freeze amidst GOP governor race
Republican Candidate for Governor Paul Renner held his first public event in Tampa, which was centered around property taxes. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
TAMPA - The governor's race is heating up, and property taxes are at the heart of it.
Why you should care:
Former state house speaker Paul Renner senses an opening.
"We're looking and listening to voters at what their concerns are," Renner said during his first public campaign event in Tampa, "and (property taxes) are a major, major concern."
Renner hosted a roundtable discussion with a dozen supporters about property taxes, which he concluded by insisting to reporters that current legislators freeze property taxes for the coming year, saying property taxes have gone up by nearly half in just the last five years.
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"We're the undisputed leader as well on having a plan," Renner said of the campaign. "We have a comprehensive affordability plan which we'll continue to build out."
By the numbers:
Still, Renner is in a politically precarious position for a few reasons.
One is President Trump, whose endorsement has proven to be gold in Republican primaries, has endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds.
One poll shows Donalds with 45 percent support and Renner at 3 percent.
The second reason is the governor's lack of support.
"Look, I'm not supporting Paul Renner," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in September. "I think it was an ill-advised decision to enter the race."
What they're saying:
Yet, Renner is still the only alternative to Donalds in the Republican race, with Lt. Gov. Jay Collins promising he will make a decision soon.
Though DeSantis panned Renner, despite Renner's allegiance to DeSantis while he was speaker, the governor has not successfully recruited anyone willing to take on Donalds.
Further, while the governor has panned the state house's pitch of eight property tax proposals, he hasn't made his own yet.
"I can't speak to people's personal decision," Renner said. "Anybody that wants to get in the race can get in the race and offer their vision. We've offered ours."
Big picture view:
Still, any Republican running against a Trump-endorsed candidate will face headwinds in fundraising and ability to generate buzz.
For example, when DeSantis got Trump's endorsement during the 2018 race, he immediately leapfrogged Adam Putnam, who had been positioning a run for governor for years.
Approval of Trump still seems to be critical on the Republican side of the aisle.
"I'm not running against President Trump," Renner said. "I am so grateful. I was up at 3 a.m. high-fiving and hugging my friends when he won that race. I think President Trump is crushing it."
Renner also says DeSantis has done a great job, despite the governor not endorsing him.
What's next:
Collins says he is considering getting into the race very soon but has recently been buffered by advertisements running around the state touting his background.
One key is that nearly half of those polled in the recent survey of 600 GOP voters were still undecided.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Republican Candidate for Governor Paul Renner and a Victory Insights Florida Governor Poll.