TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — Florida State Rep. Daniel Perez was formally introduced as the Florida House Speaker-Designate for the 2024-2026 term. Perez currently represents District 116 which consists of the Sweetwater community in Miami-Dade County.
During his introductory speech, Perez reiterated common conservative views of limited government.
“I believe in limited government because history has taught us what happens when people with power begin to think they know more than the people who gave them their power,” Perez said.
CUBAN UPBRINGING INFLUENCED HIS POLITICS
Perez recalled his grandparents growing up in Cuba and fled the country as exiles from the communist Castro takeover of the island.
“As an American of Cuban descent, I stand at the convergence of two traditions both deeply concerned with freedom,” Perez said. “I grew up in Miami-Dade listening to the stories of the Cuban exiles. Listening to the stories of my own grandparents. I heard the fear and anger in their voices as they described the fall of their country. I sat mesmerized at the tales of the Assault Brigade 2506, and their courage in the face of desperate odds.”
He continued by expressing his lament for the Cuban people and how their freedom was taken by the communist Castros.
“I came to understand how much Fidel Castro had taken from the people of Cuba, and that took root in my mind as a different kind of fear – a fear about how power can be abused and eventually turned into the poor ideology of socialism,” Perez said.
SKEPTICAL OF GOVERNMENT POWER
His governing philosophy is rooted in a skepticism of power, and he claims the American Revolution reflected this.
“Our Founding Fathers understood that man created government to keep ourselves safe, but that the authority of that government also poses the greatest risk to our freedom,” Perez said. “They knew that power without restraint leads to tyranny just as freedom without responsibility results in anarchy.”
“My belief in limited government doesn’t come from a classroom,” Perez continued. “I believe in limited government because history has taught us what happens when people with power begin to think they know more than the people who gave them their power.”
POLICY SOLUTIONS VARY ACROSS FLORIDA
Perez briefly mentioned some of the issues facing Floridians – affordable housing and insurance costs – “can look very different from community to community.”
“One option, we can force everyone everywhere to do the same thing every time, but we risk losing what makes Florida such a vibrant state,” Perez said. “Or, we can work to balance all the competing needs of our state, but that requires all of us to give voice to the needs of our homes, and to work together to help local communities to find the solutions that work best for them.”
Above all, he passed along sentiment that deflects the centrality of the state government back to the people.
“I am not talking about local governments – I am talking about our neighborhoods, our churches and our civic organizations,” Perez said. “But greater freedom comes with greater responsibility. It means less time in the social scene in Tallahassee and more time doing your homework.”
