Hope Not Fear

Ready and Resilient

“… let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.”

— Franklin Delano Roosevelt, March 4, 1933

Fear is not a way of life

Readiness, risk management, responsiveness, and resilience are key to deterring, addressing, and mitigating the threats we face together – both natural and man-made.

Our leaders are responsible for ensuring that our communities are prepared, understand threats, manage risks, and are resilient when facing adversity.

Asymmetric Threats

Terrorism, human trafficking, vandalism, and cyber theft of personal data and intellectual property or attacks on critical infrastructure are multilayered threats that require coordination, presence, responsiveness, and resilience.

Through deterrence postures and proactive collaboration between public and private leaders, as well as intelligence and law enforcement experts, we can be better prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Climate Change and Natural Disasters

Climate change, and its exacerbating affect on natural disasters, require that leaders in Tallahassee identify risks given advancing models, outline mitigation priorities, and then authorize resources for infrastructure upgrades that can help communities endure, withstand, an eventually return to normal operations promptly.

We must also work with federal leadership to help ensure that our diplomacy, development, and defense apparatus is proactively engaged and enabling our neighbors before the next natural disaster or crisis. By helping our neighbors be ready and resilient, we minimize the likelihood that climate refugees will need to relocate from their homes seeking security and safety abroad.

Domestic Threats

We must preserve the rule of law and responsibly balance Constitutional rights with the responsibilities that come with them.

The 1st Amendment affords rights that must be protected.

• The right to free speech, peaceable assembly, and believe as one chooses requires that we prevent our schools, houses of worship, news and public information institutions, and public social venues from being attacked with personal firearms or military-grade equipment in the hands of dangerous individuals or groups (e.g. extremists, mentally/emotionally unstable individuals, people with violent histories, gangs, terrorist organizations, organized crime, or unregulated militias).
• This right must also be protected from intimidation, intrusion, or manipulation by public officials, private individuals, or foreign actors colluding within our borders or systems.
• This right is essential to our open-society, democratic norms, and publicly accountable republican institutions.

The 2nd Amendment also preserves an inviolable right that also carries with it inherent personal responsibilities.

• Common sense and accountability requires that we differentiate between military-grade weapons and those used for concealed personal protection, hunting and agricultural practicalities, or recreational sport-shooting. Our leaders owe our public servants a semblance of protection and top cover while they serve, protect, rescue, and teach.
• Our first responders must be able to clearly assess friend from foe whole patrolling our streets, responding to an emergency, or rescuing the sick or injured.
• Our school administrators and teachers need to be able to focus on their primary function in our schoolhouses and be able to trust and rely on our institutions, laws, and law enforcement to serve the cause of justice and keep our communities protected.
• To properly balance the needs of a well regulated militia’s being necessary to preserve a free state, and the people’s collective right to bear arms,  we should work within our legislature(s) and with the governor’s (an appointed adjutant general in Florida) to establish accountability requirements that inform the management and monitoring of both the official and unofficial militia(s) readiness, as well as the preservation of good order and discipline and the stewardship and management of militia resources (both publicly purchased and privately owned for use during training or actual recall by the Governor or Commander-in-Chief).

Foreign Threats

I will work to make sure that Florida is ready to support and coordinate with local, state, and regional governments and can integrate with national leadership and interagency partners to deter and respond to threats from nation states or transnational actors to protect our people, critical infrastructure, and property (across every domain).