Headline Surfer photos / Republican State Senate dist. 8 candidate Dorothy Hukill's greatest asset is her family, as shown here before her 2012 campaign kick-off event Sunday at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange. Hukill is shown in the inset with her son, Jonathan Hukill.
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Dorothy Hukill, the outgoing state representative and dist. 8 State Senate candidate, addresses more than 200 Republican supports Sunday at her kickoff event at the Lakeside Community Center in Port Orange.
Here is the full text of Republican Dorothy Hukill's speech at her campaign kick-off, attended by 250-plus supporters:
Thank you everybody for being here. Welcome to our campaign kickoff! I’m Dorothy Hukill, State Representative for District 28 and currently a candidate for State Senate, District 8.
I see a lot of familiar faces here in the crowd. I’m so glad that you all came out to be with us on a Sunday. I hope everybody is having a good time getting this campaign started. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes about why I’m running to be your next State Senator and what this race means for our community.
Eight years ago, in 2004, I first ran to represent our local area in Tallahassee. At the time, I was just completing one term as Mayor of Port Orange. I was very happy as Mayor of the city where I lived. We had brought fiscal responsibility back to local government. We cut taxes and improved the economy by welcoming in new educational and business opportunities within our city limits.
The person who held the District 28 seat at the time was unable to run again because of term limits, and there would be a wide-open race to replace them.
Port Orange to Tallahassee was a big jump. But I received so much encouragement from friends and neighbors that I decided to give it a try. We ran against an opponent who was better-known and who the pundits thought would win.
But we proved them wrong. That was a very tough race, but through hard work and support from the community, we won on Election Day.
Since then, I’ve had the honor of being re-elected by my constituents in 3 straight elections. But I didn’t choose to become a public official just to win votes and stay in office. I’ve asked for your support in these campaigns because I believed I could make a difference.
And looking back today, we have made a difference.
We knew that we had to get the state government under control. So I brought a commitment to fiscal responsibility with me to Tallahassee. I helped balance the state budget without raising taxes, every single year I’ve served. It sounds like a fairy tale for Washington, but we’ve made it reality here in Florida.
Even during the recent economic downturn, when some in Tallahassee wanted to raise taxes, I stood firm against new taxes and voted to roll back spending instead. We slimmed down and reorganized state government, cutting out wasteful spending and eliminating overlapping programs. And my groundbreaking legislation increased accountability and openness in government by putting the state’s entire spending checkbook online for all citizens to see.
We knew that rising costs and higher taxes and fees were threatening the Florida way of life. So we fought to pass new tax relief for all Floridians. The largest property tax cut in Florida’s history helped slow the growth of property taxes. Eliminating the “intangibles tax,” which penalized the savings and retirement accounts of seniors, protected the “Golden Years” for millions of Floridians.
We cut tax rates on job creators and businesses to make it easier for them to create jobs in our communities. And we passed tax relief for the families of our active duty soldiers and first responders, to help ease the burden that they live with every single day.
We knew that the key to a high quality of life starts with a good job. So we fought to create jobs and get Florida’s economy back on track. We made it easier for businesses to create jobs in our communities. We encouraged quality companies to come to our state, while also helping hometown businesses put unemployed Floridians back to work.
Cutting taxes on job creators meant that more money would flow to the economy for new growth. And we did away with unnecessary government red-tape that did nothing except prevent job creation.
We knew that a 20th century educational system just wouldn’t be good enough to give our workers the skills to compete in the global economy. As a former public school teacher, this is an area that’s very close to my heart. So we overhauled education in the state of Florida.
We improved standards, increased accountability, provided new state funding, and empowered schools to raise salaries for the most inspiring and effective teachers. Meanwhile, our students are doing better than ever and are giving the rest of the country a run for their money in test scores, knowledge, and achievement.
And, for the first time in a long time, Volusia County matters again. Volusia is one of the most populous counties in the entire state, and has an area the size of Rhode Island, but for years we were ignored in Tallahassee. But now we finally have a seat at the table.
During my time in the Florida House, I’ve been fortunate to be put in a number of leadership positions by my colleagues, including chair of the powerful Economic Affairs Committee, and I intend to be a strong voice for Volusia County in the Florida Senate.
As you can see, we’ve accomplished a lot together. But the job isn’t finished yet. There’s still work to do. And that’s why I’m standing before you today to ask for your help.
You know, I’ve visited Florida since I was a kid. My parents first vacationed here in the 1960’s, and I have fond memories of playing on our pristine beaches. Later, my parents moved down to Port Orange to escape the cold winters, and I eventually followed with my own family.
We all have a dream of what Florida should be. It’s the reason why my parents chose to settle down here instead of anywhere else in the country.
It’s a Florida where a young family comes seeking good jobs, quality schools, lush parks, and a home with a yard at an affordable price. It’s a Florida where a couple can enjoy the best times of their lives, together, after years of work. It’s the Florida that you and I moved here or stayed here for: the beauty, the quality of life, the beaches, the easy living, and most importantly, the freedom.
Today we face a new generation of challenges that put the Florida way of life at risk. But I know we can meet these challenges, together. As your voice in the Florida Senate, I’ll stand up for our communities. I’ll build on this record that we’ve already established together. I’ll protect what we’ve all come to love about this great state of ours, so that we can pass it on to our children and grandchildren for them to enjoy.
I’m not going to say much today about my opponent in this race, Frank Bruno, except to simply state that he just doesn’t agree with you or I on very much at all. His plans for more government and less individual freedom would take us in a very different direction. He’s already announced billions of dollars in new state spending and programs if he’s elected, with no real way to pay for it.
He won’t admit it, but that can only mean one thing: drastically higher taxes and more obligations for our children and grandchildren.
Someone once said that the best measure of what a man will do is what he has already done. Here in Volusia County, while my opponent has served as the County Chairman, we’ve certainly seen enough. Our tax rate has ballooned to the 2nd-highest in the entire state.
We’ve been nickel and dimed with new fees on everything from gas and water to garbage. Unemployment is higher than the state average. And while other parts of Florida have begun to turn things around, creating new jobs and welcoming in new opportunities, Volusia’s government still remains unable or unwilling to change its ways.
We deserve better! His path won’t get us where we need to be, but I won’t allow anything to stand in the way of the promise of Florida. I ask for your support in this race, and I would be humbled and honored to serve as your next State Senator.