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Third District Republicans gathered at the St. Regis Club, South Buffalo Street, Warsaw, to hear former Florida Speaker of the House Will Weatherford Friday afternoon at its quarterly luncheon.

Weatherford, Wesly Chapel, Fla., served in the Florida Legislature from 2006 until 2014, serving the last two years as speaker of the house. He shared Florida’s story of going from economic ruin to success and why Florida matters to Indiana. He was in the area visiting his sister Jackie and brother-in-law Dave Gustafson, owners of St. Regis Club.

It was noted Weatherford could become the next U.S. Senator or governor from Florida.

“In 2006 in Florida, we had an amazing economic run. The economy had surged leading up to 2006. Shortly after I was elected the bottom fell out. Unemployment had gone from 3.5 percent to 12 percent between 2006 and 2009.” said Weatherford. The state’s had a budget deficit of $6 billion to $8 billion with shortfalls that could not be made completely up. “We were in a free fall, very disparaging times.”

Florida, according to Weatherford, did not follow other states by increasing taxes, taking instead a challenging approach by reducing the size and scope of government at the “same time crawling our way back to an economic resurgence, providing a stronger and more diversified economy when we were done than we were before. No body thought it could be pulled off.” The legislature was heavily criticized.

“What we did in Florida, what you’ve done in Indiana and the way to take our country back is create beachheads across the U.S.,” stated Weatherford. Economic and social beachheads he said, that can show the difference between states as to why unemployment rates are lower than others, and why “1,000 people are moving to Florida every single day.”

Florida’s agenda had 40 bills associated with it. Some included cutting taxes 40 times, paying down $6 billion of debt, freezing all future agency regulations that impact businesses financially and creating the largest school choice program in the country. “We gave 75,000 low income students vouchers to go to the school of choice.”

Weatherford stated over 90 percent of the 40 bills were passed. The most controversial was not expanding Medicaid but offering alternatives. “There is nothing wrong lifting someone up that really needs it, that needs resources. But we are creating a state or nation of dependency that makes us weak,” Weatherford stated.

Since 2010 the state created 700,000 jobs the second most in the nation, rose unemployment from 12 to 5 percent, ranked second in the country as the state to do business and leading the country in learning gains and having the highest graduation rates in the state history. He noted there have been 100 million visitors to the state in the last 10 months and ranked No. 1 according to the John Locke Foundation as the most economic free state. Indiana is ranked third.

Questioned by a member of the Elkhart City Council and Bob Sanders, Kosciusko County Council, regarding what has happened with the surplus, Weatherford stated infrastructure and education gives the biggest impact to a community and state. He also noted some of the surplus should go back to the taxpayer, but “some of it has to go to the future.”

Approximately 35 individuals attended the event from throughout the third district, with the majority being from Kosciusko County. Kyle Babcock, Republican 3rd Congressional District Treasurer, organized the luncheon.