Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, speaks to the media during the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol on Jan. 13, 2026, in Tallahassee.
Photo by Matias J. Ocner
mocner@miamiherald.com
When I became speaker of the Florida House, I made a commitment to the people of Miami-Dade County: I would never forget where I came from, and I would make sure our community had a strong voice in Tallahassee.
Over the past two years, the Florida House delivered on that promise by making investments that strengthened Miami-Dade and creating greater opportunities for everyone who calls our community home.
That started in our classrooms. Florida International University and Miami Dade College are more than institutions of higher education. They prepare the nurses, teachers, engineers and skilled workers who will power our economy.
At FIU, over $200 million in state funding is helping build the new Wertheim College of Medicine Academic Health Sciences and Clinical Facility, a 158,000-square-foot facility that will fundamentally transform FIU into a true academic health destination, bringing cutting-edge research and education together with health care for South Florida patients, from primary care to surgery, oncology and cardiology, right on campus.
At Miami Dade College, we secured $41 million for new STEM facilities that will expand opportunities for as many as 2,000 high school students to gain the skills they need for high-demand careers. These are investments that will expand access to health care, open doors for students and strengthen Miami-Dade for generations.
That commitment carried into health care, where Miami-Dade is home to some of the nation’s leading medical institutions. We invested $7 million in a first-of-its-kind effort through the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to protect the people who run toward danger, expanding cancer screening, prevention and research for firefighters statewide. The initiative has already engaged more than 20,000 firefighters and attracted more than $13 million in outside funding, helping Sylvester better understand and reduce the cancer risks faced by the men and women who protect our communities.
We secured $5 million for UM’s Gordon Center to ensure Florida’s first responders are prepared for the moments when every second matters — from active shooters and mass-casualty events to hurricanes and other emergencies. I am proud to have helped deliver this investment, giving the men and women who protect our communities access to world-class, hands-on medical training so they can save more lives when disaster strikes.
We invested significant resources to support Miami-Dade families raising children and caring for adults with special needs — families who carry an enormous responsibility every single day. For a parent caring for a loved one with developmental disabilities, there is no day off and often no break from worrying about what tomorrow will bring or who will be there to help. These investments are about taking even a small part of that burden off their shoulders by making sure quality care, services and support are available close to home. Government cannot replace the love and sacrifice of a family, but we can make sure they never feel like they have to carry it alone.
Public safety was another priority, and that starts with making sure Miami-Dade has the people and resources needed to keep our communities safe. For years, state attorneys and public defenders have faced the challenge of competing with private law firms and the federal government for talented lawyers while managing increasingly complex caseloads. We made strengthening Miami-Dade’s 11th Judicial Circuit a priority, helping recruit and retain experienced prosecutors and public defenders through significant salary increases. We also provided additional support to address workloads and give prosecutors the specialized resources they need to take on complex cases involving human trafficking, cybercrime and vehicular homicide. A strong justice system depends on having talented people on the front lines, and Miami-Dade deserves nothing less.
We invested in organizations like Parks & Police 4Kids because one of the best ways to make our communities safer is to invest in a child before they ever enter the criminal justice system. This program gives at-risk kids in Miami-Dade a safe place to go after school and during the summer, puts tutors and mentors in their corner, provides basic school supplies and helps first-generation students see college as something within their reach. For me, this is about making sure a child’s circumstances don’t determine their future and giving families the peace of mind that their kids have somewhere safe to learn, grow and stay on the right path.
The first responders who have spent their careers standing behind us deserve that same commitment in return. The budget included a cost-of-living adjustment for Florida Retirement System Special Risk Class retirees, including firefighters and law enforcement officers. For these retirees, that means their monthly pension will have greater protection against the rising cost of living, helping ensure the retirement they earned keeps pace with the cost of everyday life. After spending a career protecting our families and communities, these men and women deserve the security of knowing their pension will continue to support them in retirement.
We also recognized that taking care of our community means taking care of people’s mental health. The $2 million investment in the Westchester Free Standing Emergency Department will expand access to mental health services in an underserved part of Miami-Dade, connecting families and individuals to care from psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, therapists and social workers through Mount Sinai Medical Center. For someone struggling with a mental health crisis, having qualified care close to home can make all the difference.
These accomplishments are more than numbers in a state budget. They are students with greater opportunities, families with access to better care, cancer patients receiving treatment, first responders with better training and communities with stronger public safety.
That is what public service should be about: being responsible with taxpayers’ money while making investments that improve people’s lives.
Miami-Dade deserved to be heard, represented and fought for in Tallahassee, and I was proud to carry that responsibility as speaker. What makes me proudest is knowing the work we did will continue to benefit the people of Miami-Dade for years to come.
Daniel Perez, a Republican from Miami, is the outgoing speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, serving from 2024 to 2026. He has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next U.S. ambassador to Brazil.