Election 2026: Donalds lays out positions on data centers, schools, Medicaid and housing costs

Republican nominee for governor Byron Donalds called for sweeping permitting reform to bring down housing costs and said every Florida graduate should master math, reading and writing, in a wide-ranging one-on-one interview with FOX 13 Political Editor Craig Patrick. Donalds also addressed data centers, energy, teacher pay, school vouchers and services for Floridians with disabilities.

On data centers, Donalds said local communities, not the state, decide whether to approve the facilities, and he opposes state preemption on the issue. He argued rural electric cooperatives, which fall outside a new law requiring data centers to bear their full utility costs, are owned by their members and have no interest in passing costs along. "It is now state law in Florida that if local governments say no data center, then no data centers," Donalds said, noting that his running mate, Brian Avila, wrote the legislation. Donalds said 27 counties or municipalities have issued moratoriums or bans, including what he believes are three outright bans, and that a state-commissioned study is due June 1, 2027. He criticized opponent David Jolly for proposing a statewide moratorium, saying the study is already underway and adding, "If he wants to be governor, he should actually read the law."

On transportation, Donalds defended express lanes as one way Florida tried to catch up on infrastructure after post-pandemic growth, but said he wants a larger transportation budget "so that all Floridians will be able to drive on them and not have to pay a fee." Asked whether he supports removing the Kirkpatrick Dam and restoring the Ocklawaha River, Donalds said he was not familiar enough with the dam to take a position, but promised, "We're going to finish Everglades restoration in my time as governor," pointing to his team's coastal corridor plan covering waterways from river basins to coral reefs.

Asked whether human activity, particularly burning fossil fuels, is contributing to climate change and more severe extreme weather, Donalds answered, "No, I don't." He said his focus is affordable energy, blaming higher costs partly on the conflict in the Middle East and partly on federal policy that subsidized solar, and said the state's strategy should center on nuclear power and natural gas. "That's how you get cheap energy that people can afford," he said.

On education, Donalds set a goal of doubling the number of engineers Florida universities graduate, after being told the state awarded 540 fewer engineering bachelor's degrees last year than four years ago, a drop of about 10%. He said that requires stronger math skills in high school, part of his push for mastery of math, reading and writing by graduation, including training all teachers in the science of reading with phonics as the foundation. He also proposed optional personalized success plans, called the Launchpad initiative, charting each child's path toward credentials, apprenticeships or internships. On the Legislature's decision to end the Bright Futures textbook stipend, he did not commit to restoring it, saying tuition comes first because "it's not just an unlimited pot of money."

With Florida ranked 50th in average teacher pay by the National Education Association, Donalds said the top way to raise salaries is giving districts more spending flexibility by loosening strict state funding categories, and that new spending depends on economic growth. On school vouchers, which he has championed since his time in the Florida House, Donalds dismissed research suggesting private schools raise tuition to absorb public money, saying parents should judge schools by results. "We trust parents more than we trust institutions," he said, adding that his mother was a "school choice mom" in New York City in the 1980s. He declined to say whether schools teaching that evolution does not occur should receive vouchers, but said he would have "no problem" requiring students to learn biological evolution and the scientific consensus on the ages of the Earth and universe under new state science standards.

On services for people with developmental disabilities, Donalds cited 23,000 people on the Agency for Persons with Disabilities waiting list and $450 million in unspent funds, more than $1 billion with the federal match. He said the agency needs "major reforms" but declined to say whether it is adequately funded or to commit to spending down the idle money, though he noted, "Just sitting in a government account doesn't help anybody." He also stopped short of committing to move Medicaid-funded services from the iBudget waiver to managed care, saying, "Maybe. I don't want to make that commitment," while pledging to protect home and community-based services and check for fraud.

Donalds gave no timeline for implementing Kid Care, the 2023 law meant to help children who lost Medicaid coverage, saying he will "look hard at it" and that the state must implement it correctly, including the federal requirement of 12 months of continuous coverage. He tied the issue to his opposition to expanding Medicaid to able-bodied adults ages 18 to 55, arguing expansion would crowd out funding for other priorities. "We're not going to expand Medicaid," he said.

On affordable housing, Donalds said concerns that the Live Local Act could subsidize apartments developers would have built anyway are valid, and he would rather pursue what he called wholesale, top-to-bottom permitting reform. Citing a National Association of Home Builders study finding 30% of the cost of a new home is governmental, he said, "It can't take two years to put a shovel in the ground," arguing that delays raise costs for renters, small-business owners and young families alike.