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WATCH • ENDING THE CULTURE WARS

The Free State of Florida Is a Lie

David Jolly for Florida Published: 2026-05-22 Last updated: 2026-05-22
The Free State of Florida Is a Lie, David Jolly video thumbnail

Key moments

0:25

"The Free State of Florida is a lie." David Jolly names the slogan as marketing that landed, not a description of how life feels for most Floridians.

1:06

"In pure economic terms, the state of Florida is now out of reach for too many people." Freedom means little when you can't afford to stay.

2:57

"We have to fight for a fair state of Florida." Jolly says enough people now recognize the culture wars have gone too far, Republicans included.

WHAT THIS VIDEO COVERS

"Free State of Florida" is a slogan that landed. But a slogan is not the same as a life. This video takes the phrase apart and asks a simple question: free for whom?

WHAT'S SAID

David Jolly argues the freedom being celebrated is limited to only one walk of life, both economically and personally. For the affordability side, see the video at (1:06). For the fair-state argument and why families are leaving, see (2:57). The full plan on ending the culture wars lives on the issue page.

Transcript

Verified transcript of the video above.

0:04 Laura Jolly: Florida was a place for all. It was a very live and let live state. I know that the saying now is Florida, the free state of Florida. I don't feel free. I don't feel like we are more free today than we were ten years ago.
0:16 Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes: The free state of Florida is false. It's fake, it's a slogan with no substance.
0:25 David Jolly: If Ron DeSantis has succeeded in doing something, it's with marketing the slogan Free State of Florida. It landed and it worked. Maybe because it emerged during Covid or who knows why. But the Free State of Florida is a lie.
0:39 Laura Jolly: Not everybody has the same rights protected, and they don't feel as free as other people here in the state. And that's wrong.
0:46 Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes: Well, the free State of Florida is from their perspective, you know, we're against books, we're against vaccines, we're against diversity. We're against equity. We're against inclusion. What are you for?
1:06 David Jolly: The free State of Florida is an absolute lie. One in pure economic terms. The state of Florida is now out of reach for too many people. Too many people can't afford to live in the state of Florida anymore. But it is also a state that, probably more than any other, has attacked people's personal freedoms, attacked their liberty, attack their dignity, marginalized communities.
1:30 It is true in terms of attacking people's voting rights, their franchise, their suffrage, diluting their impact, making voting harder when it shouldn't be. But it's also true in attacking people's personal identities, marginalizing people based on the color of their skin, where they were born, who they love, or who they worship.
1:55 The Free State of Florida is an absolute lie. It is a view of freedom that is so limited to only one walk of life. And I think it's wrong that it's celebrated, and I regret that it has been so effective. You know, sometimes when I cross into Florida and I see the free state of Florida signs, I think I might be a governor that actually goes out there with a wrench myself and removes those signs when we get elected governor, because there's a perversion of both the economic conditions of the state, and of personal liberty.
2:30 The Free State of Florida is a powerful slogan, but it's an absolute lie. And I think we have to fight for a fair state of Florida. And I think enough people now recognize that, Republicans included, that the culture wars have gone too far. Your kids and your grandkids are looking to leave the state because they can't afford it, or they don't feel welcome.
2:50 Your snowbird friends don't want to visit, or our tourists don't want to return. Not because of a rental car tax, but because they don't feel safe. They don't feel welcome. The free state of Florida is a lie. And I think millions of people across the state, but also across the world now know that.

Related questions

Why does David Jolly say the "Free State of Florida" is a lie?

Because the freedom being celebrated is limited to one walk of life. In economic terms, the state is out of reach for too many people, and in personal terms it has marginalized Floridians based on the color of their skin, where they were born, who they love, or who they worship. See David Jolly's full argument in the video at 1:06.

What does Jolly propose instead of the "free state" framing?

A fair state of Florida. Jolly argues the culture wars have gone too far and that Floridians want leaders who fight for everybody, not just for their party or a select few. See the video at 2:57 for the fair-state argument.

Is this argument only about LGBTQ or immigrant Floridians?

No. Jolly frames it as both economic and personal. The economic crisis grips far too many people across the state[1], while the culture wars marginalize communities based on identity. He describes both as reasons families and grandkids are leaving.

Why does Jolly say Republicans agree with him on this?

He believes enough people now recognize the culture wars have gone too far, Republicans included, noting that kids and grandkids are leaving because they cannot afford the state or do not feel welcome[2]. The argument is framed around a coalition bigger than any one party.

More on this topic

OverviewEnding the Culture Wars — David Jolly for Florida Governor

Sources

  1. David Jolly, on Florida's affordability crisis and culture wars , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzSpIBCQ6UU · 2026-03-09
  2. David Jolly, "The Free State of Florida Is a Lie" , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcAeq5jc5a8 · 2026-05-22

A slogan is not a life.

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