It's Time for a better tomorrow, and to put the people of Florida first:

In 2007, the unemployment rate in Florida was 3.3 percent - less than a third of what it is today as more than 1 million Floridians can't find work. One in every 705 Florida homes was in foreclosure when Republican Charlie Crist took office. Now the foreclosure rate is 1 of 165, according to Realty Trac data service.

If you believe in change... If you think that it is about time that the State of Florida breathes some fresh air, stops bullying the poor and middle class, and takes better care of its internal affairs, then you are for Darrin E. McGillis for Governor of Florida in 2010.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, Post Office Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Public Safety - Fighting Violent Crime - Elect Darrin E. McGillis Governor

One of the core responsibilities of state government is keeping the people of Florida safe from the threat of crime. We can do that by putting more law enforcement officers on our streets and combating important public safety issues like gang violence, Internet sexual predators, illegal drug distribution and domestic violence.

Darrin McGillis Commitment

I will keep the most dangerous criminals off of the streets by proposing an amendment to the Florida Constitution that will mirror federal bail laws and permit pre-trial preventive detention based on public safety concerns.

I will make our streets safer and reduce recidivism by more aggressively enforcing stricter prison terms for violent offenders and requiring drug rehabilitation and vocational training for non-violent drug offenders.

I will create new programs that provide alternatives to gang membership, facilitated by community groups, faith-based groups, and other local institutions.

I will change parole law to ensure violent offenders serve their entire period of imprisonment.

Making Our Communities Safer

Darrin McGillis has always been a strong supporter of Florida's law enforcement community.

A McGillis administration will pursue an aggressive legislative agenda that will put more police officers on our streets, combat gang violence, illegal drug distribution and Internet sexual predators.

Darrin's Safe Neighborhoods and Communities program focuses on efforts to combat these critical concerns of the public.

Safe Neighborhoods and Communities Program

More Police Officers on Our Streets

Putting more law enforcement officers on our streets by increasing state funding for local law enforcement positions

Increasing the salary and benefits of Florida's law enforcement professionals

Combating Gang Violence

Providing additional funding for Florida's Regional Gang Task Forces

Increasing penalties for people involved in gang violence

Implementing programs to divert young people from gangs and get them involved in positive alternatives

Enhancing penalties for gang related crimes

Combating Internet Sexual Predators and Child Pornography

Providing additional funding for Florida's Internet Crimes Against Children task forces and expanding these task forces to other regions of the state

Ending the Cycle of Illegal Drug Abuse

Implement effective programs to rehabilitate habitual abusers from drug dependence and help integrate them back into society

Crackdown on prescription drug abuse and close loopholes that allow illegal online drug purchases

Protecting Women and Children at Home

Increasing penalties for acts of domestic abuse that are committed in the presence of a minor

Mandatory counseling for persons convicted of domestic abuse

Mandatory incarceration for persons convicted of stalking or the violation of a restraining order

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, Post Office Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Veterans support McGillis for Governor

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - American President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

In 1789, George Washington said: “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation.”

These sentiments apply just as strongly today as they did at the founding of our nation. For Darrin McGillis there is no greater obligation of a nation than support for the military, veterans, their families, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Darrin McGillis is committed to supporting Florida’s heroes and giving them the care and support they richly deserve. Veterans are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Darrin McGillis understands that results are the only things that matter and he will work in a bipartisan manner to get results for Florida’s veterans.

Homeless Veterans Unacceptable:

Darrin McGillis will not allow a single vet to be homeless. Under a McGillis administration, Florida will carefully examine the current level of services provided to homeless vets in Florida, identify gaps in service, and evaluate the need for and costs of additional services. Florida will engage in a proactive Homeless Vet program and explore how Florida can pursue federal grant money and work with the private sector to see that these veterans are provided for. No more excuses!

Join McGillis and the Campaign of People First Click here

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, Post Office Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Stop Gridlock, Create New Jobs: Get Florida Moving

With Florida's population increasing at a rate never before seen, we must take actions today to plan for unprecedented demands on our resources. We will do this through a focus on improving our transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, and mass transit).

McGillis understands that to attract business and jobs to Florida, we need to make it easier for citizens to get to work, and for goods to get to the market. This is also a quality of life issue – Floridians should not be spending hours every day away from their family and life because they are stuck in traffic coming home from work.

The McGillis Transportation Plan

"Stop Gridlock, Create New Jobs: Get Florida Moving"

Florida's transportation system is at a crossroads. We need a serious reexamination of the State's underlying transportation policies and strategies. During this time of scarce resources, severe economic hardships for many Florida citizens, and mounting transportation infrastructure needs, it is essential that we align our overall transportation policies and strategies so that they deliver the type of performance and support for economic growth that our citizens and businesses require, and do so in the most cost-effective and sustainable manner possible.

Floridians have shown they will support new investments in government services when they know the service is a proper governmental responsibility, that funds will be spent competently for the purposes promised, and that investing now will produce positive economic and social returns on investment. However, Floridians are frustrated and have lost confidence in the ability of state government to keep its commitments and produce timely and sustainable results. Recent administrations have moved too slowly and made too many excuses for not finding ways to get projects done.

As Governor McGillis will take essential steps toward building the public trust necessary for transportation investment, including support for a constitutional amendment to protect the funds from raids for other purposes.

Together we must candidly acknowledge that we do need greater public and private investment in our transportation systems, and then come together in a spirit of innovation and cooperation to achieve it. Darrin McGillis has some specific ideas about how to do that, and he will be listening to others as well. But, to be effective, any increase in investment must be accompanied by a fundamentally different strategy in how we invest, operate, maintain and measure the performance of our transportation systems. It is not enough to acknowledge the nature of our current policy shortcomings. We must also have the leadership to test different approaches.

As Governor, Darrin McGillis will speak to Floridians with the candor the taxpayers demand. And, having earned their trust, he will bring Floridians together across party lines to adopt a new transportation program that combines tangible investments with real reform. It's Time for a better tomorrow.

Darrin McGillis will make transportation infrastructure a four-year priority.

Help Darrin and contribute now using a major credit card. Please donate what you can. Click here - Thank You!

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, P.O. Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Educating Our Children

Every Florida student should have access to a first class, world class education. We must make certain that our children have the skills they need to compete in the global marketplace of the 21st century. No more excuses!

Improving Our Public Schools

Darrin McGillis has put forth a comprehensive plan to help improve the quality of our public schools.

Darrin's First Class Schools, First Class Teachers, First Class Education program focuses on spending our educational resources more efficiently, providing more educational options for students and parents and demanding more accountability from everyone involved in the education of our children.

By improving the quality of our public schools, we can provide our children with the skills they need to compete for quality jobs in the global marketplace of the 21st century and develop the highly skilled workforce that we need to recruit new businesses and jobs to Florida.

First Class Schools, First Class Teachers, First Class Education program

Spending Our Educational Resources More Efficiently

Fully funding the Standards of Quality for our public schools

Reduction in the education bureaucracy and removal of waste and corruption in the educational system

Requiring that at least 75% of our educational dollars be spent in the classroom

Recruit and Reward The Best Teachers

Increase teacher pay to above the national average

Provide incentive pay for teachers teaching in high demand specialties and in high risk school districts

Merit pay to reward our best teachers and make certain that teacher compensation is tied to performance

Eliminate teacher tenure

More Educational Options for Students and Parents

More meaningful alternatives for students who want to pursue a vocational/technical education

More Charter Schools in core disciplines like Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Tax credits for parents who choose to send their children to private schools

Tax credits for businesses that provide scholarships to low-income students to enable them to attend private schools if they choose to do so

More Accountability

Higher academic expectations under the Standards of Learning

No pass, no play requirements for students

No drivers license for students who drop out of school before the age of 18 or fail to achieve satisfactory academic performance

Help Darrin and contribute now using a major credit card. Please donate what you can. Click here - Thank You!

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, P.O. Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Reforming Our Government

The corrupt can either go quietly or they can go loudly, but either way, they will go.

This Miami Herald story speaks volumes as to why we need change: Click Here

McGillis Ethics Reform: Waging a War on Corruption

Immediately upon taking office, McGillis will declare a war on the long history of corruption in the state by calling a special session of the legislature to end the image that “who you know is more important than what you know” when doing business in Florida. Darrin McGillis will push a comprehensive ethics reform package through the session requiring a more detailed financial disclosure for elected and appointed officials, prohibiting all conflicts of interests, closing the loophole on free tickets, ending lobbyist-funded lavish meals, and giving the Office of the Attorney General the ability to independently root out corruption in government at all levels. Providing the Florida Supreme Court the authority to appoint a independent special prosecutor to root out corruption at the highest levels of the Florida Government.

Darrin McGillis Commitment:

I will eliminate the Legislature’s conflicts of interest by strengthening ethics laws to require State Legislators to either recuse themselves from legislative actions that affect their private sector interests, or publicly disclose these conflicts when they occur.

I will increase honesty and openness in government by requiring fully searchable and transparent websites for all state and local governments and school districts, providing links to property records and taxes, government payrolls, expenditures, school performance report cards, and other information.

I will increase the transparency required of candidates seeking office by making the State’s currently inadequate Personal Financial Disclosure Statements match the same heightened level of transparency as their federal counterpart, which will provide voters with a more detailed, comprehensive look at those on the ballot.

I will restore fairness and common-sense to our state’s legal liability policies by making it more difficult for out-of-state plaintiffs to sue in Florida courts.

I will end the abuse and manipulation of Florida’s civil justice system by preventing the admission of flimsy and dubious testimony offered by expert witnesses.

I will make our state more affordable for consumers and businesses by making it more difficult to file class action lawsuits for frivolous reasons.

Demand transparency in state spending and strengthen and enforce our competitive bid laws.

Special interest lobbyists should not be allowed to give money or gifts of any value to legislators.

I will seek a mandatory Statewide annual salary cap of ($95,000) on all publically elected office positions. No more will running for public office mean ($185,000) job, meanwhile the career public servant makes under ($45,000) annually. Seeking to serve the public by running for public office is a privilege and honor, not a way to get an instant salary boost.

Darrin McGillis, fighting for you.

Help Darrin and contribute now using a major credit card. Please donate what you can. Click here - Thank You!

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, P.O. Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.

Elect Darrin E. McGillis Governor of the State of Florida

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Help Darrin and contribute now using a major credit card. Please donate what you can. Click here - Thank You!

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Darrin E. McGillis, Democrat for Governor of the State of Florida, P.O. Box 56-6091, Miami, Florida 33256-6091

Contributions or gifts to the Campaign of Darrin E. McGillis are not tax deductible.

Contributions are limited to $500 per person or corporate entity.