Byron Donalds to kick off ‘Defending The Florida Dream’ tour in The Villages

Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is launching a statewide tour to share his agenda with Florida voters

The “Defending The Florida Dream” tour kicks off Monday in The Villages with a 10:30 a.m. event at the Hotel Eastport. Donalds’ campaign said events in the tour will have a clear, policy-driven focus, and will promote three core principles of the Naples Republican’s agenda: affordability; achievability; and accountability.

Officials say the tour is designed to tackle the issues that matter most to Floridians. Donalds will also use events to offer “a roadmap for protecting the Florida Dream and making it attainable for the next generation.”

The first event, held in the world’s largest active adult retirement community, will focus chiefly on the rising cost of health care, one of the most immediate financial pressures for seniors living on fixed incomes in Florida.

At future events, Donalds will zero in on other pocketbook issues including insurance premiums, property taxes, and hidden government fees that continue to “squeeze household budgets. He also intends to hold events centered on public safety, education and expanding economic opportunities in the state.

The tour will serve a rollout of Donalds’ top campaign issues, building on the broad themes he stressed when his campaign launched last year. In March 2025, Donalds announced a plan to “fix the insurance prices; build new roads; finish restoring the Everglades; make Florida the financial capital of the world; and ensure our kids master math, reading, writing and reasoning.”

Donalds is currently running in a Republican Primary for Governor against Azoria CEO James Fishback, Lt.Gov. Jay Collins and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner.

Polls show Donalds with a dominating lead in the GOP field — an Emerson College Polling survey showed him at 46% support among likely Republican voters with all other contenders in single digits.

His campaign said the tour will give a better chance for Donalds to discuss affordability in Florida, which has become the defining issue for voters in the Midterms.

“Donalds is positioning himself as the candidate with a forward-looking plan to protect and strengthen the Florida Dream,” a campaign email reads.