Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch

I joined the West Charlotte County Conservative Club this Monday for their candidate forum.
Thank you to the members for opening your doors and asking the hard questions. That is exactly how this is supposed to work.

I was told I used scare tactics on the budget. I will answer that the way I always do, with my record, because facts are facts.

I did not scare anyone. I told folks how I voted, and every one of these votes is on the public record.

I voted no on this year's county budget. The vote was four to one, and I was the one.

I put a motion on the floor to cut ten million dollars out of that budget while protecting every dollar for our first responders. It did not even get a second from my colleagues.

I voted against the water rate increase.

I voted no on the plan to put roughly a hundred gas pumps next to the Peace River.

I wanted your taxes lower this year than last, especially after so many of our neighbors took a beating in the fall storms.
So, when you hear that county spending has outrun this community, you are hearing the truth, and I am the one commissioner who stood up on that dais and voted against it.

You cannot attack me over a budget that I tried to cut and voted against.

My opponent had a lot to say about money on Monday, so let me say a word about that too, and I will let the public record do the talking.

That same evening, she told the room she had not taken a dime from homebuilders, and that she double checked.

Her own campaign report, filed under her name, lists contributors who do exactly that work.
I am not going to call her a name over it. I am just going to ask you to read it for yourself. (LINK TO SOE Campaign Finance information: https://www.soecharlottecountyfl.gov/1234/Local-Candidates)

She also told the folks out west that she is moving their way on the first of August. The election is the eighteenth. I have lived among the people I serve, and I did not buy my way into this race, I got my petitions signed.

And here is the plainest difference of all. I have raised a small fraction of what my opponent has raised.
My campaign is about thirty of your neighbors knocking on doors on a hot Saturday morning, not a war chest from developers, out of county committees, and sitting politicians.

I answer to our neighbors. I do not answer to the donor class.

I have never missed a meeting, and I have never missed a vote. I show up, I do the reading, and I tell you where I stand whether it is popular or not.

I am a proud disabled veteran and a lifelong conservative. I am not climbing a ladder and I am not chasing the next office.
My only goal is to look after the people who live here, our veterans, our first responders, and the retirees on fixed incomes who feel every tax dollar.

Public safety will always be funded on my watch. I built the First Responders Memorial at Gaines Park to honor these men and women, and I have backed every meaningful raise to keep them here in Charlotte County.

I have always run a clean campaign and I always will.

Facts, not fear. That is how we keep Charlotte County prosperous and how we keep faith with every voter in this county.

Stephen R. Deutsch
Charlotte County Commissioner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVoruZU-SjQ

Full-time Commissioner In A Part-time Job, Stephen R. Deutsch Charlotte County Commissioner in District 4, Stephen R. Deutsch, sp...

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Flag Day drone show in Punta Gorda.

What a fantastic evening celebrating our flag and honoring the men and women who have served this country.

The drone show was incredible- seeing the American flag and “Thank You Vets” light up the sky was really moving.

I spent time visiting with fellow veterans, talking with first responders, and meeting so many good people from across Charlotte County.

It’s always special to see our community come together for events like this.

Thank you to everyone who helped organize such a wonderful celebration.
I’m grateful to live in a place that takes time to remember what this flag stands for and the people who defend it.

God bless our veterans and God bless America. 🇺🇸

Today I had the privilege of delivering the Flag Day proclamation at American Legion Post 110’s Flag Day ceremony. 🇺🇸

Standing at that podium with our color guard and so many veterans in the room, I was reminded once again what this flag really means to me.

As a proud disabled veteran, the American flag has always represented the freedoms I put on the uniform to defend.
The right to speak freely, worship as we please, and live in a nation where ordinary people can still do extraordinary things when we stand together.

Watching the 13 flag folds and hearing what each one stands for never gets old.

Those folds tell the story of sacrifice, faith, family, and the men and women who have given everything so the rest of us can live free.
That’s the flag I fought for, and it’s the same flag I’m still fighting to protect every day as your County Commissioner.

I’m proud to be the only elected veteran serving on the Charlotte County Commission and the only veteran on the ballot this year.
That experience shapes how I look at every decision that comes before us, because I know what’s at stake when we talk about supporting our veterans, active-duty military, and first responders.

Thank you to Post 110 for hosting such a meaningful ceremony and to everyone who came out today to honor the flag we all love.

God bless our veterans, our troops, our first responders, and the United States of America. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Come join us!
Shoutout to Walmart for donating a 300 person birthday cake!!!