Fiona McFarland

Navy SWO, USNA grad, native NYer who fell in love with a FLdian and then his state. Florida State Rep for Sarasota (HD-73).

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

As long as I’m in the Florida Legislature (and juggling child care for my four kids), I will continue to prioritize young families because this stuff is hard — but, if we parents stick together and demand what’s right, it doesn’t have to be. https://t.co/7N0mjpXFRZ

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

I’d say it worked pretty well for you too!

[KT McFarland @realKTMcFarland]

In 1984, I had a crisis moment. Career versus family. Should I give up my brilliant DC career, move to NY, marry and start a family? I asked the only woman I knew who'd faced the same dilemma - Supreme Ct Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. She'd put her career on hold to marry and start a family. "It worked out pretty well for me". I took her advice. I've been married 42 years, with 5 kids, 11 grandkids, and two more careers.

[All day Astronomy @forallcurious]

BREAKING🚨: This is might be the most important photo of this century taken by @AJamesMcCarthy

“We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

[Rep Toby Overdorf @TobyOverdorf]

We passed a bill that just makes Cents.... @FionaForFlorida @FloridaRetail

https://t.co/LcSumHUj1p

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

@Mdixon55 Ditto.

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

My finest legislative achievement.

[Steve Schale @steveschale]

I believe @FionaForFlorida becomes the first Member of Florida Legislature in the 181 year history of Florida to make a 6-7 reference in debate.

Well done my friend.

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

Updating sovereign immunity laws every 15 yr is no way to run a railroad. Hopefully the Senate will look at the process we use to come up with the bottom line for people whose lives are shattered by government neglect. If so, they’ll have a partner in me. https://t.co/k7vIIzhLBx

[Florida’s Voice @FLVoiceNews]

HOUSE PASSES EDUCATION BILL: Florida’s top universities would reserve 95% of freshman seats for in-state students

Rep. @BernyJacques: "No student in Florida should be losing a seat from a kid from Georgia — state or country."

Bill now heads to the Senate

[Max Goodman @MaxJGoodman]

In his farewell speech on the House floor, @RepBuchanan recognizes his father, @VernBuchanan, for his 20 years of service in Congress. (📸@FionaForFlorida)

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

Proud of my alma mater and the dedication to the mission— shaping our county’s future leaders.

[MOMof DataRepublican @data_republican]

Wow. This was sent to all the midshipmen at the Naval Academy. Pray for our future military officers as they prepare!

"Brigade of Midshipmen,
As you have seen in the news, our Joint Force has begun military operations against Iran. For decades, Iran has waged a proxy war against American forces and our partners across the Middle East. The events now unfolding are historic. They are consequential. And they demand serious reflection from all of us.
For some of your company mates who have only recently graduated, this is no longer theoretical. It is not a case study. It is not a classroom discussion. It is real. They are likely participating in these operations today, standing watch, flying sorties, leading Sailors and Marines, executing missions on behalf of our great country. They are carrying the weight of decisions that matter.
Soon enough, that responsibility will be yours.
This moment should sharpen your perspective. The fate of nations, the stability of regions, and the lives of your fellow Americans are not abstract ideas. They rest in the hands of officers who are competent, disciplined, and morally grounded. The fate of the Iranian people, like so many populations caught under regimes that choose hostility over peace, will ultimately be shaped in part by how professionally and decisively American forces conduct themselves.
You've heard me talk about warfighting and our focus on it. What you are seeing in the news is an example of why we must be ready. Warfighting is not a slogan. It is the core purpose of our Navy and Marine Corps. It requires intellectual rigor in the classroom, physical toughness on the field, and professional seriousness in every training evolution.
It requires leaders who understand history, technology, human behavior, and the moral weight of command. It requires officers who can think clearly under pressure and act decisively in uncertainty. This is not a time for distraction. It is not a time for complacency.
It is a time... to double down.
Double down academically, master your disciplines. Whether you study engineering, cyber, political science, or literature, your ability to think critically will shape your effectiveness in combat.
Double down athletically, physical resilience underpins combat effectiveness. The demands placed on junior officers in operational units are unrelenting. Double down professionally, treat every formation, every brief, every watch, and every leadership opportunity as preparation for the day when the stakes are real.
Our mission remains clear: to develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue you with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty. Those ideals are not ornamental. They are operational necessities.
History does not ask whether we feel ready. It simply arrives. We are not simply another college, our responsibility is far greater. We will continue to prepare you accordingly.
With Respect,
Your Supe
LtGen Michael J. Borgschulte, USMC
66th Superintendent"

[Jeff Brandes @JeffreyBrandes]

Big idea for Florida’s next Governor:

Occupational licensing in Florida was sold as consumer protection. In practice, it too often functions as cartel protection. It limits supply, raises prices, and transfers wealth from consumers to incumbents. That’s not theory. That’s economics.

When government decides who may work, it is exercising prior restraint on opportunity. Before you cut hair, fix an AC unit, or braid hair, you must ask permission. Pay fees. Sit in mandated classes. Clear boards often dominated by the very people you will compete against.

That is not a free market. That is a protected guild.

The real question is not whether consumers should be protected. They should. The question is how.

Licensing tries to prevent harm in advance through bureaucracy. Insurance prices risk and compensates harm when it occurs. One system protects insiders. The other protects consumers.

If you cause harm, you pay.
If you don’t, you’re free to work.

Insurance aligns incentives. Bad actors face higher premiums or lose coverage. Good actors pay less. Markets discipline behavior in real time. Licensing boards move at the speed of politics.

And let’s be honest about who gets locked out. It’s not established professionals. It’s working-class Floridians. It’s single parents. It’s military spouses moving state to state. It’s people who cannot afford months of tuition and lost income just to earn a living.

We can keep licenses where life and death are clearly at stake. But where the risk is economic, not existential, accountability through liability insurance is cleaner, fairer, and more honest.

This is not deregulation for its own sake. It is shifting from permission to responsibility. From protectionism to competition. From political control to price signals.

Let markets price risk. Let consumers choose. Let people work.

That’s what a Free State should actually mean.

#licensurefreestateofflorida

[FHCA @FHCA]

We enjoyed talking with @FionaForFlorida about how our members are caring for seniors and ppl with disabilities-from long term support to post-acute care & short-term rehab. Stable funding for these services keeps staff retention strong and ensures Florida remains #GoldStandard

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

@brandontseng2 We’d love to have you!

[Florida’s Voice @FLVoiceNews]

BREAKING: The Florida House just passed a bill to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot eliminating all non-school property taxes on homesteaded homes.

@RepMoniqueM is the bill’s sponsor.

Next up: Senate approval before voters decide.

Supporters call it historic tax relief; critics warn it could strain local budgets and shift costs to fees and sales taxes.

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

Because childcare costs more than college tuition!

[Florida Politics @Fla_Pol]

House Committee advances @FionaForFlorida’s child care access proposal

Reporting by @Reportographer

#FlaPol

https://t.co/la0FRIV98e

[Florida Politics @Fla_Pol]

Keep the change: With pennies on the way out, @FionaForFlorida’s cash-rounding proposal clears final committee

Reporting by @Reportographer

#FlaPol

https://t.co/AK9af1CqyF

[Florida Politics @Fla_Pol]

.@FionaForFlorida McFarland bill addressing post-penny cash transactions clears first House committee

Reporting by @Reportographer

#FlaPol

https://t.co/gTyl7DYdxn

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

It just makes cents.

[Florida Politics @Fla_Pol]

.@FionaForFlorida McFarland bill addressing post-penny cash transactions clears first House committee

Reporting by @Reportographer

#FlaPol

https://t.co/gTyl7DYdxn

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

I appreciate my local firefighters coming up to Tallahassee to meet with me and share their priorities for this session. Looking forward to our annual “King of the Hill” softball game tonight!

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

Good amendment, good bill!

[Berny Jacques @BernyJacques]

Recently there was a lot of panic and confusion regarding a recent license plate law. We heard you loud and clear and today I proposed/passed an amendment that clears things up! If your license plate frame does not cover the license plate number and the registration decal, you are good to go!

I’d like to thank Rep. McFarland, legislative staff/colleagues, my friends in the group chat, and especially my mom for getting this done. Onward!

[Fiona McFarland @FionaForFlorida]

@AMOysterBar @JimBoydFL @will_robinsonjr @BillConerlyFL @RepBuchanan @DannyNixJr Thanks for having us!