Jon Ward, MD

11/02/2026

32,463 votes.

That’s all that separated Florida from Governor Andrew Gillum in 2018. Not 40,000. Not 100,000. Thirty-two thousand votes out of eight million cast.

We rejected Gillum and elected Ron DeSantis, and look at what followed from that razor-thin margin: school choice for every child in Florida. Parents with a real say in what their kids read. Men kept out of women’s sports and women’s restrooms. Children protected from surgical mutilation. Floridians free to decide for themselves on the Covid shot while our schools stayed open and our kids kept learning. The Free State of Florida was built on 32,463 votes.

Now hear me on this. Ron DeSantis is not on the ballot Tuesday, and I know the candidate at the top of the Republican ticket may not fire you up the way he did. I understand that better than most. In 2018 I did not support DeSantis in the primary. But when November came, I looked hard at what Andrew Gillum stood for and I voted for Ron DeSantis because he was not Andrew Gillum. That vote turned out to be one of the most consequential I have ever cast.

The same choice is in front of us. David Jolly is on the record to limited Governor Ron DeSantis expansion of school choice. He moved his family to Pennsylvania during Covid because he did not feel safe here. He supports the radical transgender agenda. He will undo what DeSantis built, piece by piece. And the next time a crisis hits this country, there will be no Free State of Florida for Floridians to call home or for our fellow Americans to escape to.

Here is where we stand. By my best estimate of the ballots already cast, we are behind by close to 100,000 votes. Democrats have already turned out nearly half their voters. Republicans have turned out 38% of ours. The entire election now comes down to one question: do Republicans (and Desantis-loving Independents) show up on Tuesday?

If you stormed the polls in 2022 to re-elect DeSantis by historical margins, this is the year that matters more. If you stay home, everything he built gets dismantled by a governor who only needs you to be complacent.

So make a plan today. Know your precinct (Election Day voting is at your assigned polling place, not the early-voting site). Polls are open 7 AM to 7 PM. Then get everyone in your house to the polls with you, text your friends, talk to your coworkers tomorrow, and offer a ride to anyone who needs one.

Don’t do it for yourself. Do it for your children and grandchildren.

Tuesday, November 3. Vote.

10/22/2026

Seniors in Walton County — read your mail.

UnitedHealthcare is discontinuing its most popular Medicare Advantage plan here on January 1. Not trimming it. Ending it. That one plan covers about 1,284 people in this county — roughly a fifth of everyone in Walton on a Medicare Advantage plan, and the majority of UnitedHealthcare's own members locally.

The same plan covers 2,194 people in Bay County and 2,407 in Okaloosa.

I've spent my career taking care of patients in this part of Florida, and I'll say plainly what I've watched for years: when a carrier decides a rural county doesn't pencil out, the people who paid premiums faithfully for a decade find out by letter.

Here's what I want you to know. Original Medicare with a good supplement is worth a serious look. No network. No prior authorization before a scan or a specialist. Any doctor in America who takes Medicare. For people in rural counties who drive to Pensacola or Birmingham for specialty care, that freedom is not a small thing.

And one deadline nobody tells you about: when your plan is non-renewed, federal law gives you guaranteed issue rights for a Medicare Supplement. For a limited window, no company can turn you down or charge you more for your health history. That window closes. Miss it, and a supplement may be priced out of reach or denied outright.

Don't take my word for which plan fits you — I don't sell insurance and I have no stake in your decision. Call Florida SHINE at 1-800-963-5337. Free, independent, state-sponsored counseling. Or 1-800-MEDICARE.

Just don't let the window close while you're waiting to see what happens.

10/20/2026

10/15/2026

The Broward County Sheriff spent 75 million tax payers dollars on a gym for his department. Let that sink in $75,000,000! And he's complaining about amendment 3 taking away funds that will affect the sheriffs department.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Department budget more than doubled from 2022 to 2025!!!

Now the Florida Sheriff’s Association is running ads against Amendment 3. These Sheriff’s Offices are addicted to record property tax revenue and the voters need to order them into some fiscal rehab!

Vote Yes on Amendment 3 !!!!!

10/14/2026

Vote YES on Amendment 3.

Most of the opposition to Amendment 3 comes from local governments and sheriff’s offices, the same people who spend your property taxes. Keep that in mind when you see their ads.

What Amendment 3 actually does:

• Raises the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjusts it for inflation.

• Cuts the yearly cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property (businesses, rentals, second homes) from 10% to 5%.

• Requires counties and cities to use property taxes for core services: public safety, schools, infrastructure and natural resources. Public safety is first on the list.

• School taxes are not affected.

It comes down to one question. If you trust local government to spend your money better than you do, vote NO. If you believe you spend your own money better than government does, vote YES.

We rarely get to vote for a permanent tax cut. This one goes into the Constitution, so it won’t disappear in next year’s budget. It needs 60% to pass.

Vote YES on 3 — November 3.

09/16/2026

Excited to be featured in the most recent edition of Medical Economics! Appreciate Rebekah Bernard MD for the excellent interview. We talk about North Walton Doctors Hospital and how it can be a model for bring back physician led healthcare and how we can revitalize healthcare in rural communities.

A dermatologist and a group of physician investors reopened a shuttered 25-bed Florida hospital, and now they want Congress to let other doctors do the same.

09/15/2026

Good news for Walton County taxpayers — and a word of caution.

Last night the Walton County Board of County Commissioners voted to lower the general county millage rate to 3.25 mills, well below what was originally proposed. The Commission deserves credit for prioritizing taxpayers.

Here's what that means in plain terms: a millage rate is your property tax rate per $1,000 of taxable value. Lower millage = lower tax bill. That's a genuine win.

Here's what needs watching.

Lowering the tax rate without reducing spending creates a gap. The Commission's stated plan is to cover that shortfall by drawing on county reserves — the savings account the county has built up over time. That's a reasonable short-term bridge. What it is not is a long-term solution.

Here's why that matters: Amendment 3 will be on the November ballot. If it passes, it would further reduce taxable property values statewide — meaning the county collects even less in future years. The Commission would face this same shortfall again next budget cycle, with a smaller reserve to draw on.

Commissioner Anderson voted no on the lower millage specifically because of this concern. He's not wrong to flag it. The question is what the spending side of the equation looks like going forward.

The county has one obvious option it has not yet pursued: the Sheriff's Fine and Forfeiture Fund grew from $66 million in FY2022 to $114 million in FY2027. The county's independently audited financial report shows the Sheriff's fund closed FY2025 with $49.8 million in cash and investments. That's not a budget running lean.

Every other county department is being asked to do more with less. The largest single budget in the county hasn't been part of that conversation — yet.

I spoke at last night's workshop and will keep sharing the data publicly. The FY2025 audit is public record at flauditor.gov — search "2025 Walton County" and see for yourself.

Share this if you think your neighbors should know. This is your money.

08/19/2026

Congratulations to Austin Rogers our Republican Primary winner for Florida’s 2nd Congressional district. In his victory speech tonight, he first thanked God. He credited our Creator for giving him the strength and endurance to make tonight possible. He then thanked his wife, then honored his parents, and then his siblings.

I didn’t know this young man at all 5 months ago. And I wasn’t really comfortable endorsing someone I didn’t know. Austin is the real deal. He is rooted in his faith and truly loves his family. His values are those of all of us who put our faith and family above all else.

Whether you supported him in the primary or not, you can rest assured his values are your values. We got a good one!

Thank you to all who supported him and if you didn’t, he is ready to accept your support and help to win in the general.

Congratulations Austin!!!