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An ad from Florida’s Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Byron Donalds says his opponent, Democrat David Jolly, wants to raise taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits.
The ad — sponsored by Friends of Byron Donalds, the political action committee affiliated with Donalds’ campaign — opens with a woman cleaning tables.
“You wait tables to make ends meet, and David Jolly wants to tax you more for it,” the narrator says. “You work overtime, and David Jolly wants to tax you more for it. You finally retire on Social Security, and David Jolly wants to tax you more for it.”
“David Jolly wants more taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security. Liberal David Jolly, Florida just can’t afford more of him,” the narrator said.
Donalds shared the ad on social media Aug. 24, promoting his own record, saying he voted in Congress for no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. He said Jolly opposed the legislation.
Donalds is referring to a 2025 federal bill, but Jolly wasn’t serving in Congress to vote on it. Jolly spoke against the legislation because of its cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the tax breaks it gave to corporations and billionaires.
Jolly isn’t advocating for tax increases on Social Security or wages. He says it’s fair to tax wages, but he’s open to tax breaks for some tipped income.
There’s also one key thing to know about Donalds’ attack: A Florida governor doesn’t have authority over such taxes, because the state doesn’t tax income.
PolitiFact contacted Donalds’ campaign for comment but did not receive a reply. In an emailed press release about the ad, the PAC cited Jolly’s July 2025 appearance on MSNBC as evidence he opposed “tax cuts for working families and seniors.”
In the interview, Jolly discussed some of the problems he had with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; he didn’t mention the provisions that cut taxes for older Americans, tips or overtime.
“What Republicans just said is, listen: if you need lower utilities, sorry, we’re going to disrupt that. If you need access to food security, sorry, we’re going to disrupt that. If you get your healthcare through Medicaid or the ACA, sorry, we’re about to disrupt that. We’re about to make your life more expensive,” Jolly said.
What Jolly has said about Social Security and income taxes
In Congress, Donalds supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes temporary tax cuts for many older Americans and on certain overtime work and tipped wages. Those are set to expire in 2028 unless renewed by Congress.
Jolly, a former Republican, served in the House from 2014 to 2017. Had he been in Congress at the time the bill was considered, Jolly said in a response to Donalds on X, “I probably wouldn’t have supported the Donalds-Trump tax bill because of the amount of grift, graft and raw corruption in it for the White House, for Byron’s donors, and for his own self-enrichment.”
Jolly wrote in response to Donalds’ ad that he doesn’t support taxing Social Security and thinks it is “fair to tax wages however they’re earned, but would support relief for tips above the standard wage rate.”
This means he’s open to tax breaks on tipped earnings above the standard minimum wage — whether that’s the federal $7.25 hourly minimum wage, or Florida’s current $14 minimum wage — that non-tipped employees earn.
We found no instances of Jolly calling for taxing Social Security, or any comments before Donalds’ ad was released about taxing overtime and tipped wages. Legislation to eliminate taxes on tips or overtime was not brought to a vote during his tenure in Congress.
Our ruling
A Donalds ad said Jolly “wants more taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security.”
The ad refers to Jolly’s opposition to Republicans’ federal tax and spending law, which included temporary breaks for tips, overtime and many older Americans. Jolly wasn’t in Congress when the bill passed; he spoke against it because of its cuts to Medicaid and SNAP and tax breaks for large corporations.
Jolly has said he doesn’t support taxing Social Security. He says wages should be taxed no matter how they’re earned, but he is open to a tax cut on tips that push worker’s earnings above the standard wage that non-tipped employees earn.
What does this have to do with the governor’s race? Not much. Florida has no state income tax and, as governor, Jolly would not have the authority to impose or raise taxes on tips, overtime or Social Security. Floridians pay those taxes to the federal government. Jolly has not said he wants Congress to raise taxes.
The statement is not accurate. We rate it False.
Our Sources
- U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ posts on X and Instagram, Aug. 24, 2026
- X.com, David Jolly post, Aug. 24, 2026
- X.com, David Jolly post, July 3, 2025
- Politico, Florida governor’s race revives GOP’s old Obamacare battle, Oct. 22, 2025
- PolitiFact, Fact-checking falsehoods about Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and taxes, deficit, Medicaid, June 24, 2025
- PolitiFact, Trump says ‘no tax on Social Security’ with reconciliation bill. That’s not true for everyone., June 30, 2025
- WESH 2, Byron Donalds ad misses the mark on David Jolly and taxes | Get The Facts, Sept. 2, 2026
- Congress.gov, H.R.1 – An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14., Accessed, July 2025
- Congressional Budget Office, Estimated Budgetary Effects of Public Law 119-21, to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Title II of H. Con. Res. 14, Relative to CBO’s January 2025 Baseline, July 21, 2025
- Email interview, Devon Hesano, David Jolly campaign spokesperson, Sept. 9, 2026
