BATON ROUGE - Governor John Bel Edwards delivered his farewell address Wednesday evening in Amite as Governor-Elect Jeff Landry will be inaugurated in the coming week. 

The Governor's speech Wednesday celebrated the changes he's made during his eight years in office. Edwards said the state is in a better position in 2024 financially than it was back in 2016.

"When I took office, the state had a $2 billion deficit and a grand total of $400 million in the Budget Stabilization Fund," Edwards said. "I am leaving with a balanced budget and more than $3 billion in reserve accounts."

He says this is due to his administration investing in priorities that best suited the people of Louisiana. Those priorities included investing in education, giving teachers across the state a total of $5,300 in raises. 

After eight years in the Governor's Mansion, Edwards says he's ready to go home. He returned to Tangipahoa Parish with his wife Donna Edwards and is optimistic about Louisiana's future. 

"The sugar cane still grows," Edwards said. "The Red River still flows. Tourists still flock to Mardi Gras. Those Tangipahoa strawberries are still the best in the world. The good times still roll."

Baton Rouge Mayor President Sharon Weston Broome took to social media Wednesday to thank Edwards for what he has done for the state.