It may seem like Ron DeSantis is down and out.
His presidential ambitions went up in smoke. State lawmakers who he once exerted almost completely control over have now turned on him. He’s facing, along with his wife, an investigation into a scandal that, much to his dismay, is not going away with the news cycle.
But make no mistake, DeSantis is more dangerous than ever.
If you listen to Florida’s Governor at his various press conferences as closely as I do, you’ll notice that it’s not so much what he says that is the most important, but how he looks and acts.
DeSantis is baring his fangs.
This week, prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into the Hope Florida scandal that has rocked the DeSantises for weeks now.
Tallahassee-area State Attorney Jack Campbell reportedly opened the investigation into $10 million from a larger Medicaid settlement that was given to the Hope Florida Foundation. That money later made its way into a political committee used to defeat Amendment 3 in the 2024 election, which would have legalized cannabis for recreational uses among adults.
Hope Florida is a charity spearheaded by DeSantis’ wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and the controversy is doing plenty of damage to the idea that she may run for Governor to follow in her husband’s footsteps.
It may look like the current Governor is backed into a corner. But there’s no place from which DeSantis exerts greater power than from the ropes.
DeSantis is clearly aggrieved. Look no further than his comments regarding the investigation.
“Based on what?” he barked at a reporter who brought up the investigation, adding that the probe was “pure politics.”
Of course, there is nothing DeSantis likes being more than aggrieved. And it’s in those grievances where his sharpest barbs are launched against his enemies.
And now, those who have aggrieved DeSantis are coming after his wife. So watch out.
We already know what DeSantis is capable of.
He has used his executive authority — in a way that turned out to be unconstitutional, according to judicial interpretation that wound up being merely symbolic — to remove prosecutors. Remember Andrew Warren and Monique Worrell?
He has removed Sheriffs. Looking at you Scott Israel and Darryl Daniels.
He’s also suspended School Board members, including four from the Broward County School Board.
He vetoes budget items to seek revenge. Joe Gruters knows how that goes. The longest serving state lawmaker in Sarasota County at the time, Gruters faced DeSantis’ wrath in 2023 after he endorsed Donald Trump instead of DeSantis. It was a costly rub for Gruters, who saw more than $30 million in line-item vetoes fall victim to the Governor’s veto pen.
Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez might have some feelings on DeSantis’ penchant for retribution after the Governor vetoed an immigration package cleared in the February Special Session. The legislative leaders didn’t take up DeSantis’ plan, so he axed theirs. Ultimately, a compromise was struck, but the damage was already done.
Even America’s pastime isn’t immune from DeSantis’ vengeance. The Governor blocked funding for the Tampa Bay Rays after the team posted support for gun safety initiatives and pledged $50,000 to a Second Amendment nemesis, Everytown for Gun Safety.
It’s not exactly surprising that a leading Florida Democrat would criticize the Republican Governor. Nevertheless, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried accused DeSantis in 2023 of “holding the state budget hostage” while running for President, and called his sweeping budget vetoes that year “revenge tactics” as he tried to line up support for his own presidential bid.
And then there are the colleges and universities, which DeSantis has systematically been working to remake. New College remembers. And other higher education institutions are finding out. DeSantis ally Eric Hall was just named interim President at Pasco-Hernando State College. Jeanette Nuñez, DeSantis’ former Lieutenant Governor, was tapped to lead Florida International University after DeSantis suggested they do so. And Marva Johnson — not quite a direct DeSantis ally, but close enough — has been selected to lead FAMU.
The University of West Florida might be next. Its longtime President, Martha Saunders, announced she would resign early, at the end of the year, after DeSantis made clear he would overhaul the Pensacola-based university. In January, DeSantis appointed five people to the UWF Board of Trustees.
Two of them withdrew amid controversy. One, Scott Yenor, resigned largely over controversial statements questioning whether women belong in academia. The other, Gates Garcia, faced questions about his support for Yenor. A third, Adam Kissel, was outright rejected by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. He faced critique over his affiliation with the conservative Heritage Foundation and support for privatizing public universities.
Now, DeSantis has appointed Zack Smith to the UWF board. Like Kissel, Smith is affiliated with the Heritage Foundation, serving as its Manager of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program. While that appointment is subject to Senate confirmation at the next Legislative Session, Smith will be able to serve on the board at least until then.
This is all evidence to suggest that no Governor has ever worked to expand the powers of office more than DeSantis. And he shows no signs of stopping now with 18 months left in his final term.
It would be foolhardy to declare DeSantis a lame duck. And for those opposed to DeSantis policies, buckle up, because you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
His successful muscling out of UWF’s President, and his continued stacking of its Board of Trustees, offers a glimpse into what may come for other state colleges and universities.
DeSantis still has the ability to appoint a new Lieutenant Governor and Chief Financial Officer, and he could have dozens, if not hundreds, of judicial appointments ahead, whether at the lowest levels of the judiciary or the highest.
And the Governor is all but certain to veto billions of dollars in budget items, not just this year, but next year too.
He will undoubtedly use the full power of the state to enforce his anti-immigration policy that is so stern, it’ll make Stephen Miller look like a tour guide at the Statue of Liberty.
He can do this because, despite how it may seem based on sentiments with legislative leadership, DeSantis is still popular with the state’s conservative base, even if they didn’t fully back him over Trump for the presidency. A recent Florida Chamber poll put DeSantis’ approval at 54%, 3 percentage points higher than Trump.
With all of that in mind, mark my words, DeSantis will assert his authority as strongly as possible until the clock strikes midnight on his very last day in office.
The post No lame duck here, Ron DeSantis is more dangerous than ever appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
