The Legislature’s only Jewish Republican and longtime ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared he’s switching his allegiance to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP Presidential Primary.
The flip spurred a round of bitter invective between the Governor and Rep. Randy Fine, who represents south Brevard County.
Fine has been the Governor’s lead culture warrior on the House floor. But in a Washington Times op-ed — and on the social media site X — Fine accused DeSantis of not doing enough to combat antisemitism. The switch from supporting DeSantis to Trump comes after Fine on Oct. 13 specifically asked the Governor to use the legislative tools available to him to put a stop to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations happening on state-run universities and colleges in the wake of the violence in Israel.
DeSantis just shrugged off his call and passed the responsibility to college and university Presidents, Fine wrote.
“The past two weeks have made me realize our choice as Jews is simple,” the op-ed reads. “We can vote for the Governor who says all the right things, or we can vote for the President who actually does them. When it comes to action, Donald Trump has never let us down.”
Late in the afternoon, however, the DeSantis War Room posted a story about how Fine would be getting his wish and all higher education executives would be directed to terminate student chapters expressing support for Hamas terrorists.
Earlier in the day, though, when DeSantis, in New Hampshire, was asked about Fine’s flip and, according to POLITICO reporter Lisa Kashinsky, called it “pure politics.”
“He was up for a presidency of FAU (Florida Atlantic University). He didn’t get it. Now he’s running for Senate. He’s trying to ingratiate himself. Totally ridiculous,” POLITICO reporter Gary Fineout quoted DeSantis saying in an X post, with the quote attributed to Kashinsky.
Fine dismissed those comments.
“I won’t dignify Ron’s failure to protect the Jewish people as sour grapes,” Fine said in a text.
State University Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in a text that as far as he knows, the first result of the now-stalled search for FAU’s President, which did not include Fine as a finalist, is still ongoing, “Inspector General is still conducting interviews. Investigation is ongoing,” Rodrigues said.
Fine’s op-ed also drubs DeSantis for the delay in the state’s Holocaust memorial and his failure to respond to the sporadic yet persistent public appearances of neo-Nazis demonstrating in roads and overpasses. Democrats have been calling on DeSantis to denounce the demonstrations, without Fine adding to the chorus — until now.
“Eighteen months ago, my Nazi ‘friends’ showed up in Florida. They assaulted a Rabbi. They beat up a Jew who yelled back at one of their protests,” Fine wrote. “They commandeered highway overpasses to illegally hang banners saying ‘Gas the Jews.’ They have tormented Jews at their homes with filth. Until a few weeks ago, Governor DeSantis said almost nothing. And worse, he did almost nothing.”
Fine’s op-ed was published days after a four-day Special Session was called to consider DeSantis’ proposed Iran sanctions and other action to show support for Israel.
DeSantis, on the campaign trail, highlighted his efforts regarding Israel, such as using his emergency power to tap into state money to bring Americans back from the chaos in Israel.
“What other Governor has rescued people from Israel?” DeSantis said, according to POLITICO. “I mean, like I marshaled resources. We brought back close to 700 people.”
Fine wrote of the threat he and his family have come under.
“I wrote this while just down the street a group of my fellow Americans openly rallied for the death of my children. Just two miles from where Ron DeSantis lives,” the op-ed reads.
Just before 4 p.m., though, Fine reacted to the news that student chapters at Florida-run universities and colleges supporting Hamas would be terminated. It suggested he was glad that DeSantis had seen the light and addressed the Governor directly.
Why did it take me endorsing @realDonaldTrump to get you to take action? I gave you all of this on October 9th. I have the texts. All I got back was a bunch of handwringing. While I am glad it is happening now, it is sad that you couldn’t do the right thing because it was… https://t.co/xLbO0HkCwl
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) October 24, 2023
“While I am glad it is happening now, it is sad that you couldn’t do the right thing because it was the right thing and only did it to minimize the political fallout of today’s events,” Fine wrote.
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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
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