Gov. Ron DeSantis is endorsing the Donald Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Elon Musk is using to ferret out governmental inefficiency, along with proposed changes to the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s funding formula.

And naysayers are lying, he adds.

“So I think what they’re looking to do with the Trump administration is going to be very positive for Florida. If the media is spinning it that somehow it’s going to be negative, they’re not giving you the truth about what the administration is contemplating doing,” he said at the Florida State Fair in Tampa.

During remarks Thursday, DeSantis said “what Elon is doing … is really good,” and “the first significant intrusion into the bureaucrats’ aura of invincibility.”

DeSantis said “they’re identifying and rooting out taxpayer dollars that are being wasted by the many hundreds of millions, maybe even billions of dollars, depending on the agency. So you have these things like USAID. They’ll talk about a big game about what it’s accomplishing, but really, I mean, it’s almost like a corrupt scheme where they’re funneling money to political supporters and trying to promote (an) ideological agenda. And so they’re doing a good job exposing really deep corruption into how the federal administrative apparatus actually operates.”

He posed a seemingly rhetorical question thereafter.

“How did it get to the point where any of this would be happening with your tax dollars? And the basic reason is that Congress has failed at its core responsibilities to use the power of the purse (to) conduct the oversight that they are empowered with under the Constitution.”

The Governor also endorsed President Trump’s suggestions that FEMA, as it is now, may be a thing of the past, saying “what he’s talking about doing makes a lot of sense,” to deal with the agency’s “insufferable bureaucracy.”

“If you had a disaster and you can look at what’s the typical cost of a Category 4 hurricane or any of these other things that happened? And look to see how much FEMA has actually spent on those throughout the past, and then if a disaster comes, you can take whatever that amount is, send 80% of that block grant to the state, cut the bureaucracy of FEMA out entirely, and that money will go further than it currently does at greater amounts going through FEMA’s bureaucracy. So that’s what he’s talking about doing. And we would be able to administer this so much quicker,” DeSantis said.

He also noted that Florida committed its resources to out-of-state recovery efforts during last year’s storm season, raising questions among those who were helped about why the feds weren’t responding.

“So we have our Florida State guard is out rescuing people in North Carolina a couple days after Hurricane Helene, and, you know, the people were very, very appreciative, but some of them were like, ‘well, wait a minute, why is Florida here doing this? Why don’t we have others?’ But there was a mistake made in North Carolina to rely on FEMA to do some of those operational things,” he said.

Last month, President Trump ordered “a full-scale review, by individuals highly experienced at effective disaster response and recovery, who shall recommend to the President improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience.”

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State Rep. Debbie Mayfield has asked the Florida Supreme Court to intervene after the Florida Department of State disqualified her in a Special Election in Senate District 19. The Melbourne Republican stressed urgency in a court petition, as a Republican Primary will be held on April 1.

The lawsuit says Secretary of State Cord Byrd exceeded his authority by rejecting her qualification paperwork for the Special Election. The State Department determined term limits forbid Mayfield from immediately running again for a Senate seat she held as recently as last year. But Mayfield in court filings said it’s not the role of the State Department to refuse her a place on the ballot when no one has filed a legal challenge to her candidacy.

“This is because it is well-settled that the Secretary serves a purely ministerial role in processing the Qualifying Paperwork, and has no authority to determine whether the Qualifying Paperwork is accurate, or whether there are grounds to challenge Mayfield’s eligibility to run in the Special Election for SD 19,” the petition reads.

The Division of Elections on Tuesday morning informed Mayfield of the decision in writing.

The message from Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews stated that Mayfield’s candidacy now would violate the Constitution because a person cannot run for Florida Senator “if, by the end of the current term of office, the person will have served (or but for resignation, would have served) in that office for eight consecutive years.”

A constitutional amendment passed by Florida voters in 1992 prohibits incumbents who have held an office for eight consecutive years from running for re-election. But the language appearing on the ballot that year, according to Ballotpedia, specifically addressed “incumbents who have held the same elective office for the preceding eight years.”

Moreover, Mayfield’s petition said it has been well established practice for decades that individuals can run for an office from which they were term limited if there is a break in service. The suit specifically notes that former Rep. James Grant’s candidacy was challenged in 2018 but courts ruled that because of a break in his tenure over an election dispute, the clock had been reset on term limits for him holding his House seat.

That ruling declared that the State Department’s role was “purely ministerial” when it came to accepting qualifying paperwork.

Mayfield asked the court to state that Byrd’s office overstepped its authority and that her name should appear on an April 1 Special Republican Primary ballot. The winner of the Primary advances to a June 10 Special Election.

Mayfield served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2024 and could not seek re-election because of term limits. Her successor, Sen. Randy Fine, announced his resignation from the seat in order to run for Congress, opening his Senate seat. Notably, Mayfield already submitted an irrevocable resignation from her House District 32 seat, which she won last year, in order to run for the seat.

A Special Election for her House seat will be held concurrent with the Senate election. Mayfield did not file paperwork to run in the House race. The qualification deadline for both races has now passed.

216187438 Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto by Jacob Ogles on Scribd

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House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell announced the leadership team for the House Democratic Caucus this legislative term.

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a Parkland Democrat and former Caucus Whip, now serves as Democratic Leader Pro Tempore.

Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a Boca Raton Democrat, will remain Policy Chair for the second term in a row, just as Rep. Mike Gottlieb, a Davie Democrat, will remain Floor Leader.

Rep. Marie Woodson, a Hollywood Democrat, will serve as the new Caucus Whip. Meanwhile, Reps. Allison Tant, Felicia Robinson, Daryl Campbell, Lindsay Cross and Johanna López will serve as Deputy Whips.

“Florida House Democrats remain committed to fighting for every single Floridian and advocating for solutions to the kitchen-table issues most important to Floridians,” said Driskell, the first House member to serve as a caucus leader in consecutive legislative terms in the term limits era.

“Floridians are still asking for immediate and lasting relief from the ongoing property insurance crisis, to fortify our communities against the next natural disaster, and to protect their inherent freedoms. We believe every Floridian deserves the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe, and we will continue championing commonsense, people-centered policies.”

Hunschofsky, the Democrat in line to succeed Driskell as Democratic leader in 2026, will assist Driskell this term in carrying out leadership responsibilities as assigned, and will step in as caucus leader in Driskell’s absence should occasion arise.

“I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working with Representative Hunschofsky last legislative term in her capacity as Caucus Whip,” Driskell said. “Since she was elected as state Representative, Representative Hunschofsky has been a consistent champion of mental health issues, responsible gun ownership policies, and homeowners’ insurance relief. In her time as Caucus Whip, Representative Hunschofsky was instrumental in ensuring the House Democratic Caucus stood unified against the divisive and extremist Republican policies.

“I am proud to call Representative Hunschofsky a friend and colleague, and I look forward to her leadership over the next two years.”

Driskell also praised Skidmore and Gottlieb for their work.

“I am so grateful to Representative Skidmore and Representative Gottlieb for enthusiastically agreeing to continue serving Floridians on our leadership team,” Driskell said. “Their drive to help this caucus fight for every Floridian is an inspiration. I look forward to continue working with both of them over the next two years.”

Woodson will take on a new role but isn’t new to the duties of caucus whipping.

 “Representative Woodson has an amazing ability to build consensus and unify differing views,” Driskell said. “Serving as Deputy Whip last legislative term, Representative Woodson was instrumental in helping Representative Hunschofsky keep the Caucus up-to-date and informed. Representative Woodson is also a champion of many initiatives close to Floridians’ hearts, such as ensuring veterans receive the benefits they deserve. I know her ability and skillset will help guide our Caucus over the next two years.”

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