Politics

In final State of the State, Gov. DeSantis says his tenure delivered for Floridians

Published

6 hours ago

January 13, 2026

In his final State of the State address as Governor, a defiant Ron DeSantis defended the controversial Hope Florida charity and proclaimed that he has delivered “big results” during his time in office.

“We have set the standard for the rest of the country to follow. We are the Free State of Florida,” DeSantis said in his 30-minute speech addressing lawmakers on the opening day of the 2026 Session.

DeSantis urged the Legislature to pass bills on illegal immigration, eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs, expanding gun rights and supporting the state’s rural areas.

“My message is simple. Get the bills to my desk,” DeSantis said. “In the spirit of 1776, I’m happy to put my John Hancock on those pieces of legislation.”

In the debate on how to provide property tax relief, DeSantis’ tone has, at times, been combative and critical of his own political party.

On Tuesday, his approach was different.

“The Legislature has the ability to place a measure on the ballot to provide transformational relief for taxpayers. Let’s resolve to all work together, get something done and let the people have a say,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis credited his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and Hope Florida for helping Floridians get off public assistance to save the state $130 million annually, he said.

“We have proven that a hand up is better than a handout,” DeSantis said.

Following DeSantis’ speech, Democrats struck back to offer their own take on the Hope Florida scandal.

“The Governor remains completely out of touch with reality. Eight years of his ineffective and dangerous leadership has left Florida less affordable and more corrupt,” Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman said. She said millions of dollars were illegally funneled to a political committee controlled by DeSantis’ then Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier. Berman noted that Uthmeier was later appointed by DeSantis to be Florida’s Attorney General.

In the rest of the State of the State address, DeSantis called for oversight on artificial intelligence as he warned about the new technology’s dangers.

“Artificial intelligence is touted as being the key to curing cancer and expanding America’s military edge over arrivals, and perhaps this will be true. But this technology also threatens to upend key parts of our economy in ways that could leave many Americans out of work and with consumers footing the bill for the cost of power-intensive data centers,” DeSantis said.

“As AI chatbots have already been linked to teen suicides, it can also further devolve our society into a focus not on substance, but on online slop.”

The state has already turned over 20,000 undocumented immigrants to the federal government to be deported, DeSantis said.

Before the history books weigh in on the legacy of the DeSantis administration, the Governor described what he called a fiscally responsible state that promotes school choice and is winning cultural wars.

The state said the state has more than tripled its rainy-day fund and paid off nearly half of the state’s taxpayer supported debt, DeSantis said.

“Because the Legislature has supported efforts to accelerate repayment of this debt, we’ve saved more than $1 billion on principal and interest costs,” DeSantis said. “We’ve defeated attempts to force boys into girls’ sports, to inject gender ideology into elementary schools and deny parents the right to direct the education and upbringing of their children. We have ensured that our schools have a duty to educate, not a right to indoctrinate.”

One of the state’s crowning achievements has been Everglades restoration, DeSantis said.

“Even the flamingos have returned inside the Glades,” DeSantis said. “This has been the largest environmental restoration in the entire country. You can now walk into the swamp, sit on a cypress stump and see nature healing. The ghost of Osceola need cry no more.”

With America’s semiquincentennial upon us, DeSantis weaved in references to the Founding Fathers, a favorite topic of his, throughout the speech.

“We are the keepers of the flame of liberty that burned in Philadelphia in July of 1776,” DeSantis said. “We will not allow the flame to go out. We will answer the call. We will go forward with courage. We will take bold action. We will get the job done.”

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Politics

Ben Albritton downplays political tensions as Legislative Session starts

Published

22 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

May Greene

Striding across the stage for the State of the State address, Gov. Ron DeSantis shook hands with Senate President Ben Albritton — but skipped acknowledging House Speaker Daniel Perez, a man who has been unafraid to criticize DeSantis.

Perez called the handshake snub “petulant.” Albritton insisted he was too focused in the moment and didn’t know what happened.

That’s a preview of the balancing act leaders are facing as the Opening Day of the 2026 Legislative Session kicked off Tuesday. Albritton tried his best to maintain an optimistic outlook as he answered questions from reporters who were quick to bring up reported bad blood between DeSantis and Perez and the two chambers of the Legislature.

“I’m going to remain positive. I’m going to do everything in my power to work with the Governor and the Speaker to build wins for Floridians. I’ll leave it at that,” Albritton said.

He read Bible quotes, if anyone needed some inspiration on how to be good.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” Albritton said.

Albritton called Perez a friend and said disagreements are a reality in Tallahassee.

“The House operates very different from the way the Senate operates. The rip that you’re talking about, look, these things happen. It’s a natural part of the process,” Albritton told reporters. “So I’m not going to talk bad about this Speaker, not in a million years.”

Turning to some of the controversial issues that could be taken up by the Legislature, Albritton was asked if the Senate was going to support one bill rapidly moving through the House to lower the gun-buying age from 21 years old to 18, stripping away a protection put in place by a bipartisan vote after the Parkland school shooting.

A similar bill died in the Senate in the 2025 Legislative Session.

“This last year, they were not supportive of it. I have not heard anything different this year,” Albritton said, although he added, “It will be determined by the Chairs and the Senate and the Senate appetite for such a bill as a whole.”

“When you look around Florida and you’re listening, affordability is what’s on people’s minds. And we have great gun laws here in the state of Florida,” Albritton said.

When it comes to the push to lower property taxes, the Senate Finance and Tax Committee will explore options during the upcoming Regular Session, Albritton explained.

“Let me also be very clear,” the Senate President said, “we are absolutely committed to putting something on the ballot that can help Florida homeowners. Period. End of story.”

What about the fact that DeSantis vetoed $1 million for a study to understand the effect of eliminating the property tax in Florida?

“That’s a great question,” Albritton told one reporter. “We’re doing studies of our own. So I don’t see where that diminishes the prospect of property tax reform in the state. It’s a good question though.”

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Politics

Nestor Menendez opens Coral Gables Commission bid with $30K haul — all from in-city donors

Published

54 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

May Greene

Nestor Menendez, a first-time candidate for the Coral Gables Commission’s Group 4 seat, is touting an early fundraising surge.

He reported raising $30,500 in his first quarter running for the seat now held by Ariel Fernandez, a frequent foil of Mayor Vince Lago at City Hall.

Menendez’s gains came through 42 personal checks between Oct. 20 and Dec. 29. All were from donors listing Coral Gables addresses, according to his campaign’s filings.

In a statement announcing the haul, Menendez — a lawyer at DiFalco Fernandez LLLP in an of-counsel capacity — framed the promising start as a neighborhood-backed campaign rather than an outside-funded effort.

“This city means so much to my family and me, and I am humbled by the strong support of friends and neighbors throughout the community,” he said.

“That trust strengthens my resolve to represent every resident with integrity and dedication.”

For now, Menendez has the field to himself. The City Clerk’s candidate list for the 2027 municipal cycle currently shows him as the only Group 4 candidate.

Menendez, who turns 50 on Jan. 26, is pitching himself as a civility-and-stability candidate in a city where political tensions have routinely spilled beyond the dais in recent years.

On his campaign website, he says he is running “with a clear mission: restore civility at City Hall, put families and residents first, and strengthen the community values that make Coral Gables the City Beautiful.”

The campaign is also leaning heavily on Menendez’s résumé inside city government. A University of Miami-trained lawyer, he has served on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board and Charter Review Committee.

State voter records show Menendez is a registered Republican and voted every year between 2022 and 2025. He also cast ballots in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

He first claimed Coral Gables as his primary city of residence between 2021 and 2022, state records show.

Coral Gables’ biennial election is on April 13, 2027 — for now. Voters are set to decide this April whether to shift the city’s 2027 election to November 2026 so it coincides with federal and state races, a move proponents say will boost turnout while lowering costs.

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Politics

Antisemitism Task Force gets approval from House Government Operations Subcommittee

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2026

May Greene

A House subcommittee is backing a proposed task force that would monitor and track antisemitic acts in Florida.

The 15-member House Government Operations Subcommittee gave unanimous support to the proposed Antisemitism Task Force measure (HB 111). The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Gottlieb, a Davie Democrat who spoke before the subcommittee and said the proposed panel has become necessary as hate crimes against Jewish residents have increased.

“From approximately 2014 to 2024 antisemitic incidents have increased by roughly 893%” across the United States, according to figures from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Gottlieb told the subcommittee. “That has to be 1,000% at least, because that number is reported incidents and we all know that there are incidents that are not reported.”

In 2024 alone, Gottlieb said, there were more than 9,000 antisemitic incidents in America, according to ADL figures.

Gottlieb’s bill proposes that the Task Force would be an offshoot of the Florida Office of Civil Rights and that office would provide support staff and other administrative services.

The Antisemitism Task Force would be composed of 18 members from across the state. Those panelists would be appointed by various agencies and officials, including the Legislature, Attorney General’s Office, Florida law enforcement and several other organizations. Each member would serve two-year terms.

The panel would also be expected to monitor antisemitic hate crimes and advise the state on possible changes in laws governing hate crimes. The Task Force would automatically disband Oct. 1, 2029, unless lawmakers approve an extension.

Rep. Susan Valdés, a Tampa Republican, asked Gottlieb if the Task Force would only be monitoring incidents of antisemitism or “hate in general.”

Gottlieb said it would be broader.

“The answer would be yes,” Gottlieb said. “You can’t only have one metric, one data point, because you’re going to compare it to other hate, other types of prejudice and racism.”