Politics
Of course Casey DeSantis is being floated for Gov, the DeSantises have no one else
With Gov. Ron DeSantis facing term limits next year, the rumor mill about his potential successor has been churning for months, but it came further into focus this week when NBC News’ Matt Dixon reported that Republican donors were discussing DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, as a possible contender, and that for the first time, she’s contemplating the possibility.
While contemplation is a far cry from certainty, Casey DeSantis’ bid for Governor would check a lot of logical boxes in the rousing game of politics that has been and continues to punctuate the insider baseball process of crowning leaders. And another DeSantis in the Governor’s mansion wouldn’t just extend the current habitants’ stay, it would keep Ron DeSantis relevant, while stabbing a thorn into the side of the man who is perhaps the current Governor’s biggest nemesis — Donald Trump.
And it could also shore up another grudge, one that is still emerging weeks before the state’s regular Legislative Session in March. Let’s start here.
Both DeSantises have seemingly lost control of the political narrative, at least at times and as it pertains to any sort of legislative agenda.
During past legislative sessions, Gov. DeSantis clearly ran the show. If he wanted something, he got it, no matter the outcry. Before he declared his intent to run for President ahead of the 2024 cycle, the writing was on the wall, not in small print, but in glaring red spray paint large enough for those in the back to clearly make out. He was, at the time, “America’s Governor,” and viewed as a logical alternative to Trump. He had all the things MAGA world loved about Trump, but without the unpolished baggage. To the donor class, DeSantis seemed like Trump in a nicer, more palatable package.
But that house of cards toppled, hard. Now, he’s battling with Legislative leadership in the House and Senate, but in particular with House Speaker Daniel Perez. On Thursday afternoon, Perez sent a letter to his members announcing the framework for workgroups established to evaluate DeSantis’ budget vetoes last year, and make recommendations about overriding some of them, a huge slap to a Governor whose power once seemed absolute.
It may be a chicken or egg type of situation, but DeSantis’ response to the perceived slight handed to him by Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton when they gaveled into the Special Session DeSantis had ordered only to then gavel right back out and open another Session, one with their versions of an immigration package instead of the Governor’s, has further alienated DeSantis among the state’s legislative branch. Sure, he still has allies in the Capitol, but they’re outnumbered.
And DeSantis is without another option. The plan had been, in what was an open secret in political circles, to back Ashley Moody as his successor. But that got poo poo’d when DeSantis had to appoint her to the U.S. Senate to fill the remaining term of Marco Rubio after he was tapped by Trump to serve as Secretary of State. Like now, there was no one else.
He had a back-up plan in Jose Oliva, but that turned out to be a dud. The former House Speaker is anti-Trump and, by current GOP standards, soft on immigration. The combo is a death knell for any candidate in a GOP Primary.
And then there’s the Trump factor.
DeSantis, as we well know, is not a fan of losing. And he’s already lost — publicly and spectacularly — to Trump once. Not only did Trump best DeSantis in the 2024 Republican presidential Primary, he trounced him time and time again. Trump’s dominance was almost hard to watch, perhaps even for Trump supporters.
So now DeSantis has a chance to take another go, this time by usurping the President’s chance to essentially handpick the next Florida Governor. We know Byron Donalds is considering a run, and he’s a top Trump ally, meaning there’s a better than decent chance Donalds will get that coveted “complete and total” endorsement.
By floating Casey DeSantis as an heir apparent to the Governor’s mansion, the DeSantises could scare off donors to anyone else, or at least that would be the calculus. And Gov. DeSantis — love him or hate him — is a top notch fundraiser, which could give his wife an early advantage. It also could potentially be a way to leverage power for the Governor to get his way this Legislative Session, emphasis on “potentially.”
It’s clear the Desantises are trying to control a whole lot of things, not just with floating Casey as a gubernatorial prospect, but with just about anything that has occurred over the past several years. As an anointed power couple, they are attempting to control donors, the Legislature, the narrative … everything, really.
But there are huge flaws in the DeSantis world calculations.
First of all, Casey DeSantis is an unproven candidate — she’s never personally run for anything — and her public persona is mostly apolitical, potentially alienating her from the MAGA crowd needed in this day and age to win dog catcher, let alone Governor. And of course there’s a really glaring negative here: It was Casey DeSantis who engineered her husband’s epic fail in challenging Trump for the White House.
Second, does anyone actually see Ron DeSantis sitting dutifully behind his wife as Florida’s First Gentleman. DeSantis is NOT Doug Emhoff. He’s not going to cut ribbons at gas station grand openings and carry pom poms around while his wife established herself as a presidential contender in 2028.
Two or three years ago the prospect of Casey DeSantis following her husband into the Executive Office of the Governor seemed like a gem of an idea. She’s a telegenic personality who would have appealed to women and men alike. But now, she’s the better half of a defeated man — defeated by Trump and defeated by the Florida Legislature.
Is anyone really going to want four or eight more years of defeated DeSantises?
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Politics
There’s a new Sheriff in town, but he can’t do much to reshape his agency. Lawmakers hope to change that
Citrus County Sheriff Dave Vincent came in hamstrung when he took office in January.
Vincent’s plans to reorganize the agency were met immediately by a little-known state law specific to Citrus County that protects employees during a new sheriff’s transition.
House Bill 629, added to Statute in 2001, says the new Citrus County Sheriff must keep the same staff for six months, can’t reduce anyone’s salary by more than 6%, and can’t drop a commander or captain by more than one rank.
Vincent’s predecessor, Mike Prendergast, had issued about a dozen promotions in the weeks following his Primary loss to Vincent.
That should no longer be an issue following this year’s Session.
The Citrus County Legislative Delegation — Sen. Blaise Ingoglia and Rep. JJ Grow — agreed Friday to file a local bill that would repeal HB 629.
“It was very obvious the bill was outdated,” Grow, an Inverness Republican, said.
Vincent said laws are already on the books with protections for sheriff’s employees. He said repealing the Citrus County law won’t help his transition, but it will remove restrictions for future sheriffs.
“I’m looking out for the next man or woman who takes my position,” he said.
Friday’s Legislative Delegation was the first for Grow, who was elected in November in House District 23.
Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican, chaired the meeting. Other highlights:
— Ingoglia said he and Grow will file a bill calling for military veterans with 100% disability to no longer pay tolls. “We hope this is a slam dunk,” he said.
— Grow said he supported the City of Inverness’ $2 million request for an RV campground at Whispering Pines Park to generate revenue. “Makes a lot of sense,” he said.
— Melissa Bowermaster, executive director of Jessie’s Place Child Advocacy Center, requested $150,000 for designing an expansion. Ingoglia not only supported the request, he suggested he may ask for more.
— LifeStream Behavioral Center sought $2 million toward construction of a 60-bed behavioral services campus in Lecanto. Citrus and Hernando counties combined have pledged $4 million, the Legislature previously awarded $2 million, and LifeStream is covering the rest of the estimated $16 million project.
— Citrus County YMCA, which opened its doors in Lecanto in 2016 after an $8.3 million local capital campaign, is seeking $1.2 million to complete an expansion.
— Ingoglia said he would be requesting $350,000 for the Crystal Memorial Gardens restoration project. Crystal Memorial Gardens is an historic African American cemetery just outside Crystal River. Ingoglia said he has support from the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.
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Edmonds was captured by Nazi forces and refused an order to separate out Jewish American soldiers from other POWs.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz is behind bipartisan legislation to honor a World War II veteran whose heroics likely saved the lives of a few hundred Jewish American soldiers.
Moskowitz is joining U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, to sponsor a bill posthumously awarding Roddie Edmonds the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal.
Edmonds is one of just five Americans honored by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations.” That’s because Edmonds, after being captured by Nazi soldiers, refused to identify Jewish American soldiers within a prisoner-of-war camp, thus saving them from being targeted or even killed.
“During a period of darkness, hatred, and vile antisemitism, Roddie Edmonds showed unmatched bravery and solidarity,” Moskowitz said in a prepared statement announcing the legislation.
“His decision to stand by his fellow soldiers against the atrocities of Nazi Germany saved hundreds of Jewish American lives, and Congress can’t let that be forgotten. By honoring Roddie with this Congressional Gold Medal, we will stand with a humble American hero and ensure that his legacy of moral fortitude lives on.”
Edmonds was a master sergeant in the Army’s 422nd Infantry Regiment during his World War II service. He was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and was taken to the POW camp Stalag IX-A along with more than 1,000 Americans. Historians say it was there that the Nazis ordered Edmonds to disclose which soldiers were Jewish, even threatening him with death. But Edmonds refused.
It’s estimated that around 200 Jewish soldiers were in that POW camp along with Edmonds at the time.
Edmonds survived the war and passed away in 1985.
“Roddie Edmonds showed incredible bravery that should make every American proud,” Burchett said.
“He fearlessly faced down Nazi soldiers during World War II and saved hundreds of Jewish lives when he refused to turn in his fellow Jewish service members, even at gunpoint. This Congressional Gold Medal is a fitting way to honor his legacy.”
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