Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics — Week of 2.23.25

OK there’s good news and bad news, Rays fans.

First, the good news! With the Rays stuck playing in a smaller venue at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field due to damage from Hurricane Milton rendering the Trop unplayable, the Rays had the option of just jacking all prices through the roof given limited availability.

But then the owners remembered barely anyone actually goes to these games anyway and, voila, they are offering a limited amount of standing-room seats for each home game for just $20 a pop. That keeps things affordable for those looking to catch a game, or several, this season.

The bad news? It’s becoming increasingly unclear just how many more seasons the team will remain in the Tampa Bay area.

It’s now March, and the team has until the end of the month to confirm whether the planned new stadium in St. Petersburg is still a go.

We covered the series of unfortunate events that put this stadium plan in peril last year. The ball is now in the Rays’ court following votes by the city and county, but Rays’ brass has continuously said the plan on the table is no longer feasible due to delays prompted by the storms.

It took a miracle to kill what was otherwise a done deal. Will another miracle happen in time to save it?

Now, it’s onto our weekly game of winners and losers.

Winners

Honorable mention: Political aficionados. When writing about the 2026 Governor’s race last week, we offered a few takeaways (some of which we’ll reinforce in a bit), but acknowledged there is still a long way to go a full year and a half out.

We did, however, close with this regarding the contest for the GOP nomination: “But we do know one thing: It will be an insanely entertaining Primary.”

Just a day later, Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that read by publicly throwing shade at President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate, Byron Donalds.

“You got a guy like Byron Donalds, he just hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we’ve had here over the Left over these last years. He’s just not been a part of it,” DeSantis said.

Shots fired. But DeSantis wasn’t done. During that same presser in Tampa, he switched things up and started openly promoting his wife as a potential successor, despite previously downplaying such a possibility amid chatter she was considering a run.

“I won by the biggest margin that any Republican’s ever won a Governor’s race here in Florida. She would do better than me. Like, there’s no question about that. That would happen. And she’s somebody that has the intestinal fortitude and the dedication to conservative principles,” DeSantis said Monday. “Anything we’ve accomplished, she’d be able to take to the next level.”

That sure sounds like early posturing for a proxy rematch of DeSantis versus Trump.

There were some other notable comments made this past week, though nothing rose to the level of those Monday remarks, and by the end of the week, Team DeSantis had notably toned down their rhetoric. Donalds, too, isn’t yet taking the bait.

But as the race heats up, so too will the pressure to stand out among Republican voters. Make no mistake, there are going to be fireworks here. And those political junkies without a dog in the fight will get to sit back and enjoy the show.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest winner: The Southern Group. TSG narrowly edged out Ballard Partners in total 2024 earnings, with TSG bringing in an estimated $35.46 million last year.

That was just enough to top Ballard’s $35.32 million, putting TSG atop the lobbying mountain in Florida.

TSG finished the year strong, hauling in an estimated $9.11 million in the fourth quarter. That gave them the distinction of being Florida’s only lobbying firm to report higher revenues in Q$ than in Q1.

The Southern Group also closed the year No. 1 in legislative lobbying revenues, but placed No. 2 in executive lobbying.

And, would you look at that: Another Session is about to begin. With plenty at stake in the two months ahead, TSG will likely be busy as ever and hauling in plenty of cash to compensate.

The biggest winner: Donalds. It’s the second week in a row Donalds has topped this list, and with good reason.

Last week, he landed here thanks to Trump endorsing the Congressman for Governor in 2026, putting Donalds in the driver’s seat in what will likely be a contested GOP Primary.

But that momentum doesn’t matter without some follow-through, and Donalds delivered on that front this week.

First, he formally launched his campaign, which was all but a formality after the Trump nod. But he did it in prime time on Fox News, earning him plenty of eyeballs while announcing on Sean Hannity’s program.

The next day came a flood of endorsements, including from several state legislators. Some of those names — state Sens. Randy Fine and Joe Gruters, state Rep. Juan Porras — have been thorns on DeSantis’ side recently, so it’s not a huge surprise to see them on Team Donalds.

But remember: During the DeSantis-Trump battle in the 2024 Presidential Primary, the Legislature largely sided with DeSantis, while Republicans in Florida’s congressional delegation mostly aligned with Trump. Gruters was the only Republican legislator on Team Trump from the get-go, while others eventually moved his way once the writing was on the wall.

That is to say, if multiple state lawmakers are already willing to buck the current Governor here, and if Florida’s Republican members of Congress eventually get involved, that’s a good sign for Donalds’ base of support.

And let’s not forget that Donalds made a savvy move by declining to take shots at DeSantis despite the Governor’s sniping toward him to start the week. Asked on the “Clay and Buck” show about whether he would be open to a DeSantis endorsement, Donalds said he would.

“I would love to earn it,” Donalds said.

“At the end of the day, I just want to be able to pick his brain,” he continued, speaking about DeSantis. “I know there’s a lot of advice he has. I want to be able to lean on that. And so I would love to be able to earn his support. And I think there’ll be a time for that.”

That’s a posture that winners take, while those behind often feel the need to get on the attack and flip the status quo. Read into that what you will.

Losers

Dishonorable mention: State parks. Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency is continuing with its slash-and-burn approach to federal spending, and now it seems like widespread job cuts within the National Park Service are going to affect Florida’s outdoor offerings.

Per Sommer Brugal of Axios Miami, Florida parks workers have begun being let go. The main jobs affected, according to Association of National Park Rangers Executive Director Bill Wade, are “fee collectors and those who staff volunteers, arrange for site visits, like school trips, and oversee park programming,” per the Axios report.

That includes at least 12 firings at Everglades National Park, three at Biscayne National Park and another at Big Cypress National Preserve.

Trump did open the door to hiring more seasonal workers who could help fill in the gaps. Just how much that will affect operations at these facilities remains to be seen.

But for a state so reliant on tourism and the outdoors, this could be a particular gut punch for Florida. These indiscriminate cuts have already led to headaches elsewhere, let’s hope the same isn’t true here.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: Hillsborough Young Republicans. Amid news that controversy lightning rods Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in Florida this week as they face serious criminal charges in Romania, DeSantis made the right move and expressed outrage, and floated a potential investigation, stemming from the move.

Apparently, the Hillsborough YRs didn’t get the memo.

“As free speech absolutists, the Tate’s haven’t been formally convicted of any crimes and are welcome to speak to our group,” the organization posted on X. “We’re old enough to remember when a *’Convicted Felon.’* won the Presidency.”

Yes, that’s a Young Republicans chapter inviting accused human traffickers the privilege of speaking at one of their gatherings.

But for a second, let’s ignore the criminal charges — which, for Andrew, include rape. They’re just charges. The brothers haven’t been convicted of anything yet and have denied the allegations.

You know what they can’t deny? That they are pretend tough-guy douchebags selling a toxic, ignorant selfish brand of “masculinity” (and we are really leaning into the quotations around “masculinity” here when describing what these guys preach) to impressionable young men looking for direction in life.

It is completely natural for young men to want to feel assertive and respected, and there are plenty of healthy ways of doing that. Preaching outward misogynism and some 19th-century definition of being an alpha male isn’t it. The Tates shell all of this nonsense out for exorbitant prices, again taking advantage of aimless young men. They have also bragged about manipulating women to start a porn enterprise. How conservative!

The Tampa chapter’s move earned an outright rebuke from the larger Florida Young Republicans organization, and several conservative leaders slapped down the silly argument that this is about free speech.

“Free speech absolutism isn’t mutually exclusive with discernment!” wrote Jenna Ellis.

And that’s just it. No one is trying to make it illegal for the Tates to spout off online. But the people you choose to invite to your organization show the types of things your organization values.

Does the Tampa chapter really have no better representative of conservative values they can invite? Or are they just trying to ride a wave of outrage for clout online?

In that respect, they line up perfectly with the Tates’ schtick.

The biggest loser: Insurance companies. A bombshell report obtained by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times appears to show that insurers have shuffled around billions of dollars to affiliate organizations all while claiming they were losing money.

A quick pause before we say anything further. Those in The Process (ourselves included) can get into a bubble and a bit of groupthink. What we think is important often isn’t what the average person thinks is important. We love the ins and outs of government. Many people barely read the news.

Some issues, however, do break through. And trust us when we say: People have been pissed off about the state’s broken insurance market for years. And that’s before this report came out which, if true, shows insurance companies appear to have duped Floridians to bilk them for untold sums of money in rising rates.

There is some level of greed present in a lot of markets, and in moderation, many consumers won’t notice or they will be too powerless to do anything about it.

But this issue, so personal to so many due to the devastation from storms in recent years, is not something that people are going to let go.

Lawmakers have also been ready, willing and able to hand out prizes to these companies in the form of “tort reform,” limiting suits against insurance companies to beg and plead insurers to reenter the market and, theoretically, drive down rates.

But there are far more punitive options available to help adjust the market. If public opinion turns enough, perhaps lawmakers will stop playing nice and get tough on behalf of Floridians.

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