Inside Ron DeSantis' tough year in Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — It's shaping up to be the year from hell for Ron DeSantis.
The Florida governor has been in a war of words and blame with the Republican state House speaker. A drawn-out budget dispute has left him frozen on filling key positions. Allies are streaming out the door, and it's unclear whether a successor in the governor's mansion will continue his legacy initiatives.
Florida's current unsettled political landscape is a reminder that DeSantis — about 17 months removed from his unsuccessful bid for president — no longer has an iron grip on his state's politics. And it's a long cry from the once-rising conservative star whose handling of Covid-19 and his battles over education, race and gender identity garnered widespread attention — and have been replicated to some extent by the Trump administration.
'I think he's flailing. He is alienating even the people he thinks are his friends,' said one longtime top Florida Republican operative who was granted anonymity to talk about DeSantis frankly. 'I think he's a man without an island.'
DeSantis, who is term-limited and cannot run again next year, has declined to endorse Rep. Byron Donalds for governor, even though Donalds has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. First lady Casey DeSantis has been mulling her own gubernatorial run, but she has not moved ahead even as Donalds picks up additional endorsements and financial support. The DeSantises have also been playing defense after the House probed a foundation linked to Hope Florida, an initiative launched by the first lady to help steer people away from government welfare programs.
Amid all this, a messy presidential battle has exploded at the University of Florida. Donalds and other conservative Republicans called on the board that governs universities to reject the hiring of Santa Ono, who had already won the backing of the UF board and its DeSantis-allied chair. The board ended up doing just that, as the governor, who has championed an overhaul of the state's higher education system, tried to remain neutral in the fight.
Another Tallahassee lobbyist said bluntly: 'There is no plan. It's just chaos all the time.'
Taryn Fenske, a longtime aide for DeSantis who remains part of his political operation, pushed back on this description of DeSantis.
'Governor DeSantis keeps people guessing — and winning,' she said in an email. 'Decisions will be made when it best serves Florida's interests. Not a moment sooner, not a moment later. He's playing the long game. And so far, he hasn't missed.'
DeSantis remains popular among Republican voters in the state. But for now, his own political prospects beyond 2026 are murky. The same GOP operative who said DeSantis is 'alienating' people said it 'got in [DeSantis'] craw' when Trump recently mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — a fellow Floridian — as potential Republican candidates for president. DeSantis has continued to raise money, but it has not been anywhere near what he amassed ahead of his successful 2022 reelection.
Another looming decision DeSantis has not yet moved on: Who to tap as lieutenant governor after Jeanette Nuñez stepped down to become president of Florida International University — an arrangement pushed by the governor's office.
POLITICO talked to more than a dozen operatives, consultants and top Republicans about the vacancy and DeSantis' future. Names that have emerged for lieutenant governor include former state House Speakers Jose Oliva, Paul Renner and Richard Corcoran. Oliva has been a longtime ally of DeSantis, but he also has been a sharp critic of state House Speaker Daniel Perez, and his appointment may only increase tensions with the House as DeSantis heads into his final year. Another DeSantis ally — state Sen. Jay Collins — has expressed interest.
Florida's lieutenant governor is not a high-profile position, with few of its own specific responsibilities. But DeSantis' pick is being closely watched to see whether he installs a placeholder or someone who has ambitions to run in 2026. If DeSantis goes with someone who may run, it would be the strongest signal yet that Casey DeSantis may not seek the job herself.
Florida's first lady has largely sidestepped that question, and when asked nearly two weeks ago, she said, 'We literally just went through an election cycle.'
She added, 'You talk to a lot of people around the state, and they are so tired of politics. They want people to actually do their jobs.'
In Tallahassee, meanwhile, people are steadily streaming out of top government jobs. Manny Diaz, Florida's education commissioner who was hand-picked by DeSantis, accepted the job of interim president at the University of West Florida. DeSantis' legislative affairs director also departed last week.
One of DeSantis' most trusted allies is no longer working side by side with the governor. Earlier this year, DeSantis appointed his chief of staff James Uthmeier to become attorney general after he named Ashley Moody to replace Rubio in the Senate. The move has been seen as a testament to Uthmeier's steadfast loyalty to DeSantis, but since taking the position, Uthmeier has been focused on his new job and his own campaign for 2026.
But another key vacancy is that of chief financial officer.
POLITICO previously reported that state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is the leading contender for that post, but installing Ingoglia brings the risk of drawing the ire of Trump supporters. Trump has already endorsed state Sen. Joe Gruters — who has an icy relationship with DeSantis — for the post.
Former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, a Republican who would chide fellow GOP legislators for bowing too much to DeSantis, said he understands why DeSantis has not acted on some of his appointments.
'The governor actually prefers delaying these appointments as it maximizes his options and gives him additional control,' he said.
In prior years, DeSantis has bent the state Legislature to his will. But he has clashed with it for most of the year, starting with a dust-up over immigration that took three special sessions before legislators and the governor put together a measure designed to help Trump's mass deportation efforts. He has been at odds with Perez for months now and has sharply criticized the state House's legislative agenda. It's been the House that has held hearings on Hope Florida. But he's also seen the Senate fail to confirm agency heads and reject some of his appointments to college boards.
Then there was an ongoing budget dispute that kept the governor from filling some of his major appointments, since those could take some of his key allies out of the Legislature.
Perez and state Senate President Ben Albritton in early May announced the outlines of a deal on a state budget, but Albritton walked away from the agreement to cut $2.8 billion in taxes. He did so in part because DeSantis said a push to permanently reduce sales taxes would be 'dead on arrival,' as the governor said it would undermine his push to cut local property taxes.
Lately, DeSantis has remained mostly out of the fray as budget negotiations slogged on. He did take some swipes at legislators Friday for failing to act before hurricane season, since his budget recommendations included a sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness supplies and replenishing a program that helps homeowners hurricane-proof their homes.
Legislative leaders did late Friday come to a 'framework' for a deal and are scheduled to resume work this week on crafting a new budget.
'He acts like he runs this state when he's taking credit for other people's work,' said one longtime GOP Tallahassee insider. 'If anything could show he's not running the state, this is it.'
Ingoglia bristled at the suggestion that DeSantis is a lame duck and lacks clout now.
'I still think he's a dominant force in Florida politics,' said Ingoglia. 'The people of Florida think he's doing a great job. In my mind, he has a mandate. I don't think he's going to take his foot off the gas.'
Kimberly Leonard contributed to this report.
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