Florida’s Legislature Gets Ready For More Gop Sniping, Tough Choices And Desantis’ Swansong

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A final “State of the State” speech. A closing legislative session. And a last chance to mold a legacy before an uncertain political future with no anointed heir.

Thus begins the end of Ron DeSantis’ tenure as Florida’s most combative and unapologetic governor. After eight years in office, the term-limited governor will soon exit Florida's political scene. Don’t expect him to go quietly.

There is already widespread speculation that the upcoming legislative session, opening Tuesday, could be messy and unproductive. State House and Senate leaders aren’t in sync, and DeSantis has been in numerous clashes with House GOP leaders.

DeSantis still has an ambitious agenda: He wants legislators to put a meaningful property tax overhaul on the November ballot, and he supports redrawing the state’s congressional maps (albeit during a special session in April.) DeSantis also wants legislators to pass measures that put guardrails on the use of artificial intelligence, and he’s backing the elimination of vaccine mandates.

The final checklist won’t just affect the day-to-day lives of Floridians but it could be the last chance DeSantis gets to add to a lengthy record he could use if he mounts another bid for president.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis is the most transformative leader in Florida’s history,” said Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for the governor. “He is entering his last legislative session with the same vigor as ever. The governor is running through the finish line and will continue to deliver results until his final day in office.”

DeSantis has used his at-times muscular and assertive approach to bend the Legislature to his will. But that strategy has limited utility now with an unsuccessful campaign against President Donald Trump in the rearview mirror and the ascent of others in the GOP willing to buck him. DeSantis is also in a political world absent would-be Democratic foes such as Joe Biden that he could inveigh against.

“Reentry is a real issue,” said one long-time top Florida Republican operative who was granted anonymity to talk about DeSantis frankly. “It’s the governor versus the world. He firmly believes he should have been the presidential nominee and he’s desperate for Fox News hits.”

One Tallahassee lobbyist, also granted anonymity to speak freely, predicted that a lack of unity among DeSantis and GOP legislators will make any signature accomplishments unlikely this year.

“Everything is in chaos mode because everyone is in their corner and everyone has their agenda,” said the lobbyist. “In order for someone’s agenda to win, someone has to lose. They are locked in trench warfare.”

DeSantis’ relationship with GOP legislators has steadily evolved and now devolved during his nearly eight years in office. Coming off a narrow win in 2018, DeSantis was collaborative and struck deals with legislative leaders in his first year in office.

But his power and clout grew during the Covid-19 pandemic as lawmakers became more deferential to the rising conservative star who won reelection in 2022 by a landslide. And in the run-up to his ill-fated bid for president, the Legislature worked hand-in-hand to deliver him a series of victories and policies on education, race, gender and abortion that he could tout on the campaign trail.

DeSantis also became arguably the most powerful governor in the history of a state that had kept limits on its chief executive until the latter part of the 20th century. He has not endorsed anyone to succeed him, including Rep. Byron Donalds, who has already won the backing of Trump.

The past year, however, has seen DeSantis repeatedly clash with House Republicans over everything from immigration to taxes. The House also launched a probe into how money from a settlement with a Medicaid vendor wound up flowing through a foundation linked to Hope Florida, the welfare-assistance initiative launched by first lady Casey DeSantis.

The tension is still there months later. State House Speaker Daniel Perez, in an interview with POLITICO last month, said he tried to reach out to DeSantis late last year, but the governor did not return his phone call. He said he still wants to try to have a working relationship with the governor.

“I’m able to compartmentalize my disdain for how the governor speaks about the House and the Legislature with the requirement for me to do my job as an elected official and lead the House,” Perez said.

The governor is more aligned right now with Senate Republicans, but there’s been a disconnect between Perez and state Senate President Ben Albritton following last year’s session that dragged out for weeks amid a bitter standoff over taxes and the state budget.

Just days before the Legislature was scheduled to kick off its regular session, DeSantis officially scheduled a late April special session to take up mid-decade redistricting. The governor did this even though Perez and the House GOP called it “irresponsible” to wait that long and were pushing to consider a new congressional map in the next two months.

The governor also suggested this week that he may want to hold a second special session on property taxes later in the year — a move Albritton said may be worth considering. The House, however, has already been moving property tax proposals. DeSantis has been promising his own plan but has yet to release it while the Senate has also not come out with a counterproposal.

DeSantis has been calling for the elimination of property taxes for the primary homes of Florida residents — a multibillion-dollar overhaul that could have wide-ranging effects for homeowners and could garner national attention. But such an overhaul must go on the ballot, and DeSantis cannot veto what legislators ultimately come up with.

There is a scenario where the infighting could lead to nothing getting passed.

“I don’t know if we will ever reach agreement,” said state Sen. Ed Hooper, a Clearwater Republican and the powerful budget chief for the Senate.

Another looming question is whether there will be a repeat of last year’s discord over the budget, especially since there is a rising chance that legislators may need to clamp down on spending. Hooper said that he and state Rep. Lawrence McClure, the House budget chief, have been talking and meeting on a recurring basis ahead of this year’s session.

“Both of us have a desire to not repeat the last session at all costs,” Hooper said.

But the budget — a top priority for many rank-and-file legislators — is usually the grease that keeps the session wheels turning; it usually can be used as leverage to reach consensus on other big issues. That’s why the prospect of pushing off property taxes until after the regular session carries a risk.

Forcing legislators to hold multiple special sessions in the months ahead will also keep them off the campaign trail and crimp fundraising. Legislators are not allowed to seek donations whether they are in the regular 60-day session or in a special session.

Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman isn’t convinced that Republican legislators will completely rebuff DeSantis’ wishes.

“I’m sure the Republicans will still come together to pass what they deem important enough to pass,” Berman said.

But she also said the days of DeSantis’ complete dominance over the Legislature have ended.

“I feel we definitely have a lame-duck governor, so there’s a little less deference than was given to him in the early days,” Berman said. “We have seen this Legislature reassert itself as a co-equal branch of government.”