Florida’s Special Session Could Burnish Desantis’ Legacy — But Pitfalls Lurk

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — With less than nine months left in office, Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly said he has left “no meat on the bone” during his two terms — a tenure that has seen him run for president, push through a raft of policies dealing with gender, race, education and abortion, help Republicans flip the U.S. House and flex his power like no other governor before him.

But with time winding down, he has embarked upon another round of legacy building, launching an ambitious final push that could face severe backlash and leave his last year in office a jumbled mess as he begins to assess his future.

DeSantis on Wednesday delayed by a week a special session where he wants legislators to pass a new redistricting map ahead of the 2026 midterms. But he also called on them to enact an artificial intelligence “Bill of Rights” that may put Florida at odds with President Donald Trump, as well as a contentious “medical freedom” measure that would make it easier for parents to opt out of vaccine requirements. The four-day special session is scheduled to start April 28.

Redistricting may go smoothly with the Republican-controlled Legislature, although it could depend on what map the governor offers up. But the two other items on the new to-do list were rejected by the state House during its regular session that wrapped up in March.

And beyond the special session, the state House and Senate are themselves at odds over a new state budget that needs to be passed by July 1. Plus, the governor has also repeatedly promised he will draw up a plan to overhaul property taxes that will go to voters this fall. So far that hasn’t happened.

“Gov. DeSantis obviously is still grasping for relevance in his last year as governor,” said state Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Miami Republican who has been critical of the governor. “It’s not shocking for any of us in the Legislature.”

DeSantis had near universal sway over the Legislature before his unsuccessful run for president in 2024. That clout has since eroded; he has openly feuded for the past 15 months with House Speaker Daniel Perez, who vowed to restore the independence of his chamber. It was Perez’ chamber that led a probe into the nonprofit foundation associated with the Hope Florida initiative launched by first lady Casey DeSantis.

State Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, a longtime ally of DeSantis who was appointed to his Cabinet post last year by the governor, said DeSantis' move to prod the Legislature follows his track record while he’s been in office.

“The governor has always been aggressive when it comes to policy, he views it as another opportunity to get something done before he leaves office,” Ingoglia said.

The governor’s office declined a request for comment.

There could be a political calculation as well. DeSantis’ stance on AI distances him from Trump and some other Republicans, including GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, the current frontrunner in the Florida governor’s race who has the president’s endorsement — but not DeSantis’.

“He really believes the AI thing is necessary,” said one Florida Republican operative familiar with the governor’s thinking who was granted anonymity to talk candidly. “It polls quite well and it separates him from the pack.”

DeSantis, who muscled through a Florida map in 2022 that helped the GOP pick up four seats, first called for the redistricting special session back in January. It was scheduled to start Monday, but as the starting day neared, there were no signs the Legislature or the governor’s office had prepared a map. DeSantis has asserted that the state should redraw its lines to eliminate districts drawn for racial considerations — a position he said will soon be endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a pending case.

Such a move could aid Republicans seeking to keep control of Congress, even though partisan gerrymandering is illegal under Florida law. Virginians will vote next week on a referendum that could help Democrats gain seats in that state, but DeSantis has insisted that is not guiding his decisions.

While Democrats have roundly criticized the redistricting push as “illegal” and a power grab, Republicans in the Florida House and Senate have been open to moving ahead.

It’s the other items DeSantis has now asked the Legislature to address that could meet a wall of resistance.

DeSantis, who has emerged as a leading AI critic, threw heavy support behind a slate of technology regulations that saw little interest from the House. Even with a revamped session on the horizon, there’s a possibility the same scenario plays out again in the coming days: The AI “bill of rights” pushed by DeSantis and backed by the Senate could die in the House again.

Senators are preparing to run it back with the exact legislation they passed during the regular legislative session with bipartisan support, hoping House members have changed their tune. The House, though, has given no indication of budging from its position, siding with the Trump administration’s goal of federal, top-down AI rules.

The Senate proposal would require chatbot platforms to share information with parents, including all interactions their children have with AI. Under the legislation, parents would be able to limit the amount of time their children have to use chatbots and get notifications if children share any thoughts about harming themselves or others.

In another tweak, the legislation would create new restrictions around the state’s youngest students using the technology in school by allowing parents to opt their kids out from using AI instructional tools.

DeSantis also pushed the Legislature to pass the Medical Freedom bill, but the issue was never considered by the House. State Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-Jacksonville) filed SB 1756, which allowed pharmacists to sell anti-parasitic medication Ivermectin to patients without a prescription, and also sought to allow the parents of a child to opt out of school vaccine requirements based on their own personal beliefs.

The measure would have expanded the vaccine exemptions the Legislature passed during the Covid pandemic at the governor’s urging. DeSantis’ popularity soared nationally among conservatives after he opened schools and beaches as other states left them closed, and as he feuded with the then-Biden White House over federal vaccine requirements.

But Yarborough’s bill saw staunch Senate opposition from both sides of the aisle. State Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart), who has spent several years sitting on or chairing various health-related committees, blasted the measure in March, calling it a dangerous move that would overtax the state’s health care system.

The Senate considered the bill as the Florida Department of Health addressed a measles outbreak that began in January in eastern Collier County. The frequency of cases, which have been reported in counties across the state but were mostly in Collier, has since slowed down significantly, with 144 reports as of April 11, according to data from a state DOH database.

State Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Fort Myers Republican, called the measures “important” and predicted that the Senate would approve the bills during the upcoming special session since they voted for them previously. He said that DeSantis’ handling of health care issues during Covid-19 was a “big reason” why he won his reelection in 2022 by a landslide.

But another longtime GOP operative in Florida, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said loosening vaccine mandates was a fringe position unpopular with independents — who’ve been turning out to vote for Democrats during off-cycle and special elections — and said the AI bill was out of step with the White House.

The operative warned the special session topics would have political ramifications not just for statewide and legislative candidates, but also for congressional campaigns, and added it would have been “more helpful” to have geared it toward economic issues.

“It’s a real problem for Republicans,” the person said. “If the Democrats are smart, all they have to do is sit there and watch and vote no — make their points and get out of the way. When your opponent is in the middle of wrecking themselves, don't get in the way. That’s what I feel like we are doing right now.”

Asked about the effects on campaigning for members of the Legislature, one county GOP chair called it “tough” and noted voters were “pissed” about other issues not addressed in the special session, including the cost of housing, insurance, property taxes and homeowner’s fees. A special session geared toward cutting property taxes would have been an easier sell, the chair added.

“It does distract members from campaign activities and also keeps them away from their districts,” the person, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said.

The longtime GOP operative who warned the special session would damage Republicans accused DeSantis of having an eye toward mounting a future presidential run and trying to position himself to “become the phoenix rising from the 2024 ashes” if Trump loses the midterms.

“Obviously the governor is doing what the governor wants to do to wreak havoc,” the person said. “I fully believe he doesn’t want the Republicans to have success. It doesn’t help DeSantis in 2028 if Republicans are successful in 2026.”