Tallahassee – Governor Ron Desantis rejected a bill aimed at restricting officials and donors to his officials from seeking campaign contributions during the watch.
HB 1445 was passed in a single “no” vote this year in Republican-controlled Congress, but some would ban state officials from using their position to seek campaign contributions.
The law has been partial response to NBC News’ coverage since 2023, with taxpayer-funded officials in his administration calling for lobbyists to donate their campaigns and raising ethical concerns. A lobbyist represents a company that receives contracts from the state.
At least some of these calls were made during traditional working hours, NBC News reported. A Desantis spokesman told the outlet it was “not entirely true.”
His administration’s spokesman justified state officials seeking lobbyists in their free time.
DeSantis, who said he would reject the bill, did not address the issue in a memo on Tuesday. Instead, he had problems with another provision of the bill. This required members of the State University System’s Governor’s Committee and members of the various councils to be graduates of the university where Florida residents or representatives were appointed.
DeSantis wrote that it is unconstitutional to place residence requirements on some of these board members, citing the opinion of the 51-year-old Florida Supreme Court.
The bill was the product of a legislative meeting that uncovered a long-standing rift between the governor and the Republican lawmakers he has consistently bending his will over the years.
This year, House Republicans delved into DeSantis’ spending and governance, revealing his $10 million shift in power from a Medicaid settlement to the Florida Foundation. A Republican lawmaker later said the money ended illegally to a political committee ruled by the governor’s then-head of staff, James Usmiere.
Previous versions of HB 1445 would have prohibited state employees from collecting or soliciting contributions on behalf of political committees.
Lawmakers also found that Florida taxpayers pay DeSantis officials to commute from their homes hundreds or even thousands of miles from Tallahassee headquarters. The state’s top IT staff lived in Virginia and other states, earning $56,000 travel expenses.
HB 1445 would have prohibited these employees from reimbursing commute costs.
The bill was sponsored by the House of Representatives to its extent at the time. Debbie Mayfield, a Melbourne Republican, switched from supporting DeSantis to supporting Donald Trump in last year’s GOP presidential primary.
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After she applied to run for a Senate seat this year, the DeSantis administration took an extraordinary step in determining that she is not eligible to run for a seat due to term restrictions that Mayfield said were in return for switching her approval. The Florida Supreme Court rejected the state in a unanimous decision.
“My goal was to ensure that a key role in the state government was met by Florida-based leaders, not by absentee figures,” Mayfield wrote in a text message Tuesday.
“We’ve begun discussions and look forward to working with the governor to find ways to ensure that the state government works efficiently. Our leaders are committed to the highest standards of performance, and Florida leaders are rooted in Florida and invested in success.”
