TALLAHASSEE – For the past six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has become accustomed to having his way with the state Legislature, sometimes to pass bills that cut back on Republican leaders’ priorities and boost his political profile. Call Tallahassee to.
No more.
DeSantis now finds himself in a place he’s never been before. A standoff between the state’s Republican House speaker and Senate president is calling for a special legislative session next week to make changes to immigration, voting and apartment laws.
So far, Desantis appears to be losing.
He has accused GOP lawmakers on X and Fox News of publicly shaming them and accusing them of hypocrisy for not supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. On Tuesday, he sent out a plea through the Florida Republican Party’s mailing list asking voters to call their local representatives.
On Thursday, DeSantis held a news conference in Jacksonville to pressure lawmakers to act on immigration.
“Monday’s special session is a great opportunity for members of the Florida Legislature to essentially put their money where their mouth is,” DeSantis said.
Two years ago, some were crowning DeSantis as Trump’s successor in Republican politics. Now, his style and influence may have faded in the last two years after losing badly to Trump in the presidential primaries.
“The Burning Man is losing relevance,” said Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, one of the most ardent immigration hawks in Congress. said one of the few Republicans in the group.
“It’s just theater. This isn’t real,” Fine said of DeSantis.
State lawmakers could pass the measure when they meet for their annual 60-day legislative session on March 5.
But Desantis has made a habit of calling Tallahassee for two- or three-day special sessions to pass parts of his legislative agenda in advance.
Past governors have typically used their powers sparingly for emergencies. Desantis has called them out eight times since 2021, including twice to address the property insurance crisis.
However, other special sessions have stretched the definition of an emergency. A month before the 2023 session, he called them to continue his fight against Walt Disney and show support for Israel later that year.
Earlier this month, he surprised lawmakers by returning to Tallahassee to support Trump’s immigration agenda, hoping to address condominium relief, hurricane response and reforms to the citizen initiative process.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, quickly vetoed it.
They said they strongly support Trump’s agenda, but called the rush to address complex issues “totally irresponsible.” They wrote that there is already “sufficient funding” to support disaster response.
They noted that Desantis did not suggest that “the actual billing language or even meaningful details” be considered. They also said the governor’s office only gave them a 15-minute heads-up before announcing the special session. (Desantis’ public calendar shows no calls or meetings with Albritton or Perez since October.)
As a result, lawmakers could show up in Tallahassee Monday morning and leave quickly.
Congressional pushbacks are a throwback to the days when lawmakers used their power more regularly against the governor.
“Maybe Congress is back in session,” said Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor.
Desantis has since released details but quietly pared back his agenda for the special session, focusing on immigration proposals and changes to the state’s initiative petition law. Among his demands is the ability to transport immigrants living in the country illegally outside the U.S., expanding the program he used to fly immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard in 2022, and allowing the National Guard and Florida Allows the National Guard to assist with deportations.
One idea – appointing state immigration enforcement officers to work with the federal government – shouldn’t require any legislative action at all.
However, he withdrew some of his other proposals. It includes making it a crime for local police and elected officials not to fully cooperate with state and federal immigration mandates.
Desantis’ special session pressure campaign was extended to state agency officials. During a legislative committee meeting last week, state officials appeared to be given a mandate to talk about illegal immigration, whether or not it relates to their agency.
Florida Lottery Secretary John Davis switched from talking about gaming security to eliminating in-state tuition for students living illegally – one of DeSantis’ priorities for the special session. One R-Miami lawmaker stopped him.
“I’m surprised that I have to remind anyone again,” Lopez said, noting the row of DeSantis officials. “I want you to keep your job. Please tell me what the Lottery Bureau is doing.”
DeSantis’ political team will also hold a call with county party officials Thursday to talk about the governor’s special session plans next week, Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power confirmed in an interview Thursday.
Based on powers of conversation with state legislators, he said he is confident Congress will act on immigration, but what they will do remains uncertain.
“I think the problem is they’re waiting to see what the plan is,” he said. “I think it’s a matter of timing.”
Fine said he believes the timing of DeSantis’ special session is the main reason the leader is being pushed back.
The legislative committee was scheduled to meet in Tallahassee for five of the six weeks leading up to the March 5 session. DeSantis chose to call this special session during the only week that lawmakers were not in town, Fine noted.
“His staff was so incompetent that they may not have known we weren’t there that week,” he said.
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau reporters Romy Ellenbogen and Alexandra Glorioso contributed to this report.
