Governor Ron DeSantis is absolutely furious with lawmakers in his own party.
They are trying to push through a bill that would upend his administration.
And Ron DeSantis stunned Florida lawmakers with one brutal smackdown they never saw coming.
DeSantis promises to crush lawmakers’ attempt to force agency heads to live in Tallahassee
Florida lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that would require all agency heads to live in Tallahassee, a move that Governor Ron DeSantis says is “asinine” and something he vows to strike down with his veto pen.
The proposals, which a Senate panel approved unanimously on Tuesday and the House could vote on as early as Wednesday, would end remote work for agency heads and other appointees of the governor by October 1st.
During a press conference in Pensacola on Tuesday, DeSantis did not mince words about what he thought of the legislation.
“They’re saying all the agency heads must live in the swamp,” DeSantis declared. “I want to drain the swamp; I don’t want to refill the swamp. Where are they getting this? It’s an asinine proposal.”
The governor did not hold back his disgust for the lawmakers pushing the bill, saying they were “pulling it out of their rear ends and trying to jam it through this process. Over my veto pen.”
Bill would force Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to relocate
One of the most prominent officials who would be affected by this legislation is Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who currently lives in Pinellas County, nearly 260 miles from the Florida Department of Health’s central office in Tallahassee.
This bill would kick Ladapo and other agency heads to the curb if they do not pack up and move to Tallahassee.
Vero Beach Republican Erin Grall, the brains behind Senate Bill 1760, swears she is not gunning for any particular agency chiefs with her proposal.
“We have agencies that have leaders — the secretary or the executive director, or the chief administrative officer — who need to be present,” Grall said during the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. “This is to further the conversation about what does this mean. If they choose to live in another place, should we be reimbursing the cost of that travel?”
University trustees also in lawmakers’ crosshairs
The legislation would not just affect agency heads. It would also require university trustees and members of the Board of Governors to be U.S. citizens and Florida residents.
The bill demands trustees must have graduated from the university they oversee, and board members must have a degree from a state university if they live outside Florida. Any trustee who is not living in Florida by January 2027 gets the boot.
This part of the bill appears to target some of DeSantis’ own appointees, including New College of Florida Trustee Christopher Rufo, who is neither a Florida resident nor an alumnus but has been instrumental in the governor’s efforts to reshape higher education at the Sarasota institution.
The Senate recently recommended against confirming one of DeSantis’ nominees, Adam Kissell, for the University of West Florida Board of Trustees because he lives in West Virginia.
“I think that it’s unfortunate when you look at the number of trustees that are on our slate for confirmation, and you look at where a lot of them are from, and you look at one individual, particularly, who is not even from our state,” said Republican Senator Jay Trumbull during a March 27 panel.
House version adds restrictions on political activities
The House version of the bill, sponsored by Melbourne Republican Representative Debbie Mayfield, goes even further by prohibiting unelected state employees from engaging in campaign-type activities while on the job.
This provision would ban state employees from participating in political campaigns, soliciting contributions, or using their authority to influence people’s votes. Violators could face first-degree misdemeanor penalties.
This move comes after reports that state employees in the governor’s office allegedly called lobbyists requesting donations for a political committee aligned with DeSantis as he and the First Lady hinted at her potential run for governor.
State employees were also involved in DeSantis’ campaign against last year’s ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana and protect abortion access. Both Surgeon General Ladapo and former Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Jason Weida were targets of lawsuits over the health department’s letters threatening broadcasters that aired pro-abortion rights ads.
DeSantis has made it clear he will not stand for this interference from lawmakers. With his veto pen ready, this battle between the governor and the legislature is just heating up.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
