Florida GOP Turns on ‘Bully’ DeSantis and Says He Can’t Just ‘Generate Headlines’ Anymore
Ron DeSantis’ waning influence was exposed Monday when Florida Republicans rejected a special legislative session he called to address illegal immigration.
The Florida legislature, which infamously operated at DeSantis’ behest in recent years, adjourned his special session mere minutes after it began and rebuked the governor in the process.
The leaders then convened their own session to prioritize immigration reform that aligns closer to Donald Trump’s priorities and not those of DeSantis, who they accused of being a “bully” who acted too hastily.
“I believe Special Sessions should be used sparingly,” said House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Republican. “They should not be stunts designed to generate headlines.”
DeSantis ordered the special session on Jan. 13 and called for intense immigration reform. He asked for lawmakers to pass bills that would launch a state deportation program, a statewide database of people who send money overseas, establish state charges for entering the country illegally, and deny bail to all undocumented people.
The governor also called for the criminal prosecution of any law enforcement officers or officials who refused to carry out his proposed changes, among other things.
It was the threat of arresting local cops that appeared to especially rub Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton the wrong way. Perez said Monday that DeSantis had “some good ideas,” but it is not up to him to call the shots on immigration.
“Sometimes leadership isn’t about being out in front of an issue,” Albritton added, rebuking DeSantis. “It’s about following the leader you trust. I trust President Trump.”
Albritton, a Republican, said DeSantis’ hopes of a remittance database was akin to “Big Brother” and that some of his requests may be outright unconstitutional. Perez indicated he will instead push through legislation that gives more access to federal immigration officials and not add to local cops’ burden.
“We do not need to duplicate the functions of U.S. Immigration and Customs and create a mini-me version of ICE,” Perez said.
It is not just DeSantis’ dreams of immigration reform that were dashed Monday. The GOP leaders also suggested he lose his position as the state’s top immigration enforcer. They proposed the role instead going to Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson—a Republican who endorsed Trump during the primaries and reportedly has a “frosty” relationship with DeSantis.
Perez accused DeSantis of being a “bully” to state lawmakers who publicly pushed back against his special session. He cited DeSantis’ team blasting out mass e-mails that displayed members’ personal cell phone numbers and encouraged constituents to nudge their lawmakers into supporting the session.
“Attacks on this body—attacks on all of you—are not acceptable,” Perez said in an address to lawmakers Monday. “This House will never be moved by threats. I will always have an open door and an open mind, but if someone tries to force me to choose sides—members, please know that I will always choose yours.”
The losses for DeSantis did not stop there, however.
Since lawmakers were together in Tallahassee thanks to DeSantis, they also took the opportunity to nearly-unanimously overturn a veto the governor made last session that nixed $57 million from the state’s operating budget. All 110 members of the Florida House rejected DeSantis’ veto and the only “no” vote in the 36-member Florida Senate was Blaise Ingoglia, a close ally to the governor.
Perez remarked that the DeSantis’ veto last summer was “at best, a misunderstanding of the importance of the appropriation or, at worst, an attempt to threaten the independence of our separate branch of government.”
State Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican, said DeSantis appeared to be a “flailing guy losing relevance,” the Miami Herald reported.
Democrats reveled in DeSantis’ bad day, which have becoming increasingly more common since he opposed Trump in the 2024 GOP primaries and failed spectacularly.
“The Florida Legislature just overrode Ron DeSantis’s veto of millions of dollars from the leg operating budget and gave him the middle finger for his BS special session call,” said Nikki Fried, a Democrat who lost to DeSantis in the 2022 gubernatorial race. “Do I dare say that a small dose of democracy was just witnessed.”