Succession, DeSantis-style

Jan 31, 2025

By Kimberly Leonard, Gary Fineout and Isa Domínguez

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives to deliver his State of the State address Jan. 9 during a joint session of the Legislature.

The governor’s ready to put money into races across the state to help elect “strong conservatives” through his campaign committee. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

Good morning and happy Friday.

Gov. RON DESANTIS is ready to take his dispute with the Legislature to the ballot box — and is promising to influence who will succeed him in the governor’s mansion.

On Thursday, during a stop in President DONALD TRUMP’s backyard of West Palm Beach, the governor warned he would “guarantee” anyone who supported the Legislature’s illegal immigration bill was “not going to get elected governor in this state.”

“This is hot,” DeSantis said. “This is something that people remember."

The same would be true down ballot, he added: Anyone who campaigned on the bill during the primary would be “dead on arrival.” And the governor’s ready to put money into races across the state to help elect “strong conservatives” through his campaign committee, the Florida Freedom Fund, he said earlier in the day on X. The committee was the same one he used to successfully help defeat amendments in 2024 on abortion and marijuana legalization.

House Speaker DANNY PEREZ, who is pushing back against the DeSantis’ veto plans, called the governor’s threats to raise money in primary races “sad” in an interview with POLITICO’s Gary Fineout, adding they amounted to a “temper tantrum.”

“It’s an unfortunate place for the Republican Party to be in,” Perez said. “If that’s how he feels, that’s the beginning of the end of a civil party that can have a civil disagreement.”

DeSantis had been asked about the governor’s race on Thursday, specifically regarding Agriculture Commissioner WILTON SIMPSON, the official the Legislature wants as Florida's new chief immigration officer. While DeSantis has panned the idea of moving immigration enforcement outside his office, Simpson has welcomed the possibility — and is widely viewed as someone interested in running for governor in 2026.

But he’s not the only one. Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), a close Trump ally, has recently beefed up his political team. Donalds waded into the debate over the immigration bill on Dave Rubin’s podcast Thursday, saying he agreed with DeSantis’ position about keeping the job of chief immigration officer within the governor’s office.

It’s easy to see an alternative universe where DeSantis would have wanted Donalds to succeed him. Donalds and DeSantis used to be close — Donalds played former Democratic gubernatorial candidate ANDREW GILLUM during debate prep in the 2018 election and was the only elected official to speak at DeSantis’ blowout reelection victory party in 2022. But in 2023, the two clashed over African American history standards for middle schoolers in Florida that said enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Donalds also stood firmly in Trump’s corner during the 2024 presidential primaries.

DeSantis doesn't have a set person in mind, but “is establishing his criteria of who he would anoint or endorse,” said a GOP insider with close ties to DeSantis, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the future contest. The person expected the governor to continue hammering home his position that GOP candidates who run on conservatism should also vote that way.

DeSantis has kept a small circle of allies during his time in office, including former Florida House speakers JOSÉ OLIVA and PAUL RENNER, as well as Lt. Gov. JEANETTE NUÑEZ. Former state Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY was another, but she appears prepared to run for reelection to the Senate in 2026.

The governor’s push is far from the only factor at play. Trump’s support in a GOP primary would be widely viewed as game-changing given his influence now and in helping DeSantis get elected in 2018. But DeSantis does remain popular in Florida, and charted his own path by appointing Moody to the Senate rather than choosing a Trump ally. The decision could foreshadow a choice that may not align with Trump’s gubernatorial endorsement pick.

Yet the governor’s face-off with the Legislature is also a signal of his waning influence compared to Trump. He has roughly $2 million in the Florida Freedom Fund, according to campaign finance records. And it’s not clear that donors will be enthusiastic about contributing when they know he has only two years left in office — and aren’t sure what his plans are for his future.

— By Kimberly Leonard and Gary Fineout. Bruce Ritchie contributed.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.

Power shifts, razor-thin margins, and a high-stakes agenda. We’ve transformed our coverage—more reporters, more timely insights, and unmatched policy scoops. From leadership offices to committee rooms, caucus meetings, and beyond, our expert reporting keeps you ahead of the decisions that matter. Subscribe to our Inside Congress newsletter today.

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

ABOUT HASHING OUT THE BILL — In this week’s back and forth over meeting about the illegal immigration bill, the governor’s office said Perez and state Senate President BEN ALBRITTON declined “multiple attempts to have calls and in-person meetings with our office and the governor” in the days leading up to the special session.

There’s more context to the story. The Senate president’s office acknowledged the governor’s staff had attempted to reach out. But they declined, given that any in-person meetings about specific legislation had to be “noticed and reasonably open to the public,” per the Florida Constitution.

ON CAMPUS ARRESTS — “Florida goes full steam ahead on immigration enforcement in schools,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “DeSantis and Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature disagree over key pieces of newly passed immigration legislation. But they appear to align on teachers and campus police officers being part of the state’s 'all-hands-on-deck' plan to aid federal immigration enforcement.

“While the exact role, if any, that school employees will play in that enforcement remains unclear — as does whether the bill will even become law — the measures proposed in Florida would ensure that campus doors are open to immigration authorities under a Trump administration that wants the option on the table.”

— “Florida highway troopers want more answers about new immigration powers,” report Romy Ellenbogen, Lawrence Mower and Ana Ceballos of the Tampa Bay Times/ Miami Herald.

— “Amid dustup with DeSantis, GOP lawmakers eye more aggressive oversight of executive branch,” by Gray Rohrer of USA Today Network — Florida.

Florida Surgeon Gen. Dr. Joseph Ladapo is pictured before a bill signing by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Ladapo has already convinced at least 11 municipalities to stop adding the naturally occurring mineral into the water. | Chris O'Meara/AP

DEEP DIVE — “Inside the battle to remove fluoride from Florida drinking water — and the effort’s RFK Jr.-aligned ally,” by POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “The push against adding fluoride to public drinking water is spreading across Florida, as state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo crisscrosses the state to press leaders of mostly conservative communities.

“Ladapo has already convinced at least 11 municipalities to stop adding the naturally occurring mineral into the water, using his high profile as Florida’s top health officer and a recent official recommendation against fluoride use. His folk hero-like status in the conservative-leaning medical freedom community also mirrors another advocate of removing fluoride from drinking water: HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Several other governing boards have the issue under consideration, and that list is growing every day.”

One major backer in the push: “Stand for Health Freedom, an Indiana-based medical advocacy group that has been trying to end fluoride use in Florida for almost two years. The state was key in pulling the medical freedom movement from the outskirts of policy discussion to the center stage, as Ladapo and DeSantis railed against Biden administration mandates that they believed were gross examples of government overreach in health care.”

EYES EMOJI — “Is FIU looking for its next president? There’s a push for Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez,” reports the Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks, Alexandra Glorioso and Ana Ceballos. “With Florida International University’s current president nearing the end of his three-year contract, multiple insiders say there’s a push for the public university to hire Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez to take over the $1 million-a-year position.

“Nuñez taking the FIU president job would be the latest move by a player on Florida’s political chessboard ahead of the 2026 elections, when the governor’s seat and a Senate seat recently filled by a DeSantis appointee will be on the ballot. Should Nuñez resign her post as lieutenant governor, DeSantis could name someone else to the high-profile post as Republicans settle on who to nominate for the governor’s race next year.”

ROLLING BACK POLLUTION REGULATIONS — Duke Energy, along with other utility companies, sent a letter to new EPA Administrator LEE ZELDIN calling for “‘swift and sustained action’ to roll back new limits on both greenhouse gas emissions and coal ash produced by power plants," reports Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times. If this request is met, it may further contaminate groundwater and impact the two million Florida customers that rely on Duke Energy for power.

PINK COCAINE’S IMPACT IN FLORIDA — Pink cocaine, also known as “tusi,” has been linked to a growing number of overdose deaths in Miami-Dade County, reports Diamond Walker and Ana Goñi-Lessan of USA Today Network — Florida. Pink cocaine rarely contains traces of cocaine, but common ingredients used include ketamine, MDMA, methamphetamine, fentanyl and xylazine.

New Year. New Washington. New Playbook. With intensified congressional coverage and even faster delivery of policy scoops, POLITICO’s reimagined Playbook Newsletter ensures you’re always ahead of the conversation. Sign up today.

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

Vice President JD Vance speaks before swearing in Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, in the Vice Presidential Ceremonial Office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington.

The visit to Panama will be Rubio’s first international trip as President Donald Trump’s secretary of State. | Evan Vucci/AP

NO NEGOTIATING ON PANAMA CANAL — “Panama President José Raúl Mulino has a message for Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of his impending diplomatic visit: The Panama Canal is not up for discussion,” reports POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy and Ali Bianco.

“‘It’s impossible,’ Mulino said in Spanish at a press conference in Panama City on Thursday. ‘I cannot negotiate, and much less open a process of negotiation, over the canal. That’s sealed. The canal belongs to Panama.’”

TAMPA SCHOOLS PREPARE FOR IMMIGRATION RAIDS — Rumors on Facebook at Tampa have sparked fears over the presence of federal immigration agents near schools, reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek.

What districts are doing: “After researching their legal obligations, the districts this week sent schools memos stressing the need to preserve student privacy and respect parents' rights even as they comply with the law.”

— “‘Outrageous.’ Trump administration move to scale back protections for Venezuelans in U.S. sparks concern in South Florida,” by Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

— “Is your Miami or FLL flight affected by the plane crash? What to know about delays,” by Vinod Sreeharsha of the Miami Herald.

CAMPAIGN MODE

TUCKER POUNCES — TUCKER CARLSON called DeSantis a “pure puppet of [his] biggest donors” on air, reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski, hammering him specifically on a hate speech law DeSantis signed in Israel in 2023 and the governor’s “flip flops on Ukraine.”

COUNTY FLIPS RED — The Republican Party of Florida announced on X that Hillsborough County has flipped from blue to red. “The edge is narrow — a difference of just 156 voters — but it’s there, and it’s been trending in that direction for quite some time,” reports Florida Politics’ Janelle Irwin Taylor.

DATELINE D.C.

TRUMP SEQUEL — “Broward’s members of Congress, who represent the most Democratic territory in the state, are facing a strategic and moral quandary as they try to figure out how to operate in a political environment dominated by Trump and a Republican-controlled national government,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “Their choice: make nice and cooperate — or fight like hell?”

NEW ASSIGNMENT — Freshman Rep. MIKE HARIDOPOLOS (R-Fla.) has been named chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

MOTION — “Florida’s lawsuit over Trump attempted assassination investigation paused by judge,” reports News Service of Florida. “A federal judge has paused a lawsuit filed in October by then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody alleging that the U.S. Department of Justice had improperly prevented the state from investigating an alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

BIRTHDAYS: National security adviser and former Rep. Michael Waltz … Jossie Barroso, communications director for Florida Senate Democrats … Ryan Ray, chair of Leon County Democratic Party … former Rep. Gwen Graham … (Saturday) State Rep. Chuck Brannan … Former state Sen. Oscar Braynon … Matt Moon, managing director at Narrative Strategies.