| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Isa Domínguez | | 
Giving Simpson a post like what the Legislature is proposing would help him assert hardline immigration positions. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP | Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Florida Senate President BEN ALBRITTON’s and state House Speaker DANNY PEREZ’s defiant actions on illegal immigration Monday put an end to Gov. RON DESANTIS’ era of calling all the shots in Tallahassee. But their actions also created a big win for someone else at the upper echelons of Florida politics: Agriculture Commissioner WILTON SIMPSON. The GOP leaders’ legislation, set for passage through both chambers by today, created the job of “immigration czar,” which would make the elected agriculture commissioner Florida’s official liaison between federal, state and local law enforcement officials on the issue. The irony of choosing Simpson: Everyone knows he has an icy relationship with DeSantis, whose initial proposal would have created an immigration czar position, but under the authority of his office. The dig is doubly important, given Simpson is widely viewed as eyeing a run for governor in 2026. Simpson demurred several times when asked in a recent News Service of Florida’s “Deeper Dive” podcast with Dara Kam whether or not he was running for governor. But he also underscored just how important Trump’s endorsement would be in the race. And, in what now can clearly be viewed as foreshadowing, he spent most of the interview talking about immigration and why he supported Trump’s positions. Giving Simpson a post like what the Legislature is proposing would help him assert hardline immigration positions. And it’s coming at a time when Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), a key election surrogate for Trump, seems to be making moves toward a gubernatorial run. Giving Simpson a boost is not the officially given reason for the move, of course. State Rep. LAWRENCE MCCLURE (R-Dover), who sponsored the House version of the legislation, pointed out that DeSantis hadn’t yet appointed anyone to fill the job of chief financial officer that JIMMY PATRONIS will soon be leaving due to his congressional bid, POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie reported. The attorney general job also hasn’t been filled since ASHLEY MOODY was tapped for the U.S. Senate, though DeSantis has said publicly that he intends to tap his chief of staff, JAMES UTHMEIER. That leaves agriculture commissioner as the only Cabinet-level position filled with a veteran official. “We need a singular point of focus in the state government for coordinating immigration,” Perez said on the chamber floor. “We need an agency with broader reach in the state, and experience working with the federal government and law enforcement.” Responding over social media, DeSantis questioned the legality of shifting the liaison power to Simpson, saying it “puts the fox in charge of the hen house” because “agriculture hasn’t exactly been known for immigration enforcement.” (The quote seems to take a swipe at how much farmers use migrant labor, and is doubly sharp given that Simpson is an egg farmer.) Legislative leaders clapped back, saying the governor would retain emergency powers and noting that the Agriculture Department had its own sworn law enforcement officers. Simpson welcomed the Legislature's proposal. As Bruce reported, Simpson said on X that legislative leaders were “working to ensure [Trump] has the support and resources to get the job done here in the Sunshine State.” DeSantis has been insinuating he’ll veto the legislation once it hits his desk. But the Legislature could still override him. It’s all politically risky as both sides try to claim to be in Trump’s corner on the issue. Trump himself hasn’t said anything about the Florida political drama since Jan. 14. And keeping everyone guessing is a repost that POLITICO’s Gary Fineout noticed from White House deputy chief of staff STEVEN MILLER, who shared the Legislature-driven bill before taking it down. 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 ... | | STILL IN THE IMMIGRATION BILL — “Florida moves to eliminate in-state college tuition break for Dreamers,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. About the price tag: “As an example of the cost difference, in-state tuition at the University of Florida runs $6,380 compared with $28,658 for out-of-state students.” ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR — Florida lawmakers did not take up DeSantis’ proposal to make it harder to create ballot amendments, reports John Kennedy of USA Today Network — Florida, and they also ignored his requests since September to revisit condo safety laws that have led to high fees for owners, reports Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald. FIGHTING FOR TRUMP APPROVAL — Amid the heated back and forth with the Legislature, DeSantis told supporters in a call Monday night that he’d spoken to Trump and to TOM HOMAN, the White House border czar, reports Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald. DON’T FORGET — DeSantis faces a looming deadline to put out his budget request by Sunday. The governor has typically rolled out his ideas in various press conferences, but it’s not clear what his strategy will be this time around amid the tug-of-war with the Legislature. His Monday schedule noted he had budget meetings in the morning.
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Florida state Senate President Ben Albritton. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | HOW THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS WENT — The state House and Senate held several committee meetings on Monday as they move to fast-track their illegal immigration measures through the Legislature. … From the law enforcement side: Pinellas County Sheriff BOB GUALTIERI told the Senate Committee on Appropriations that federal law already limits the powers that local and state law enforcement have when it comes to immigration. There are deputies assigned to jails in Clay, Collier, Duval and Hernando counties who are specially trained by ICE to investigate the immigration status of inmates who have already been brought into custody on unrelated crimes. Jailers can also refer inmates to ICE for immigration. “But there is no agency in the country that has anyone on the street or outside the jail,” Gualtieri said. “Their focus is on people who are already committing crimes.” Gualtieri told the Senate committee that implementing the immigration proposal would take time. For instance, there are only three ICE detention facilities in the state that already are nearly full. And the training program that county jailers have to complete before they can conduct ICE investigations has been mostly dormant since 2012. “Let’s crawl before we run a marathon,” Gualtieri said. “When we heave ho into this, where are we going to heave ho?” — Arek Sarkissian … What Democrats said: State House Democrats objected to and attempted to poke holes in the new-look immigration proposals during committee meetings, pushing back on the possible roll back of a tuition break of undocumented immigrants and the overall effort by Republicans. Democratic lawmakers contended that local law enforcement is already struggling to hire more staff, and the new policies will further strain those forces, something their constituents are against. “They do not want their law enforcement spending their time rounding up people who are sitting in churches or in neighborhoods or at their homes when we have all this crime going on in our community,” said state Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Weston Democrat. GOP leaders dismissed those complaints, stating that Florida voters are “extremely fed up and want us to take action.” “The notion that the citizens of this state and of this country are disinterested in the mass illegal migration that is coming to this country does not align objectively with the fact that we have a president who campaigned and is now in office specifically prioritizing that,” McClure said. — Andrew Atterbury
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Gruters said the bill would return without the language tied to hemp. | Phil Sears/AP | HOME GROW — State Sen. JOE GRUTERS (R-Sarasota) filed and then withdrew a bill Monday that sought to partly repeal Florida’s longstanding ban on growing cannabis at home and reintroduce tighter controls for hemp products that had been vetoed by DeSantis last year. On Monday night, Gruters said the bill would return without the language tied to hemp. SB 334 sought to allow certain medical marijuana patients who are at least 21 years old to grow cannabis at home. Each patient would have been allowed to grow two plants at home if they had a certification from the Florida agriculture commissioner. The bill also would have placed tighter restrictions on hemp, including making sure its packaging isn't enticing to kids, and a cap on the concentration of euphoric-inducing chemicals found in hemp products. When asked via text when he would file the home grow bill, Gruters said, “As soon as it’s ready.” Gruters and DeSantis crossed paths during last year’s election as the Republican governor fought to defeat a ballot initiative that sought to legalize marijuana use for people 21 and older. Gruters endorsed Amendment 3 on behalf of his Florida State University classmate, Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, whose company contributed money toward the legalization campaign. He also scored a key Trump endorsement of the measure. While campaigning against Amendment 3, DeSantis claimed the measure would ban people from growing marijuana at home — despite the state’s existing ban — and he also discussed legalizing home grow if voters rejected the measure. Amendment 3 failed to reach the required 60 percent threshold to pass. Gruters said saw no reason why DeSantis would reject the bill. “He ran ads and talked about it, so I would hope,” Gruters said in text. — Arek Sarkissian PROPERTY INSURANCE EXPANSION — “Another new property insurer has been approved by Florida regulators to offer coverage in the state — the 11th since the Legislature enacted reforms to shore up insurers’ bottom lines,” reports Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Mangrove Property Insurance, based in St. Petersburg, was approved on Jan. 15 by the Office of Insurance Regulation for a certificate of authority to operate within the state, the company announced Monday.” CITRUS HARVESTS DROP — Florida’s orange groves are expecting to yield 90 percent fewer oranges than they did 30 years ago, reports Teghan Simonton of the Tampa Bay Times. In response, scientists have developed a new tree variety that is capable of killing baby Asian citrus psyllids, insects responsible for infecting citrus trees.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | TODAY — Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts hold primary elections for the seats left vacant by former Reps. MATT GAETZ and MIKE WALTZ. While the general election won’t happen until April 1, Republicans in both races are expected to prevail in the deep-red seats. Trump has endorsed Florida Chief Financial Officer JIMMY PATRONIS and state Sen. RANDY FINE (R-Melbourne) for Districts 1 and 6, respectively. STATE ELECTION SPRINT — Five Republican candidates are running for the District 3 seat left vacant by JOEL RUDMAN, reports Tom McLaughlin of the Pensacola News Journal. DONDRE WISE is the single Democratic candidate vying for the seat. TALLAHASSEE MAYORAL RACE — Mayor JOHN DAILEY hasn’t publicly announced his bid for a third term but expressed privately that he plans to run again, reports Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | — “Elon Musk chooses Miami for Neuralink brain-implant research,” reports the Miami Herald’s Cindy Krischer Goodman. — “Florida coach Todd Golden cleared in Title IX investigation regarding sexual harassment allegations,” by The Associated Press’ Mark Long.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | GIMÉNEZ APPOINTED TO SMITHSONIAN BOARD — House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON appointed Rep. CARLOS GIMÉNEZ (R-Fla.) to the Smithsonian Board. Giménez said his goal was to ensure that “Hispanic, Cuban American and Cuban exile experiences are accurately portrayed and represented in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.”
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