| | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | 
One GOP consultant told Playbook that Desantis had “every intention of trying to slow the Byron momentum." | Charlie Neibergall/AP | Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Gov. RON DESANTIS has been doing everything he can to copy and aid President DONALD TRUMP’s agenda. But that doesn’t mean he’s also supporting Trump’s endorsements. While fielding questions in Tampa on Monday, DeSantis all but said Trump-endorsed Rep. BYRON DONALDS would not be his top choice to succeed him in the governor’s mansion. He also downplayed Donalds’ contributions to Florida — even though Donalds prepped him for his 2018 gubernatorial debate and spoke at his 2022 reelection victory party. Donalds, DeSantis said, “hasn’t been a part of any of the victories that we have had here over the left over these last years.” DeSantis even criticized Donalds for missing votes in the House — an apparent reference to how he may have used proxy voting — and over the fact he’d campaigned in other states. “OK, but then deliver results up there,” DeSantis said. “That’s what I want to see. … We deliver here all the time.” The governor also reiterated the fact that he planned to raise money for the person he sees as the best fit for the state’s top job, someone he envisions as a leader who would double down on his record. He warned a Republican who thought the state could run on “autopilot” risked taking it backwards. “Are you going to be somebody who is going to fight for people, especially when it’s not easy?” DeSantis said. “Have you been willing to get in and get involved in these big battles that we have had and have won?” To top it all off, DeSantis predicted that if Florida first lady CASEY DESANTIS were to run, she would win by a bigger margin than his 2022 landslide and called her someone who had “intestinal fortitude” and a “dedication to conservative principles.” He then told a story about having dinner with the late RUSH LIMBAUGH, saying he’d been impressed with Casey DeSantis’ conservative bona fides and relaying the commentator told him: “The only person I would rather have as my governor is her.” The comments show not just how DeSantis would go after Donalds but how he plans to message his favored choice, or at least the messages he’s testing out in the very earliest stages of the race. (Casey DeSantis made similar comments during a speech on Friday, per Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski.) This follows reporting from POLITICO’s Gary Fineout that the governor and Casey DeSantis urged donors to keep their options open in the race and had planned on talking to Trump about it. One GOP consultant told Playbook that DeSantis had “every intention of trying to slow the Byron momentum” and said DeSantis was on a plane to DC when Trump endorsed Donalds over Truth Social. Those in Donalds’ corner rolled their eyes at the governor’s comments. TONY FABRIZIO, whose firm got hired by Donalds’ political operation earlier this year, told Playbook that Trump’s endorsement was the “most sought after and valuable” not just in Florida but in the U.S. "Two years ago, Ron DeSantis was thought to be the golden child of the GOP and deemed to be its savior,” he said. “Today, after getting thumped by President Trump, he is a lame duck governor whose legislature thumbs their nose at him and he couldn't even beat Steve Bannon in this past weekend's CPAC straw poll.” Another longtime GOP operative, granted anonymity to speak candidly, had a similar reaction. “Ron DeSantis and Casey DeSantis need to get in line with President Trump and the MAGA movement, which has turned the state of Florida and the entire nation red,” the person said. “They should not betray President Trump and the movement a second time.” Asked about the governor's comments, Donalds replied in a statement that he was "proud" to have the president's "complete and total endorsement." WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis has a press conference at 10 a.m. with Florida Department of Transportation secretary Jared Perdue. 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.
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DeSantis said his pick for chief financial officer will come after the legislative session, which ends May 2. | Lynne Sladky/AP | THE DESANTIS TIMELINE — The governor said during a press conference Monday that he wouldn’t make a selection for lieutenant governor anytime soon, and added his pick for chief financial officer would come after the legislative session, which ends May 2. “I want to be able to watch how different people are able to perform in the next couple of weeks, some in the Legislature, some out of the Legislature,” he said. The special election for the congressional seat that CFO JIMMY PATRONIS is running for is April 1, and he’s set to resign a day earlier. DOGE, FLORIDA STYLE — “DeSantis, inspired by Elon Musk’s DOGE budget slashing in Washington, proposed sweeping audits Monday to root out possible excessive spending in state universities and local governments,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “The GOP governor called for creating a ‘statewide DOGE task force’ aimed at eliminating ‘bureaucratic bloat’ by targeting hundreds of state-funded positions on dozens of state boards and commissions. In many cases, these proposals are likely to require consideration from the state Legislature, creating a significant new issue for this year's session starting next week.” NEXT WEEK — From condo safety to school start times, here are 10 things to watch in the legislative session, reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. FLORIDA FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT OVER CHANGES IN DISABILITY LAW — “Florida is one of 17 states suing the federal government over changes to disability law made by the Biden administration, and parents and advocates fear the legal battle could have ‘catastrophic’ results for some students with disabilities,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Walker. More than a million students across the country with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and asthma — who are able to receive accommodations in school under federal law — are at the risk of losing this support if the lawsuit succeeds. STOLEN — “Five Florida residents worked together to steal more than a million dollars from the retirement accounts of school district employees in the Sunshine State, federal prosecutors said,” by the Miami Herald’s Julia Marnin. “One of the individuals involved, Ronald Vargas, worked for the company that oversaw their 401(k) accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.” LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — State Sen. BLAISE INGOGLIA (R-Spring Hill) introduced legislation to raise Florida’s homestead exemption by $75,000 — and to have it increase with inflation — beginning in 2027. … State Rep. KAREN GONZALEZ PITTMAN (R-Tampa) filed a bill that would prohibit health insurers from increasing drug costs during the policy year, reports Florida Politics’ Andrew Powell. … State Sen. DARRYL ROUSON (D-St. Petersburg) filed legislation that would create a program intended to equip students with conflict resolution skills and reduce classroom violence, reports Florida Politics’ Andrew Powell. … Rep. VICKI LOPEZ (R-Miami) filed legislation that would end Citizens coverage on condo buildings that don’t comply with new safety laws, per Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald.
| | | | Donald Trump's unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we're relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. | | | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | RINGLING’S HOME — A group called Citizens to Protect the Ringling is pushing back against DeSantis’ plan to shift oversight of Sarasota’s John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art from Florida State University to New College of Florida, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. In an open letter, the group wrote the move would be “costly to our community and the state” and “bring protracted lawsuits by donors or others.” SEEKING HELP FROM IMMIGRATION LAWYERS — “Business is booming for immigration lawyers throughout South Florida, but some are warning potential clients to watch out for impostors looking to take advantage of a political climate that has thousands living day to day in fear,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda. “Immigrants with questionable legal status who want to stay in the United States are turning to immigration lawyers by the thousands, desperate to count themselves as exceptions to Trump’s plans for mass deportation.” — “Florida sheriffs gear up to help federal officers with enforcement, removal of undocumented immigrants,” by Dara Kam of News Service of Florida. AFTER PARKLAND — “The teacher in room 1214,” by The New York Times’ Emily Baumgaertner Nunn. “Last summer, [Ivy] Schamis sat on the patio of a Mexican restaurant in Washington, recounting that day in 2018. Her German shepherd, Sayde, sprawled beneath her chair. All these years later, she still seemed uneasy. ‘That’s what keeps me up at night, thinking I was the only adult in there,’ she said.” — “Orlando Pulse nightclub memorial could finally be completed by the end of 2027,” reports McKenna Schueler of Orlando Weekly.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | TODAY — Equal Ground, a Black-led civic engagement nonprofit, is holding its virtual “Take the Lead” training series on civic activities. State Reps. FELECIA ROBINSON (D-Miami Gardens) and JERVONTE EDMONDS (D-West Palm Beach) will talk about what to expect in the session. PALM BEACH COUNTY RACE — State Rep. JOE CASELLO (D-Boynton Beach) is running for Palm Beach County’s commission board, for the seat that'll be term limited by GREGG WEISS, reports Mike Diamond of the Palm Beach Post. He will run against current West Palm Beach City Commissioner JOSEPH PEDUZZI.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | RUBIO’S NEW JOB — “As Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of the ‘incredible opportunities’ to partner with Vladimir Putin’s Russia if a peace deal to end his invasion of Ukraine is achieved, the Russian leader was sending hundreds of thousands of oil barrels to Cuba, offering a lifeline to a regime Rubio, a Cuban American from Florida, had just recently called ‘an enemy of humanity,’” reports Nora Gámez Torres of the Miami Herald. Since MARCO RUBIO took office, “he’s had to accommodate or stay silent about actions taken by the Trump administration that appear to go against his deep-rooted beliefs and fiery comments he has made on democracy and human rights while in the U.S. Senate and on social media.” — “Rubio has agreed to deposit political papers to UF Libraries,” reports UF News’ Brittany Sylvestri.
| | DATELINE D.C. | | | 
Rep. Aaron Bean is holding a press conference at 2:15 p.m. about the congressional DOGE Caucus, which he chairs. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | TODAY — Rep. AARON BEAN (R-Fla.) is holding a press conference at 2:15 p.m. about the congressional DOGE Caucus, which he chairs. ‘NO PHYSICAL ALTERCATION’ — “Rep. Cory Mills continues to push back against allegations he assaulted a woman last week,” reports Hailey Fuchs of POLITICO. “In an interview at the Capitol on Monday evening, Mills emphasized that both he and the alleged victim — who POLITICO is declining to name as a possible target of domestic violence — denied that any assault took place.”
| | TRANSITION TIME | | NEW REPORTING TEAM — “Have questions about state government? The new 'Your Florida' team can help,” by WUSF’s Stephanie Colombini. The editor on the new project is WUSF reporter STEPHANIE COLOMBINI. Also on the project is state government reporter DOUGLAS SOULE, who previously worked for USA Today Network — Florida, and MEGHAN BOWMAN, who will be a community engagement reporter. — JOSSIE BARROSO is the new communications director with Florida Voices for Health, a nonprofit health advocacy group. Barroso previously did communications work for the Harris-Walz campaign, was the spokesperson for Florida state Senate Democrats, and before that was a state government reporter with The Florida Channel.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Darren Soto … Carlos Trujillo, Continental Strategy founder and president and former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States … Public Service Commissioner Mike La Rosa … NBC News’ Matt Dixon. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | |
