Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. State Rep. MIKE CARUSO’s legislative aide entered his office Monday morning, only to discover that his boss’ belongings had been moved to another office on a different floor. House Speaker DANNY PEREZ’s office published a terse memo that morning stating that Caruso, a Republican of Delray Beach, had been stripped of his position as chair of the Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee and replaced by state Rep. CHIP LAMARCA (R-Lighthouse Point). According to Caruso, nobody outside of his staff reached out to let him know about the change in office or position. Last week, Caruso was the only Republican state House member to vote against the TRUMP Act, the illegal immigration bill Gov. RON DESANTIS has skewered as “weak” and that’s led to a fiery GOP showdown in Tallahassee. Another member, state Rep. JOHN TEMPLE (R-Wildwood) voted “yes,” but later wrote on X that he regretted the decision. Temple’s office was also relocated Monday morning. Despite the changes, Caruso insisted in an interview with POLITICO’s Isa Domínguez that he would “dig in deeper” and “continue to work with the governor to put forth the legislation that he thinks is in the best interest of Floridians.” “I lost my chair. I lost my office. I'm probably gonna lose other stuff. It's retaliatory,” he told POLITICO. “I'm not gonna let it stop me. I don't care about that stuff. I'm here for the people of Florida.” The speaker’s office provided Playbook with a copy of the memo when asked to explain the office moves. Perez was at the White House on Monday with other elected officials to celebrate the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup win. His spokesperson, AMELIA ANGLETON, said she wasn’t aware of any additional meetings for the speaker while he was in town, and Florida Senate President BEN ALBRITTON and his staff stayed in Tallahassee for committee week, his office confirmed. Back in Tallahassee, the posture in the governor’s office Monday morning appeared to have shifted. DeSantis took a decidedly more conciliatory tone during a press conference, even teasing a potential deal in the works. There have been “great discussions,” DeSantis said, though he didn’t elaborate. His office told Playbook to “stay tuned.” “I do think we're going to be united on this issue, and then we can move forward,” DeSantis said. Just last week, the governor threatened to use his political committee to primary members of the Legislature who supported the TRUMP Act. But then, on Monday, DeSantis called the dispute an “aberration” and credited the Legislature’s work with him and the conservative accomplishments they made together for having influenced voters to register Republican in Florida. “People do respond to that leadership,” he said. “And while I am the most well-known of all the folks up here, the reality is that the Legislature has had a huge role to play in that.” It’s not clear what’ll happen next, but several other Republican Florida lawmakers were at the White House on Monday during the Stanley Cup festivities, including State Sens. JOE GRUTERS of Sarasota and RANDY FINE of Melbourne Beach as well as state Rep. JUAN CARLOS PORRAS of Miami. The members have been among a core group to oppose DeSantis in the illegal immigration legislative fight. One person familiar with the Washington visit, granted anonymity to discuss private meetings, said state lawmakers met separately with White House senior staff to discuss illegal immigration. — Isa Domínguez and Kimberly Leonard 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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