DeSantis reroutes $10M to wife Charity

from the article

Amid the fallout, the DeSantises have grown increasingly isolated. Donors, fundraisers and operatives are fleeing their orbit, and at the moment, few in Florida politics seem willing to sign up for another campaign with the couple. Multiple people have turned down positions in a potential gubernatorial campaign, according to two sources who remain in contact with the governor’s remaining team.

“These days, I can’t tell the difference between being their friend and their enemy,” a longtime Republican operative once close to the governor told CNN.

Even among their remaining allies, there is a growing sense that Casey shouldn’t announce a bid until the cloud hanging over the couple is lifted, though few people are willing to share those sentiments directly with them. Earlier this year, Ryan Tyson, the pollster for DeSantis’ presidential campaign, gave the couple a blunt assessment of the hurdles Casey would face in trying to extend their political dynasty, according to one of the sources.

“It wasn’t well received,” the person said, “and no one has tried to give them advice since.”

 

'You see falls in politics — but not like this': DeSantis’ star imploding amid fraud scandal

"Be careful how you treat people on the way up because you may encounter the same people on the way down," said Curt Anderson, veteran consultant and top adviser to DeSantis' predecessor, Rick Scott, reports Axios. "... You see falls in politics, but not like this. It's stark. It's fast. It's a made-for-TV movie. Let's not forget: He was ahead of Trump in polling in 2022 and would've run against [President Biden or Vice President Harris] and won."

But Axios reports DeSantis' stumble “began with his failed presidential primary bid against Donald Trump last year,” and his “vindictive and pugilistic style of politics left him further isolated in the Florida Capitol” at a time when he really needs allies.

Mere months ago, Desantis’ wife Casey DeSantis was considering a bid to succeed her husband as governor, but her state-backed charity, Hope Florida, is now enmeshed in a scandal after the charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider days before the charity sent that same amount to two DeSantis’-favored political groups.

In Mississippi, a Republican governor’s name can be on text messages involving the misuse of welfare money without that governor being charged or investigated. But in Florida, House Republicans and independent observers are openly alleging DeSantis’ arrangement amounted to an illegal siphoning of Medicaid funds.

 

Feud between DeSantis and Florida House speaker flares up over governor’s promise to veto sales tax plan

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) promised to veto tax relief legislation spearheaded by Florida Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez as a battle of wills between the two men plays out in the public eye yet again.

The pair’s latest dispute centers on deep disagreements over whether to focus on slashing property taxes or sales taxes. Although DeSantis has expressed support for cutting the sales tax, he favors cutting $5 billion in property taxes first, promising Floridians could see roughly $1,000 in savings. Perez wants to prioritize lowering the state’s sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, amounting to roughly $1.6 billion in total tax cuts, a move DeSantis believes would primarily benefit tourists, or “foreigners, visitors, [and] part-time residents," as nearly 20% of Florida's sales tax revenue comes from out-of-state visitors.

Perez has plowed ahead with the sales tax approach. However, after he led the legislature over the weekend in crafting an agreement making “the largest tax cut in the history of Florida,” DeSantis poured cold water on the plan.

During a Wednesday roundtable in Tampa, the governor slammed the agreement as a “Florida last tax package,” promising voters it would be “dead on arrival.”

 

The Walls Are Closing in on Ron DeSantis

“The charity received $10 million in secret settlement money from a Medicaid provider just days before the charity sent that same amount to two political groups favored by the DeSantises,” Axios said of the scandal.

Also, per the Axios story, DeSantis’ 2024 campaign, as well as his “vindictive and pugilistic style of politics,” has left the governor with many enemies in his home state, even within his own party.

"There was a time when every Republican in the nation wanted to have a beer with Ron DeSantis," said one person quoted in the Axios story, given the hilarious description of “one Republican who still likes him.”

"The problem is that the governor didn't act like he wanted to have a beer with them, and it showed.”