A.G. Gancarski
State Sen. Audrey Gibson said goodbye to the Florida Senate Monday, and looked back on some of the changes over the years in an interview conducted before the final Sine Die hankie drop.
The Jacksonville Democrat has seen more than most, having been in office under four Governors, all Republican: Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist, Rick Scott, and incumbent Ron DeSantis. She was first elected to the House in 2002, then went to the Senate eight years later.
Gibson noted that, for the most part, the identity of the chief executive in the state didn’t concern her too much.
“I didn’t concern myself with who the Governor was,” the Jacksonville Democrat stated. “My policy was focused on constituents, both in my district and across the state.”
When pressed, she noted differences between the Governors, and a seeming decline in quality.
“Jeb was education-focused,” Gibson said, noting that his focus on education issues and hers somewhat diverged.
Crist, now a Democrat, was focused on “restoration of felons’ rights, criminal justice,” issues that resonated with the Senator, who herself has a degree in criminology.
Rick Scott proved more inscrutable.
“I’m not sure what he stood for,” Gibson said, noting his focus on “jobs” rhetorically.
DeSantis, meanwhile, elicited stronger opinions, with Gibson saying he has “pivoted” and “turned” from where he started, driven by “aspirations to become President.”
“He’s a hollow man,” Gibson said, with “not much of a heart.”
Concern about people who need help, Gibson added, is “sometimes lost on this Governor.”
“The focus is solely on him,” Gibson said, suggesting that the Governor’s penchant for personal branding comes at the expense of good public policy
The strategy has worked, Gibson noted, with the Senate itself seeking “to appease the Governor way too much” and sacrificing independence, carrying several “horrible” bills at the behest of DeSantis’ 2022 playbook,
Gibson noted that the Senate is still better off than the House despite changes in “temperament” over the years, with more “tempered behavior” on the floor, and more cohesion among Democrats.
“I’m not sure that they have conversations in the Democratic caucus in the House,” Gibson said, a slam at seeming disorganization on the House side.
Speaking of conversations, the Jacksonville Democrat voted for the Congressional redistricting map that includes a Duval-only Congressional District 5, replacing the current east/west configuration.
That map is an apparent non-starter for DeSantis, who opposes a North Florida Minority Access District of any type. But Gibson suggested it would have been an interesting map even if not as guaranteed for Black Democrats as the benchmark map in place currently.
“It can work definitely” if Democrats were able to “cobble together a coalition,” including Black and Hispanic Democrats, she said.
Otherwise, she said, there was the “potential of lessening voices of the minority community.”
