Blaise Ingoglia to head Ron DeSantis political committee

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The move comes ahead of a likely run for President by DeSantis.

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is taking the helm of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ state-level political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, Division of Elections records show.

The Spring Hill Republican takes over from Robert Watkins, who owns a Tampa-based accounting firm, along with his wife, Nancy, that handles campaign finance record-keeping for several GOP candidates. Nancy Watkins remains Treasurer of the committee.

“It is an honor to serve as chairman of this political committee — we will continue to be a pro-parent, pro-student organization committed to protecting parental rights and advancing the Freedom Agenda,” Ingoglia said in a released statement.

“The reality is America is at a crossroads. Day in and day out, our students are falling victim to a system focused on indoctrination, and parents are being villainized for standing up for their children. Change does not come about by standing idly; it requires action. This political committee will put children first, bolster and protect parental rights in education, and it will focus on electing the right candidates fighting to safeguard our kids from woke and divisive material in our classrooms. I look forward to helping get these candidates across the finish line.”

The move comes ahead of a transition period for DeSantis, who is poised to officially become a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2024, and could be seen as a step toward that end.

The committee has $85.8 million in cash on hand as of April 30, according to campaign finance records. Most observers believe the funds are likely to transition to a federal political action committee that could help DeSantis’ campaign for President.

But the money can’t be directly transferred as long as DeSantis is associated with the committee, and the move to put Ingoglia as Chairman and the associated person with the committee keeps the Governor at a step removed from the committee.

Ingoglia is a former House member who was elected to the Senate in 2022. He was also the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida from 2015 to 2019, helping the party raise money and set out a strategy resulting in GOP victories in nearly every statewide election during that time. Nikki Fried’s win by 5,000 votes in the 2018 Agriculture Commission election was the only exception.

Ingoglia also carried several important bills that were part of DeSantis’ legislative agenda.

The Regular Session ended on Friday, but DeSantis has already signed three Ingoglia-sponsored bills: SB 256, banning teachers’ unions from automatically deducting dues from members’ paychecks; SB 1604, a land use bill that includes a provision aimed at nullifying the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board’s deal to keep control of the Disney-owned district in the entertainment giant’s hands; and SB 450, which lowers the threshold for a jury to recommend a death sentence from a unanimous decision to only requiring eight out of 12 jurors. He also sponsored two other priority bills for DeSantis, SB 1718, cracking down on illegal immigration and HB 7063, the $1.3 billion tax cut package that haven’t been signed yet.

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8 comments

Rob Desantos
May 9, 2023 at 1:30 pm

Blaze Imbroglio To Continue Residing In The Crack In Florida Governor’s Backside
Rob Desantos
May 9, 2023 at 1:34 pm

When GOP insiders and donors are criticizing the Desanctus team as “rookies” this is exactly what they’re talking about. All his unqualified yes-men are not going to win this guy the White House.
ScienceBLVR
May 9, 2023 at 1:35 pm

Whoa Nelly, isn’t this the Ingoglia who wants to cancel the Democratic Party? What a buffoon! And this Spring Hill anti teacher anti education Nazi is who DeSantis selects to run anything? I guess the predictions about Ron’s losing national political campaign will prove to be accurate with this guy’s hand on the wheel. Certainly not ready for prime time.
- Blaise Ingoglia is an absolute moron.
  May 9, 2023 at 2:32 pm
  
  Yep, same idiot.
  
  He also wrote that bill that DeSantis just signed that attempts to undo what Disney did in their public hearing regarding Reedy Creek.
  
  Apparently you can get elected in Florida now without a single shred of knowledge about the the Constitution. Otherwise he’d be familiar with the Contracts Clause in the US Constitution that forbids exactly what he has tried to do.
  
  Genuinely curious, but does Blaise Ingoglia even have a high school diploma?
  - Rob Desantos
    May 9, 2023 at 2:54 pm
    
    He definitely doesn’t have a college degree, as a 2-time dropout. He is the embodiment of brown-nosing one’s way to success in the Florida Republican party.
Blaise Ingoglia is an absolute moron.
May 9, 2023 at 2:11 pm

This man is literally the dumbest elected official in Florida.
No hyperbole. He’s an actual low IQ imbecile.

I would have said he’s the dumbest elected official in the United States, but Marjorie Taylor Greene & Lauren Boebert are the top nominees for that title.
Ocean Joe
May 9, 2023 at 5:55 pm

Where is Earl Pitts to debunk these attacks?
Imbroglio is malicious. No better choice, except for maybe Randy Fine.
tom palmer
May 9, 2023 at 5:55 pm

He’s a good fit for DeSantis