Anti-Ron DeSantis group says he’s ‘abandoning our state to advance his own political ambitions’

"Absentee Governor" DeSantis Watch
The group hits the Governor over his expected schedule packed with events while running for President.

On the eve of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ announcement that he’s entering the presidential race, his fiercest critics are teeing up a video arguing there’s one thing he won’t be doing: working effectively as Florida’s Governor.

DeSantis Watch, a partnership between Florida Watch and Progress Florida, released “Absentee Governor” on their social accounts slagging the Governor for running for higher office while his constituents must show up for work. The group also hit DeSantis for giving speeches while parts of the state flooded out.

The Governor thinks he’s above the law, a narrator intones, after explaining that DeSantis and his “rubber stamps in the Florida Legislature” are changing the “resign to run” law (SB 7050) to make clear that he won’t have to leave the Governor’s Mansion as he pursues the White House.

“How can the Governor of more than 22 million people spend a year and a half crisscrossing the country and serve the people of Florida?” the narrator asks rhetorically as freeze frames of some of DeSantis’ most animated expressions flash. “He can’t.”

Photos of the Governor, purportedly on the out-of-state campaign trail and standing in confetti, are interspersed with scenes that appear to be from the mid-April disaster DeSantis did not don white boots to show up to. Fort Lauderdale was dealing with record rainfall and flooding that left an estimated $100 million in destruction in its path while DeSantis was on a swing through Ohio.

“While Floridians work hard to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, Ron DeSantis is abandoning our state to advance his own political ambitions,” said Natasha Sutherland, DeSantis Watch constituencies director, in a news release accompanying the video.

“The people of our state are being crushed by Ron DeSantis’ affordability crisis and they deserve better than an absentee Governor looking to run away from the problems he has created,” she added.

Descending notes on a piano get louder as the video wraps up and the screen goes black, except for the DeSantis Watch logo.

“Ron DeSantis continues to focus on his political ambitions while ignoring the needs of everyday Floridians. We deserve elected leaders who show up for their job, just like the rest of us,” the narrator wraps up, with a note of scorn.

Anne Geggis

Anne Geggis is a South Florida journalist who began her career in Vermont and has worked at the Sun-Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal and the Gainesville Sun covering government issues, health and education. She was a member of the Sun-Sentinel team that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Parkland high school shooting. You can reach her on Twitter @AnneBoca or by emailing [email protected].


16 comments

  • Dr. Franklin Waters

    May 23, 2023 at 7:21 pm

    The damage he’s done will take a generation to repair.

    • Impeach Biden

      May 23, 2023 at 7:28 pm

      Where did you get that online degree from Dr? You friends with the other fake Dr Biden?🤣

      • Earl Pitts American

        May 23, 2023 at 7:58 pm

        Good tag on the Evil Dr. Frankenstein there IB.
        The evil Dr. Frankenstein’s business of cutting off little kid’s genitals has slowed to the point he’s got pleanty of time to jump in, post his evil screed, then try to round up more kids to mutulate. The man’s a true leftist monster.

        • Peggy

          May 24, 2023 at 1:10 pm

          You raped a kid Earl so GFY.
          You have no right to call anybody “Evil”.

          You deserve to be locked up for life.

      • Impeach Biden

        May 23, 2023 at 10:48 pm

        I got my degree from Sarasota Clown College, bye the way.

        I paid my own way by selling pics of my feet online.

  • Earl Pitts American

    May 23, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    Good evening America,
    This “Group” the article speaks of is just a couple of dook 4 brains lefties with a few RINO’s sprinkled in. The “Group” is totally irrelevant and the article is another panicked dook 4 brains media attempt to influnce public opinion.
    But all Republucans and White Suburban Housewives and Real Blacks along with 89.68% of Hispanics are voting Desantis due to the Biden epic failure.
    But wait theres more: America, lend me, Earl Pitts American, your ears. Due to the Biden epic fail, there has been created out of necessaty a new and very powerful class of voters.
    I, Earl Pitts American gave it the name “DINO’s”. For those of you thick heads it means DEMOCRAT IN NAME ONLY. These are a large swath of Registared Democrats who can no longer go along with their parties failures and dividing of the country. However they still like to identify as Democrats. But they will not be voting Democrat in the final election. They will march into their polling place im great numbers and vote Desantis iin order to save our great nation.
    I, Earl Pitts American have named this new class of voters “THE BIG DINO WAVE”. Remember America, you heard it here first. Undisputable wisdom from Earl Pitts American’s mouth into your brain. I, Earl Pitts Ametican, will lead this plucky group of unlikely Hero DINO’s forward to the greatest political victory the world has or will ever know, at least until The Trumpet sounds and us good kids get taken up into Heaven. Below are a few lines of our great new Marching On To Vote Song:
    “Onward DINO Solders Marching As To War. With The Cross Of Jesus Going On Before”!!!!! “DINO’s March For Earl Not Biden Any More” Earl And His DINO’s Going Off To War”.
    Hey I, Earl Pitts American, just made that great song up. Earl and his DINO’s will be singing my, Earl Pitts American’s, great new song as we march in mostly peacefull groups to vote!!!
    Thank you America,
    Earl Pitts “Creater And Leader Of The Big DINO Wave” American

    • WhatNow

      May 23, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      – Take your meds, dude…

      • Earl Pitts American

        May 23, 2023 at 8:03 pm

        Thank you Smelliott for posing as some doosh bag “WhatNow” to inject your wacky leftist dook 4 brains fake leftist insults in order to make me, Earl Pitts American, appear to be even more wise to all the readers. Works every time!
        Keep up the great work Smelliott!
        Earl Pitts “Your Boss” American

        • President Joseph Biden

          May 23, 2023 at 8:14 pm

          You poor Christian Nazi. Good night, The Villages.

          • Earl Pitts American

            May 23, 2023 at 8:34 pm

            Good evening Joe,
            I, Earl Pitts American, got your coded message that your Presidental budget has hit rock bottom due to inflation, over spending, and a general failure to budget and that as a result you have ran out of the “Grampers” brand of Adult Diapers.
            Yes Joe I am sending another car over with several cases of your favorite “Grampers” Adult Diapers. No you wont need to pay me Joe. I, Earl Pitts American, am glad to pay out of my, Earl Pitts American’s own pocket to provide your favorite “Grampers” brand of Adult Diapers at no charge out of respect for the office of The Presidency.
            You’re welcome Joe,
            Earl Pitts Ametican

        • Earl Pitts is a Pedophile

          May 24, 2023 at 2:32 pm

          Earl Pitts is a Pedo.

  • SteveHC

    May 23, 2023 at 7:52 pm

    Wait… Ron DeSantis “abandoning” the citizens of the “good State of Florida” (as they sa) to advance his own political ambitions? Oh NO! Can it really be true? 😱 Who wouldda thought… !
    lol

    • Earl Pitts American

      May 23, 2023 at 8:21 pm

      Good evening SteveHC,
      I, Earl Pitts American spanked your dum @55 pretty badly earlier today. I’m supprised you are even able to post yet another dook 4 brains comment this soon after the rightous spanking you took from me, Earl Pitts American.
      (Note from Earl to Earl:
      “Spank this dook 4 brains, SteveHC, much more painfully in the future”).
      Thank you SteveHC,
      Earl Pitts American

  • Earl Pitts is a Pedophile

    May 23, 2023 at 10:54 pm

    I hope it hurts when the state of Florida puts you in the gas chamber for your crimes against children, Earl.

    DeSantis signed a law that allows the state to kill people like you now.

  • Dont Say FLA

    May 24, 2023 at 7:41 am

    Can’t really say Rhonda is throwing Florida under the bus for his political ambitions. Rhonda banned the bus because it might transport a Mexican from point A to point B, with point B not B’ing Martha’s Vineyard as in the “Except Rhonda” clause of Rhonda’s law prohibiting transport of humans that do not carry documents of approval from the jurisdictional authorities for their existence in spacetime. Ergo, Rhonda is “abandoning” Florida because Florida miss the bus.

  • To Be Fair

    May 24, 2023 at 8:21 am

    To be fair, Rhonda put his anti-Disney squad buddy’s wifey on the Supreme Court of Florida because he already knows Disney will win their lawsuits against him. Rhonda thinks his buddy’s wife being on the Supreme Court of Florida is a good strategery for his widdlg battle with Disney that he just confessed via this appointment that he knows he’s already lost. That’s all personal, not his Presidential lambitions.

Comments are closed.


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