Casey DeSantis says it would be ‘malpractice’ not to use ‘office’ to campaign against amendments

casey desantis copy
'It's not about me.'

Citizens’ initiatives have generally proceeded without elected leaders campaigning against them.

Until now.

Amid an ongoing media push from Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis to subvert campaigns for the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana initiative and the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, the First Lady explained her obligation to wade into the fight against recreational pot as part of the job.

“A lot of people will come to me, they’re like, ‘Why do you put yourself in the arena? Why do you get into these fights? Why do you do this?’ Because when you see something as bad as what amendment three represents and you sit on the sideline, knowing what they’re trying to do to our state and you don’t fight? I think it’s malpractice on behalf of this office (of) The First Lady,” Casey DeSantis said.

“It’s not about me,” DeSantis added. “It’s about what do you do with the office and the opportunity that you have presented for you to go and fight on behalf of the people of this state and the direction of the state as we go off into the future.”

The Governor’s Office has been criticized for engaging in efforts to subvert these amendments, including using at least $16 million in state resources and agencies in this last-ditch effort to stop the expansion of marijuana’s availability. That number refers to ad buys, not the soft costs of travel and security, which would only increase the burden on taxpayers.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


15 comments

  • Michael K

    October 30, 2024 at 12:21 pm

    Please.

    Neither of the DeSanti have any business using public funds to interfere with the citizen initiative process. The only malpractice is the abuse of power from the governor (and his wife).

    • White Spiteful Devil Rapist Trump

      October 31, 2024 at 8:37 pm

      Her married to an insecure ass man ,say a lot about her

  • Scott K Rineer MD MPH

    October 30, 2024 at 12:37 pm

    there is no abuse against state resources here in my humble opinion: Our Governor and his First Lady’s work in educating the citizens of this great state of Florida regarding anything as monumentally significant as the proposed Amendments (3 and 4) most certainly falls within official purview. Especially considering that amount of monies being spent (in the case of amendment 3 already >140 million USD, which included foreign and out of state funds), the $16 million of state resources is definitely just and appropriate.

    • Frankie M.

      October 30, 2024 at 10:09 pm

      If a Democrat was doing the same thing you’d by crying crocodile tears. Good job hypocrite.

    • JustBags

      October 31, 2024 at 5:17 pm

      The difference between a MAGAt and liberals. MAGAts think any corruption by their master should be allowed and they even want more of it, liberals don’t support corruption, regardless of a politician’s political party. Notice how fast we criticize and cull our own corrupt politicians. The MAGA Party doubles down on protecting their own criminals, including Desantis. I believe the cult craves the life of a serf, controlled by their masters.

    • jean solomon

      November 1, 2024 at 10:27 am

      the tax payers are paying for the desantis campaign agianst the amendment..they are not paying for the out of staters…thats the difference…..

  • Iowa Cost Me $7000 a Vote

    October 30, 2024 at 1:12 pm

    It would also be malpractice to pressure the puppet legislature into allowing a governor to run for president without first resigning his job, and then spend all that time in Iowa spinning his wheels and come home empty handed.

    If we’re lucky, the same thing will happen on Amendments 3 and 4.

  • Dont Say FLA

    October 30, 2024 at 1:33 pm

    “It’s not about me,” but I’ve been feeling ignored ever since Ron crashed and burned that year we spent in Iowa, so I’mma make it about me in any ways that I possibly can conjure up. Because more than anything else on Earth, I crave attention.

  • Frankie M.

    October 30, 2024 at 10:06 pm

    By “the Office” she means your money. She has no problem using your money to pursue her agenda. Any fiscal conservative would denounce her but they’ll most likely crown her.

    • JustBabs

      October 31, 2024 at 5:34 pm

      Did you see where she sent all the Florida Disaster Relief from Hurricane Ian? It was all passed to the Volunteer Florida Foundation and not distributed to the victims, at all. Lot’s of private religious schools, outside the state, received a small cut. Not sure how they helped the victims, but they made a tidy sum. Large payday to Samaritan’s Purse and other religious non-profits that never showed up for Florida. I believe Samaritan’s Purse were reported to be collecting used household goods and clothing from others, but wrote it off as large contribution from themselves. There were so many organizations that fed and assisted the victims, in tarping roofs and debris cleanup, yet their organization names do not show up on the IRS filings.

  • LexT

    October 31, 2024 at 7:55 am

    So many of these items should not be Amendments. Florida’s “Constitution” is now littered with so many “great” ideas. None of those ideas has any meaningful ability to be tweaked or changed. They create mandates without funding sources. The amendments create entitlements without any nuisance. Can anyone explain what Amendment 2 does? I don’t think the authors know. They want it to pass so that they can see how far the courts will let them take it. Abortion is supposed to be a state legislative issue. Why? Because there are supposed to be exceptions, and if you have one exception, you’ll probably want to make two or three exceptions and you’ll be constantly tinkering with the exceptions. With Amendments there is no room for compromise; no room for trying something and tweaking it. No room for fixing loopholes. Stop all these silly amendments and just petition your legislature.

    • Dont Say FLA

      November 1, 2024 at 11:41 am

      “Abortion is supposed to be a state legislative issue,” according to you.

      For most folks it’s supposed to be personal healthcare decision.

      The state has zero business in that decision and needs to stay entirely out of it because, as demonstrated repeatedly the last couple years, all the state can do is muck it up.

      Politicians aka legislators play games of bluffing and grifting. Neither of those games happens fast enough for them to have a hand in anything that should usually happen within 90-ish days.

      Keyword: “usually.” When it doesn’t happen within 90-ish days and/or doesn’t happen as expected, that’s where the bluffing of politics and lawmaking gets incredibly dangerous for a living, breath, viable woman.

  • 2patheticgovmansionresidents

    October 31, 2024 at 10:40 am

    It’s MALFEASANCE jilly …..

  • jean solomon

    November 1, 2024 at 10:28 am

    the tax payers are paying for the desantis campaign agianst the amendment..they are not paying for the out of staters…thats the difference…..

  • Elmo

    November 1, 2024 at 5:30 pm

    Stop forcing your beliefs on others. This is an amendment for Florida voters to decide. Not your place to fight, especially when you don’t fight fair. Go back to the cave you came from.

Comments are closed.


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