Ryan Nicol
Appointment watch for long-vacant Cabinet positions is finally on.
No, seriously. We know it’s been more than four months since Jeanette Nuñez left as Lieutenant Governor to take over at Florida International University and more than three months that the Chief Financial Officer position has been open following Jimmy Patronis’ resignation to run for Congress.
Those wondering who would step into those roles have been left waiting as various names have been shuffled around. But Gov. Ron DeSantis says those replacements are “next on our agenda” now that the budget is signed and Session is a wrap.
Speaking last week, he said those moves would wait at least through the holiday weekend. But when we get back on there, that’ll be something that we’re going to do,” DeSantis added.
The Lieutenant Governor replacement, though nominally a technically more prestigious role, is the less interesting of the two. Like the Vice President, it’s often a less powerful role than that of Cabinet members who can actually carry out policy initiatives.
DeSantis might try to put in an ally like Sen. Jay Collins to prep a potential run for Governor in 2026. But holding that position isn’t much of a springboard, especially when favorite Byron Donalds continues to stack cash uncontested thus far and with the backing of President Donald Trump.
The CFO move, however, could have significant 2026 implications. Sen. Joe Gruters, a longtime Trump ally, threw his hat in the ring long ago. And Trump World has pushed him to replace Patronis as well.
But DeSantis likely wants his own guy in there, and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia has long been rumored for the post. Putting Ingoglia in could set up a significant 2026 GOP Primary between Ingoglia, a quasi-incumbent at that point, and Gruters.
Whichever direction the Governor wants to go, it looks like we’ll finally find out here soon.
Now, it’s onto our weekly game of winners and losers.
Winners
Honorable mention: Disney Dream team. A story that could have concluded tragically instead had a fairy tale ending thanks to the rescue team of the Disney Dream cruise ship.
This past week, a 5-year-old girl fell overboard as the ship was on its way back to Fort Lauderdale from the Bahamas. In a desperate effort to save his daughter, the girl’s father then jumped in the water after her.
Miraculously, he was able to find her and stay afloat. But sitting in the open seas nevertheless could have spelled trouble for both of them. But as crew members were alerted that someone had fallen overboard, the rescue team sprang into action.
Within 20 minutes, the father and daughter were rescued.
“We commend our crew members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes,” Disney said in a statement. “We are committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, and this incident highlights the effectiveness of our safety protocols.”
Bravo for giving this family a happy ending.
Almost (but not quite) the biggest winner: James Uthmeier. As Trump visited the opening of “Alligator Alcatraz” this week, much of the political analysis was focused on his dynamic with DeSantis.
The two have had a hot-and-cold relationship since the 2024 Presidential Primary, to put it mildly. So it’s natural that political observers were zeroed in on their dynamic.
But in terms of pure politics, Uthmeier may have gotten the most out of Trump’s visit and subsequent roundtable.
Uthmeier reportedly contacted the Department of Homeland Security to pitch the idea. And his efforts reportedly got the attention of Trump.
“You do a very good job. I hear good things,” Trump told Uthmeier during the event. “I hear good things about you from Ron, too. No, you really do. He’s even a good-looking guy. That guy’s got a future, huh? Good job, James, I hear you. You’re really, really fantastic.”
That’s important for Uthmeier not just in a general sense to build credibility with the base via support from the leader of the Republican Party, but because Uthmeier is running to keep his job in 2026 after being appointed to the post by DeSantis.
Uthmeier is also using merchandise themed off the facility to raise money for that contest.
Of course, politics isn’t the only thing that matters here. And columns like these are tricky sometimes because there are many angles for stories like these.
If we’re discussing “Alligator Alcatraz” as a concept, it’s got plenty of concerning faults. There’s the flooding, which state officials say they’ve fixed. But the facility was rushed, leaving questions as to whether it’s up to snuff structurally.
There’s also the divisive and callous language used to describe sending human beings to a facility in the middle of the swamp, and the indifference to their suffering. We readily acknowledge that the Joe Biden administration was far too lax with securing the border, but we’re slingshotting way too far here with the recklessness by which people are being removed.
But the reality of politics today is that the extremes are catered to far more than those of us in the middle. Trump, DeSantis and Uthmeier — agree or disagree with the method of what they’re doing — are making a play here to rally support with the base and trying to appear as tough guys on the immigration front.
If noting that’s a good thing for Uthmeier is a bit too realpolitik for your taste, we get it. But it’s just a fact that if Trump continues heaping praise on Uthmeier and building up his brand, then Uthmeier is going to benefit bigly.
The biggest winner: Mike Redondo. No qualifiers needed here: Congratulations to the future House Speaker.
Redondo was chosen unanimously by his fellow class members to lead the House following the 2030 election. That’s assuming, of course, that Redondo keeps his seat and Republicans maintain control of the House. But the ongoing reddening of the state — and Redondo’s home base in Miami-Dade — makes it likely that Republicans will remain in charge and Redondo will be there to lead them.
“It sounds cliché, but this is a political family that has grown so tight and close that it was just as much enjoying each other’s company as it was coming together to elect a Speaker,” Redondo said of his class. “It was a great time.”
Of course, Redondo had a slight head start on his peers, winning a Special Election in House District 118 in 2023. That gave him a slight measure of seniority that has been an advantage for House Speakers in the past.
He’ll also be able to return to the post to a Miami-Dade lawmaker. The current Speaker, Daniel Perez, is also from the region. He’ll be followed by Sam Garrison of Fleming Island and Jennifer Canady of Lakeland before Redondo takes over.
Losers
Dishonorable mention: SelectFlorida. SelectFlorida’s job is to “attract, retain, and create higher-wage jobs for Floridians,” in part “by promoting Florida as a premier business destination and expanding the state’s economy through private-sector job creation,” according to its website.
By that metric, the organization just failed big time.
Jabil, an electronic manufacturing company, is set to build a new $500 million facility. The company unfortunately decided that the project would be built in North Carolina, bringing with it nearly 1,200 full-time jobs. A site in Florida was reportedly the other finalist, but the Sunshine State missed out.
OK, that happens. Florida isn’t going to land every project under the sun.
Except, guess where Jabil is based? In St. Petersburg, and not the one in Russia.
Yes, the company just passed up building this massive project in the very state it’s based because Florida’s incentives weren’t competitive enough.
There’s no doubt Florida’s economy has been successful in recent years when looking at certain metrics. But to achieve its full potential, we really should not be missing out on projects like this.
What gives, SelectFlorida?
Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: Executive oversight. DeSantis unsurprisingly vetoed a bill that would have restricted various political activities by state employees that have been rampant under his administration, and that would have limited who could be appointed to university Board posts.
The measure would have criminalized state staffers soliciting political contributions, a practice DeSantis leaned on during his run for President. It would also have limited the types of political advocacy we saw — and criticized — in the 2024 cycle to motivate voters to vote against amendments legalizing recreational pot and enshrining abortion protections in the state constitution.
The bill also would have required Department heads, commission members, university Trustees and members of the State University System Board of Governors (BOG) to be a U.S. citizen and a Florida resident. In the case of university Boards, members must have also graduated from the university. For the BOG, nominees would need to have graduated from a Florida institution.
Those latter provisions targeted some of DeSantis’ education appointees in particular, who were at times from out of state or allies of the Heritage Foundation who parachuted into Florida to carry out DeSantis’ education reforms.
The Legislature here was clearly trying to rein in some of DeSantis’ authority in these areas. That’s part of lawmakers’ efforts to have a gimme after years of letting DeSantis essentially carry out his agenda unchecked.
Of course, DeSantis has the veto power and he used it here.
Interestingly, the bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities during this year’s Session, with just one “no” vote. That gives lawmakers plenty of wiggle room to override the veto, should they choose. But the House and Senate have declined to use that power as frequently as they could have in the past, meaning this action by the Governor will likely stick.
The biggest loser: Members whose projects were vetoed. Speaking of vetoes, the budget is finally signed after more than a month of delays. And with it came the Governor exercising his line-item veto power to strike various member projects from the budget.
Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat, saw multiple projects benefiting, and recognizing, the Black community go down. And a project from Rep. Jon Albert, a Polk County Republican, to study ketamine’s effects on struggling veterans also got the ax.
And DeSantis got some revenge on longtime nemesis Randy Fine, who is now serving in Congress. DeSantis vetoed $5 million for West Shore Jr./Sr. High School, one of the last major projects Fine sponsored before departing Tallahassee for Washington.
And there were many, many other local projects across the state that got nixed due to DeSantis’ decisions, leaving lawmakers empty-handed.
Legislators were already coming out of a grueling extended Session, so to see your pet project eliminated after all of this work has got to hurt, especially since the budget was already slimmer than in years past.
But hey, it wasn’t all bad news last week for members — at least for one in particular. Republican Rep. Alex Andrade and his wife, Jessica, gave birth Monday to baby Amelia Grace. Congratulations to the happy parents.
