Latest news with #TampaBayTimes'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Leaning against it': Doubts mount about Casey DeSantis running for Florida governor
The Casey DeSantis for governor trial balloon is briskly losing its altitude. Republicans from Tallahassee to Washington — some of whom were convinced just over a month ago that Florida's first lady was set on launching a campaign to succeed her husband — now believe she is unlikely to challenge Congressman Byron Donalds in next year's GOP primary. 'She's leaning against running now,' said a Florida Republican consultant involved in conversations around her candidacy, granted anonymity due to concerns about offending the governor's office. President Donald Trump's early endorsement of Donalds always stood as a daunting obstacle for the project to extend the DeSantis reign in 2026. But the weeks-long controversy around her Hope Florida Foundation damaged her image just as a timetable for a decision on the governor's race comes to a head. Stephen Lawson, a Republican operative and former campaign aide to Ron DeSantis, said 'the chatter has certainly died way down,' around Casey DeSantis in recent weeks. 'I think Byron will be the next governor,' he added. Another Florida lobbyist familiar with the parties involved compared the first lady's prospects of becoming governor to the uneven volatility jolting the stock market this year. A DeSantis candidacy at this point, said the lobbyist, who also requested anonymity to speak about the issue, would be somewhat defined by 'a struggle to be relevant.' Staffers for the governor's office and Casey DeSantis declined to respond to questions, issuing only a statement. 'More anonymous political quarterbacking from unnamed sources? There's nothing changed or new to report at this time. These sound like bad 'sources' who just want to see their names in print,' said DeSantis spokesman Bryan Griffin. Casey DeSantis first publicly acknowledged the possibility of running for governor in late February, even after the president took to social media to bestow Donalds with his prized endorsement. In March, the first lady described speculation about her candidacy as 'humbling' and attributed it to her husband's success over the past six years. She golfed with the president in Palm Beach in a soft attempt to neutralize his support for the Naples-area congressman, the two sources said. April proved to be the month where her political standing began to unravel. The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times' reporting on how the DeSantis administration steered a $10 million Medicaid settlement to a charity supporting Hope Florida, Casey DeSantis' signature initiative, uncorked a torrent of scrutiny around the use of public funds. The $10 million was split between two non-profits, which then gave most the money to a political action committee run by James Uthmeier, DeSantis' former chief of staff and the current attorney general. An increasingly hostile, GOP-led Legislature investigated the movement of the money. The Republican lawmaker leading the investigation said he'd uncovered money laundering and wire fraud, though he never pointed the finger at Casey DeSantis. That investigation — which the governor and Uthmeier dismissed as a smear campaign — is now closed. But the House Speaker dangled the possibility of reopening the oversight probe, saying 'all options are still on the table with Hope Florida.' Through the turbulence, Casey DeSantis hasn't uttered another word about a candidacy that some operatives once believed was all but guaranteed. At the same time, Donalds has amassed an enormous war chest, raising $15 million in 45 days, according to a person familiar with his operation. Last week, a poll of the hypothetical primary contest measured Donalds' lead over Casey DeSantis at 19 percentage points when respondents were made aware of Trump's endorsement preference. Also aligned against Casey DeSantis is a White House political operation that has a long and checkered history with the governor and his wife and personal motivation to sink another DeSantis candidacy. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, a Tampa native, were each discarded by DeSantis during his first term, leading to what the lobbyist categorized as a 'blood feud.' Barney Keller, a Republican operative who worked on a Florida campaign with Blair, said, 'If anybody is going to be good at closing the door on a challenge to Byron Donalds, it's going to be James Blair.' Republican operatives conveyed that a would-be DeSantis campaign could struggle to hire high-profile talent for the endeavor, given the governor's long-running problems with staff turnover and the career risk of going to battle against a Trump-backed candidate with Trump-aligned staffers. Ron DeSantis is little more than a year removed from challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination only to get blown out in the Iowa caucuses and see his candidacy vanquished. During their presidential primary battle, Trump aides collected names and took screenshots of DeSantis staffers who bad-mouthed Trump, according to Alex Istenstadt's book, 'Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power.' As Trump returned to the White House, these names were blacklisted from getting a job in the administration. Casey DeSantis could decide to delay a decision until the fall, betting that the questions surrounding Hope Florida will pass and that Donalds' candidacy will falter in the long march to next August's primary. GOP operatives also note the fickle nature of Trump and his eagerness to distance himself from poor performers. But Roger Stone, the longtime south Florida-based Trump ally and DeSantis detractor, said there's only one outcome for Casey DeSantis if she decides to run. 'Casey DeSantis will be ignominiously defeated,' he said.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats push to investigate Florida insurance companies
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — House Democrats in Tallahassee are calling on the governor to investigate Florida insurance companies that are claiming they are broke, all while transferring profits to their affiliate companies. House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, sent both Governor Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez letters asking to further investigate the recent news of property insurance companies claiming to be in distress, while at the same time, shifting billions in profits to companies they own. Trump pauses aid to Ukraine amid clash with Zelensky 'We're pushing for that accountability, calling for an investigation, asking the Florida house to use its subpoena power. Let's put some folks under oath and let's get some questions,' Driskell said. Democrats say the letters to DeSantis and Perez were sparked by the Tampa Bay Times' recent report on a secret study. The study found insurers have sent billions of dollars to affiliate companies, or to shareholders, instead of using those profits to benefit policy holders.'We know from the stories that we hear in districts that were ravished by hurricanes, were ravaged by flooding, that people are not getting what they need from their property insurance company,' Driskell said. Driskell says the study conducted in 2022 confirms top insurance companies have been ripping off everyday Floridians and then lying to the legislature. Aside from the news, Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky points to market stability emerging here in the state 'We are truly seeing good news emerge on every front,' Yaworsky said. 'We are seeing litigation rates decrease upwards of 30% throughout the state, so the reforms are working. It does take time for consumers to truly feel all those effects and the impacts, and to a degree, we are fighting against inflation and other economic factors that we cannot avoid, but we are seeing good news.' News Channel 8 on your side reached out to both the governor and house speaker but have not heard back yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
