TALHASSEE, Fla. — At least twice in the past year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ top government staff have helped directly raise campaign contributions that practice members of his own political parties want to end.
The proposal defended by Republicans at the State Capitol would ban state employees (employees who work for the governor or others) from carrying out most traditional campaign-type activities during work hours, including soliciting campaign contributions.
The law came in last week after NBC News first reported last month that two top staff members from the governor’s office called state lobbyists to call state lobbyists to raise money for a political committee placed in DeSantis to help his wife, Casey, run for the governor if he jumps on the race.
Additionally, NBC News reported last year that top DeSantis administration officials were trying to raise political cash for his failed presidential election.
“You can’t recruit funds, you can’t engage in the fundraising process for a political campaign,” Republican Rep. Debbie Mayfield said at a House committee meeting last week.
She didn’t specifically mention DeSantis, who could reject the bill if it passed legislation.
Desantis’ political machinery is R-Fla, supported by President Donald Trump, who raised more than $5 million for the campaign.
The Desantis office did not reply to requests for comment on the proposal.
Under the proposal, anyone violating the offence could be charged with first-degree misdemeanors.
It is another snapshot of DeSantis’s vastly changing political reality.
Since he took office in 2019, Desantis has enjoyed Republican-controlled, compliant Congress and wants to help build a profile to run for the president. But he is currently facing a multifaceted attack from Republican lawmakers. Republican lawmakers are pushing for proposals that erode the governor’s authority and other proposals that investigate past administration decisions.
Tensions with Republican lawmakers began in January when he fought a DeSantis-led immigration proposal designed to align state law with a wave of immigration-related executive orders signed shortly after he took office in state law.
Republicans at the State Capitol are also asking to investigate the $10 million Florida they received as part of a settlement with one of the biggest Medicaid operators. The cash reported by the Miami Herald went to Casey DeSantis Run’s charity, known as the Hope Florida Foundation.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that weeks after receiving the money, they hoped Florida sent $5 million each to two organizations, then sent millions to the Political Action Committee, fighting to beat the marijuana amendment.
The move has raised questions about the use of state cash for obvious political reasons, and helped Desantis defend it. Critics said it was an unacceptable use of state money from Medicaid settlements for political purposes.
The Desantis administration denied that the money was sent to the political battles and other misconduct in 2024.
State Senator Danny Perez, R-Miami, said his chamber of commerce would investigate the issue.
The fight was seen politically through the racial lens of the governor in 2026, and used the issue to attack both Ron and Casey DeSantis along with Donald’s supporters, including some of Trump’s most loyal supporters.
Laura Rumer, a far-right conspiracy theorist and Trump’s voice supporter, has led the charges after posting several social media about Florida’s hopes.
“Corrupted Casey,” she posted to her 1.6 million followers on Saturday.
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