Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking to reporters in Tampa on Jan. 7, 2024 (photo credit: Mitch Perry/ Florida Phoenix)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is starting the New Year with some resolutions for the Florida Legislature.
Saying that he expects President-elect Donald Trump to issue a number of executive orders regarding illegal immigration after being sworn into office later this month, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he wants the Florida Legislature to call a special session so it can be “prepared to act” on those potential measures – as well as to address issues regarding condominium safety regulations, hurricane relief, and fraudulent signature-gathering petitions for constitutional amendments.
Speaking to reporters for the first time in the new year, DeSantis seemed most animated in discussing what the state needs to do to be prepared for what the incoming Trump administration has promised will be the “largest deportation effort in American history” once the president-elect is sworn into office on Jan 20.
“I’ve spoken to President-elect Trump about when he comes in – there’s going to be a lot of executive orders taken. There’s going to be a lot of changes in policy – particularly with respect to illegal immigration,” DeSantis said after attending an investiture ceremony in Tampa for Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez.
“We’ve done a lot. We passed a major bill in 2023, but I think that there needs to be some additional legislation to help complement the federal government’s now–newfound appreciation to stop illegal immigration, and to hold people accountable. … We need to be prepared to act. I don’t think that you can wait until April or May to do something in that respect.”
The governor’s statements come after Florida’s new GOP legislative leaders – Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez in November– refused to say what, if anything, they would do about the incoming Trump administration’s plans for mass deportations.
“Any sort of immigration policy comes from the federal government,” Perez told reporters in Tallahassee November 22. “It’s for the federal government to decide. That’s a question that you should be asking the president.”
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“That’s a federal issue,” added Albritton on that same day. “My purview and my calling as of this morning when I was sworn in and voted in by my senators in this body was to oversee the operation of the Florida Senate. I don’t serve in the federal government. So, we can pontificate, I guess, all the time about it.”
Neither Perez nor Albritton immediately responded to the Florida Phoenix’s request for comments Tuesday.
DeSantis also said if the Legislature were to convene for a special session, he would like for lawmakers to address the best way to use state resources to help the federal government remove undocumented immigrants, saying that could include imposing some obligations on local law enforcement agencies.
“I think that we have to provide funding if we do that under Florida’s Constitution, which I’m willing to do,” he said.
Push for condo relief again
In addition to asking lawmakers to address immigration in a special session the governor also put condominiums on his wish list. This is DeSantis’ second bite of the apple in appealing to legislative leaders to meet ahead of the regularly scheduled 60-day session slated to begin on March 4.
Last September the governor said that the Legislature needed to meet before the end of the year to help ease the financial strain on condo owners facing steep assessment costs due to mandatory inspections and reserve funding requirements. The mandates were the result of legislation passed in the wake of the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, which resulted in the deaths of 98 people.
Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said at the time that a special session wasn’t needed on the condominium issue Albritton and Perez backed Passidomo’s sentiments.
Since then DeSantis said his office and members of the Florida Senate have solicited input on possible legislative solutions to the issue in the past few months. DeSantis acknowledged he isn’t sure there’s an agreement on the solution but said he’s hopeful.
“Like I said, if we have an agreement, I’ll call the session and then we’ll go. But I do think that we have to act sooner rather than later and so we’re going to be working with the Legislature on that.”
Hurricane help
DeSantis also said the Legislature should act sooner rather than later when it comes to providing financial relief for the homeowners and businesses that were deleteriously affected by the Hurricanes Helene and Milton last fall.
“People say ‘Well, just pass it during the regular session.’ Well, if somebody needs relief, why not give that to them now, instead of waiting until July 1 when the new budget will take effect?” he said, adding that there are people still on the waiting list to get assistance from the My Safe Florida Home program. That’s the home-hardening program that offers inspections and grants up to $100,000 to help residents upgrade their homes and qualify for property-insurance discounts valued up to $700,000.
Following Hurricane Idalia in August of 2023, the Legislature held a special session and earmarked $400 million in grants and tax relief for businesses and residents impacted by that storm.’
Election law
The fourth item that DeSantis wants the Legislature to tackle during a special session is changing state election laws regarding signature petition fraud.
The Florida Department of State’s Office of Election Crimes & Security released an interim report in October alleging that Floridians Protecting Freedom, the Amendment 4 campaign organization, violated petition gathering laws. Last month the group agreed to pay a $164,000 fine to the Department of State regarding those allegations, but did not admit to or deny violating Florida election law.
DeSantis said “there’s agreement with the Legislature” the Legislature needs to change the election law “If we’re going to do that, why wait to have it go into effect July 1? Do it now so that we know that going forward if there’s going to be any [constitutional] amendments offered.”
Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell and Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo did not immediately respond to Florida Phoenix’s request for comment.
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