Ron DeSantis is struggling to maintain power in Florida following presidential campaign flop

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis — whose pugnacious brand of politics made him a national Republican star — is now finding himself against the ropes at home.

DeSantis pulled back a contentious plan this week to add golf courses and hotels at some Florida state parks. The governor acted after his administration’s “Great Outdoors Initiative” faced a withering blast of criticism from across the political spectrum, including from one-time GOP allies who may run for governor when he's out of office.

Local school board candidates he backed underperformed in the Aug. 20 primary. He is feuding with the lone Jewish Republican in the Legislature after that lawmaker called out DeSantis for recently traveling to Ireland — which has recognized Palestine as a country.

And two initiatives on the November ballot on abortion access and recreational marijuana appear poised to pass despite the governor’s opposition.

The hits follow DeSantis ending his presidential campaign after coming in a distant second in the Iowa caucuses. Both political supporters and detractors are watching closely to gauge how this will impact an anticipated run for president in 2028 . Continued losses in his home state over the two years of his term-limited tenure would dampen his prospects.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz , who helped the governor’s first campaign but stuck with former President Donald Trump against DeSantis in the presidential primary, brushed aside any suggestion that the backlash against the parks proposal could be seen as a part of a broader rebuke to DeSantis.

“I don’t think it’s a diminution of support for the governor. I think it was a very bad idea,” said the Northwest Florida Republican who was among those calling for DeSantis to scrap the parks plan.

Still, there is growing anticipation in Tallahassee that incoming legislative leaders who take over this November will be less accommodating to DeSantis, and that other politicians eyeing the governorship or cabinet jobs will also grow bolder in expressing their positions. POLITICO interviewed a dozen legislators, consultants and lobbyists about DeSantis’ path forward — many expect a noticeable shift in the relationship and power dynamic between the sometimes prickly governor and his erstwhile Republicans allies.

“I don't think the backlash about parks was about him being a lame duck,” said Jamie Miller, a veteran political consultant who once worked for the Republican Party of Florida. “But I also do think that when the governor was tone-deaf in the past, people would go along with it. And now they’re positioning themselves for their political futures and you won’t see them do that.”

DeSantis did try to distance himself from the parks plan this week and called it “half-baked” even though it was his administration that first announced the initiative and even had scheduled public hearings related to it.

Another Republican consultant in Tallahassee added, “I wouldn’t call him a lame duck, but there’s a shelf life.” The consultant was granted anonymity to speak freely.

The potential passage of the two amendments on abortion and marijuana could also affect the governor’s legacy. DeSantis has been very vocal about the two measures and his chief of staff is running two political committees aimed at defeating them. DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis will hold a donor retreat next week at a golf resort in north Georgia to raise money for their opposition to the initiatives.

DeSantis for his part dismissed as “chatter” any talk about losing his grip on power. He said Republicans have supported his agenda because they agreed with him taking a stand on issues such as immigration and gender identity.

“I’ve never categorized it as me having a grip on anything, I’m the governor, I discharge the duties of my office,” DeSantis said during a press conference held Thursday in Crystal River. “I have the ability to set the agenda and deliver that agenda. And I can tell you there is not another governor in the country that has delivered more than we have since I’ve been in. That’s just the reality.”

He added: “I don’t read the chatter, I don’t listen to the chatter. … If you listen to the chatter you’re not going to be able to get the job done.”

The recent events stand in stark contrast to most of DeSantis’ first five years as governor , including when he achieved a nearly 20-point reelection victory in 2022. DeSantis became a conservative star due to his handling of Covid-19 where he reopened schools faster than other states and fought against mask and vaccine mandates. He also waded into policy including a much-publicized battle with Disney after the company objected to a state law over classroom instruction of gender and sexual identity.

In the lead-up to his presidential run, DeSantis had continuous cooperation with the Florida Legislature on a series of laws about guns and abortion and other conservative touchpoints that he touted on the campaign trail. Many Republicans who disagreed with the governor rarely challenged him, and those who did said they were punished for doing so.

But the presidential race tested the limits of his brand. Trump and his allies torched DeSantis until he got out of the race and endorsed the former president, which has had some lingering after effects. State Rep. Randy Fine, an outspoken Brevard County Republican who is running for state Senate, had endorsed the governor’s run but then switched to Trump last fall. At the time, Fine criticized DeSantis for not taking a stronger stance against antisemitic activity in the state.

POLITICO previously reported that DeSantis' allies tried to recruit a challenger to run against Fine in this month’s primary, but the effort ultimately fell apart. This past week, Fine castigated DeSantis for traveling to Ireland on an economic development trip that coincided with Florida State University opening its football season in Dublin.

When asked about Fine’s comments earlier this week, DeSantis blasted back. “I think about just every lobbyist in Tallahassee made that trip. Is Rep. Fine going to stop taking the money from all the lobbyists like he’s been doing?” he asked.

Fine called the governor’s comments a “childish response to legitimate criticism” and added that “his petulance isn’t worthy of a response.” The feud between the two accelerated online after aides working in the governor’s office — and for DeSantis’ political operation — started making fun of Fine in social media posts. Fine pushed back in his own posts, calling the comments unprofessional and inappropriate. He even suggested the Legislature should consider eliminating some positions in the governor’s office.

Fine, in an interview with POLITICO, said he recognizes that DeSantis still has the “power of the veto pen” but added “he’s not in the same situation” that he was two years ago.

Fine said DeSantis has not done enough to develop strong relationships to weather these turbulent times.

“You’ve got to be nice to people on the way up because there is going to come a time when you are on the way down,” said Fine, a sentiment he has previously expressed about DeSantis.