DeSantis Under Fire as Democrat Calls for Transparency of His Legal Problems

Photo bySouth Florida Water Management District

DeSantis has been dominating the news cycle in 2022. And his pr stunts have attracted more than wanted attention.

DeSantis is currently facing several legal issues.

His image. Your dime

Governor Ron DeSantis’ political strategy has attracted national attention because of his ability to choose culture war themes and promote them with the help of a cooperative Florida Legislature.

The agenda has sparked more than 15 lawsuits, but so far, the governor has lost almost all of his legal battles, costing the state of Florida’s taxpayers close to $17 million in legal fees.

DeSantis has had a few wins, though.

Courts favored the administration’s challenge to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) safety rules for cruise companies. An appeals court declined to put on hold the governor’s congressional redistricting map that gave Republicans four more seats in the U.S. House.

Trial court rulings are also pending on legal actions challenging DeSantis’ ousting of a Democratic state attorney, transferring migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, a new 15-week abortion ban, the congressional redistricting map, and a measure requiring viewpoint surveys of students at employees on university campuses.

Taxpayers paying for political stunts

State senator Tina Polsky argued that taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for the defense of “laws intended to be political stunts.”

“Everything I think he does is just for the headline because he’s running for president,” she said. “And he doesn’t care if it’s constitutional, doesn’t care how much taxpayer money they have to spend defending it in court.”

According to Polsky, she is submitting legislation to mandate more transparency in the selection of private law firms, including a request for proposals procedure that would increase competition in the selection process and provide an explanation of why Florida’s list of state-employed attorneys cannot be used.

“We shouldn’t just go with DeSantis as friends and the highest bidder because that’s basically what’s happening, and we’re paying a fortune,” Polsky said.

What do you think about DeSantis’ PR strategy?

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