Capitol chaos: DeSantis faces backlash from Florida lawmakers over special session

Amnon Free Press Partner Content

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be pleased with the call for a special legislation session on immigration from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. On Truth Social, Trump reposted a message saying, “Thank you Ron, hopefully other Governors will follow!”

Desantis says the state needs new laws to help President Trump carry out his immigration reforms in Florida.

But while the governor has support on the national level, there’s a clash at the capitol. Not everyone is endorsing this call for a special session.

As the governor orders state lawmakers to gather at the statehouse the week of Jan. 27, Senate and House leaders are speaking out against the proclamation.

In a joint statement, Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez shared, “While the governor discussed fragments of ideas for a special session he plans to start in just fourteen days, he did not release any actual bill language or even meaningful details for legislators and our constituents to consider.”

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House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) wonders, what’s the rush?

“I don’t know why we would need this call for a special session when we’re so close in time to when the regular session starts anyway,” Driskell said.

Adding to the list of lawmakers against the special session, Republican state Senator Randy Fine (R-Melbourne) described the move as “odd.”

“We are going to be in Tallahassee for five of the next six weeks. This is not a full-time legislature. Our staffs do not live here, and it is expensive for us to come to Tallahassee,” Fine said. “To call to do a special session in the one week in the next six that we’re not already here was just odd.”

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Fine agrees with the governor’s push to “tackle” illegal immigration, but he thinks the special session is unorganized and has put his support behind Senate and House leadership.

“This was not accompanied with a robust bill package for us to consider. In my experience, when special sessions are called, usually there’s a bill that is ready to go. In this case, I don’t believe they were even aware that it was coming,” Fine said. “I applaud [senate president and house speaker] them for reminding everyone that there are co-equal branches of government in the state of Florida.”

However, one Tampa Bay state senator supports the call to action by the governor. Senator Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) says immigration is a pressing matter.

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“I agree with the governor that this is a pressing issue, and we should tackle it sooner rather than later. President Trump is going to be inaugurated next week, and he is going to be putting forth executive orders to combat illegal immigration,” Ingoglia said. “I think the state should do whatever we can to aid the Trump administration to facilitate that.”

Besides the statement released Monday, there’s been no word from the senate president or the house speaker.

So, who is going to budge? The governor or legislature?