Opinion
By Steve Nicklas, 1-1-24
The once-beaming Sunshine State has a cloudier future. While our once-celebrated governor is absent with excused leave (AWEL).
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been away for eight months chasing his political dream to become U.S. president. Sadly, it’s been like a dog chasing his tail. Worse yet, a potentially nightmarish situation awaits his inevitable return.
And his return will be delayed. DeSantis will likely miss most of the annual Florida legislative session, from Jan. 9 to March 8. Instead, he will be spinning his wheels on the Republican primary trail.
DeSantis will certainly appear at the Iowa Caucus on Jan. 15, foraging for votes. And then traveling to New Hampshire on Jan. 23, Nevada on Feb. 6, South Carolina on Feb. 24, etc.
He’ll likely wait at least until “Super Tuesday” on March 5, when a flurry of primaries is held. Some DeSantis backers believe he’ll gracefully withdraw from the race if he loses badly in Iowa, almost certain as it is.
But his prominent, big-money donors may not want this. After all, his ultimate campaign strategy is to wait for legal problems to derail frontrunner Donald Trump. He could even wait around until the Republican Convention in July.
Upon his return, he won’t be the same leader who left us in April. Back then, DeSantis was commonly hailed as “America’s governor” for his outstanding performance.
Now he is more like America’s punchline, after a chaotic campaign has exhausted his political capital. And it probably has cost him future opportunities, like pursuing the 2028 Republican nomination.
Based on recent polls, DeSantis has lost about half of his support since entering the Republican race. He’s gone from polling in the mid-20s among the field to the mid-teens now. Much of the decline is from a brutal assault by Trump, his former mentor and now political adversary.
In addition, DeSantis has been awkward at times while campaigning. During the Iowa state fair in July, for instance, he ridiculed a young boy for eating an ICEE. “There’s probably a lot of sugar, huh?” he told the startled youngster. At the same event, the unknown DeSantis was reportedly confused for a vendor by another attendee.
DeSantis has also struggled to find a consistent campaign message. He has not resonated with voters outside of Florida.
He had blamed harsh coverage by the liberal national media for his lousy poll numbers, but now regularly appears on CNN and MSNBC. His latest excuse is that Trump has capitalized from the four pending indictments against him.
While DeSantis has troubles with his campaign, the state he left behind also has problems. Florida residents face escalating costs from home/business insurance, healthcare, storm damage, etc. And let’s not overlook the impacts of illegal migration on our communities and public schools.
To complicate matters, the legislative session will be anti-climactic without the governor. Apparently, DeSantis will communicate with Senate and House leaders by video teleconferences.
DeSantis is proposing bold initiatives to eliminate 1,000 state government jobs and reduce the budget by $4.6 billion; Florida cities and counties and school boards should follow his frugal example. This is the DeSantis we revere.
Another cloud hanging over DeSantis is his legal battle with Disney. A compromise must be reached with one of the largest corporations operating in Florida. Disney has already cancelled a $2 billion investment into the Orlando area.
Maybe Trump can help with some of Florida’s ailments. He is a resident now. If elected president, hopefully he and DeSantis can mend their differences.
Florida is one of the premier states, blessed with sunshine two-thirds of the year. Let’s get back to the way we were, with America’s governor back where he belongs. As our state governor.
Steve Nicklas is the managing partner of Nicklas Wealth Management in Fernandina Beach. He is also an award-winning columnist. His columns regularly appear in weekly newspapers in Northeast Florida and in Southeast Georgia, and on his website at www.SteveNicklasMarketplace.com. He has published a book, “All About Money,” of his favorite columns from the past 20 years. The book is available on Amazon. He has also done financial reports for area radio stations and for National Public Radio in Jacksonville. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 904-753-0236.
