Governor DeSantis (R-FL) has made clear that his 2024 strategy will be running to the right of former President Donald Trump (R). However, farming may be a difficult hurdle for the former governor, as Trump's pro-farming history is compared with the Florida governor's ties to the anti-farming lobby.
Earlier this year, Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 540 into law, a bill that was designated the “worst environmental bill” in the Florida Legislature this year by the environmental group, Friends of the Everglades. The legislation states that “the prevailing party in a challenge…is entitled to recover attorney fees and costs in challenging or defending a plan or plan amendment, including reasonable appellate attorney fees and costs.”
According to WQCS, requiring losing parties to pay legal fees could “end citizen challenges to questioned developments.” The Friends of the Everglades group was one of many shocked parties at this move, saying it, "defies the spirit of DeSantis."
Campaigning in Iowa, President Trump has brought light to this topic stating DeSantis, "would be a complete disaster for the American farmers and the great people of Iowa. His record on agriculture is terrible because he is totally owned by globalist donors who would like nothing more than to outsource every American farming job to a foreign nation. And he is totally in the pocket of China."
Ron DeSanctimonious would be a COMPLETE DISASTER for American Farmers and the people of Iowa! pic.twitter.com/hZQ8D76zgZ
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 27, 2023
Trump made mention of DeSantis' opposition to Trump's tariffs of China while he was president, and, "heartlessly opposed $28 billion in relief payments to protect our farmers from Chinese abuses." Trump continued to call the governor, "DeSanctamonious," and bring up his congressional record of acting against domestic farmers.
In Florida, local farmers question DeSantis's alignment with who they call "leftist environmental groups."
