TALLAHASSEE, FL—In the latest internal blow to the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration, leading Trump ally and Florida man Rep. Matt Gaetz has demanded that the "golden parachute" contract granted to embattled former UF President Ben Sasse be outlawed.
Gov. DeSantis appointed Sasse to the position.
This is the second time this week that Rep. Gaetz has targeted a DeSantis affiliate, leading to rising rumors that the conservative governor's honeymoon period—in which he passed a record number of "priority bills" before his failed presidential bid—has drawn to a close.
"Golden Parachutes like this should be illegal with taxpayer funds," Rep. Gaetz wrote on X, hours after he posted Monday night, "At least the FSU loss to Georgia Tech was to engineers. The Gators haven’t lost to Nebraska like this since Tommy Frazier was handing the ball to Lawrence Phillips."
Citing his wife's health, Sasse, a former hard-right Nebraska Senator, abruptly resigned from his post in July. Weeks later, the Independent Alligator broke the news that he had directed millions in university funds into "secretive consulting contracts", expanded the president's office to include and allegedly overpay his former Senate staffers, and tripled spending during his 17-month stint in office.
Despite this, the Tampa Bay Times reported, Sasse's severance agreement says he will receive more than $1 million per year through at least February 2028 and will continue to have his, his wife's, and his children's health care covered by the university.
The Republican criticism of Sasse's golden parachute deal—a lucrative package granted to some top executives after they leave a company—stands to reflect negatively on DeSantis, who hand-picked the president in 2022 and publicly congratulated his handling of pro-Palestine protests. However, DeSantis' team has since called for an investigation into Sasse's "exorbitant spending."
This wouldn't be the governor's first brush with mounting attacks from the inside; on Friday, Republican state lawmakers and congressional members alike (including Gaetz) took to X to slam the Department of Environmental Protection's plan to construct golf courses on nine different state parks.
DeSantis was behind the idea.
Last Tuesday, just 6 of his 23 endorsed school board candidates won outright in a stark contrast to 2022, when 25 of his 30 selections were victorious. DeSantis has since endured discussions from Floridians over whether or not his "political star is tarnished", NBC reported.
