DeSantis Says He's 'A Dog That's Got You on the Ankle', Won't Give Up on Special Session

TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis is so committed to convening the Legislature next week to combat illegal immigration that he considers himself a "dog" latched onto Lawmakers' ankles, insisting that he will not "let go" until the issue is handled.

DeSantis made the remarks during a press conference in Tallahassee on Tuesday, responding to a reporter's question about what he would do if lawmakers gavel in and then immediately gavel out of the special session, as they did with former Gov. Charlie Crist in 2010.

While Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez have threatened to take that route, DeSantis is unfazed.

"I think you can view me as like a dog that's got you on the ankle on immigration. I'm not just gonna let go," DeSantis said. "We are going to get this done. If they wanna go on the record and actually vote down good proposals and then be held accountable by their constituents, that's one thing."

He said that while he "anticipates" talking to Albritton and Perez about the special session —emboldened by President Donald Trump’s new executive orders targeting illegal immigration—he wants to remind them that he has the “constitutional authority” to call a special session.

“[Albritton and Perez] have a decision to make about how they wanna handle that,” DeSantis said, pointing out that 85% of Republican voters support his special session, according to a new poll. 

The conservative infighting broke out last week, hours after DeSantis announced that he would call a special session on Jan. 27 to handle issues like illegal immigration, petition reform, and condo reform. Albritton and Perez issued a letter condemning the special session call, arguing that DeSantis only had “fragments of ideas” and lacked the power to set the agenda for the session.

But then Trump entered the picture, posting a “thank you” to DeSantis and urging other governors to follow suit. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed a slew of immigration-related executive orders that DeSantis wants Florida to cooperate with, specifically through the special session.

Issues DeSantis wants addressed next week include state penalties for illegal immigration and empowering local officials to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.