Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the Florida House on Wednesday of attempting to defund the police in their budget proposal, claiming this is the latest sign that House leadership isn't real conservatives.
His comments came at a Fort Myers press conference Wednesday morning, where he ripped into the lower chamber as the "least productive" group in Florida's history. Pointing to the difference between how much money he's proposed for Florida Highway Patrol versus the House, this was the second time this week—and the eighth time in the past two weeks—that DeSantis has launched a volley of attacks on the rebellious lower chamber.
"They didn’t tell you that they were going to throw away their principles and just follow whatever the leadership told them to do, but that’s exactly what they’re doing with this budget," DeSantis said, claiming the House budget "defunds" 84 state trooper positions, proposed raises, and the Highway Patrol's ballistic armor.
"I just think it’s disgraceful that they’re targeting highway patrol and law enforcement the way they are," he continued. "This is a donkey in an elephant suit."
The House budget proposal would allocate $321,225,819 to FHP for 1,986 trooper positions. The governor's, meanwhile, suggests $345,006,223 for 2,146 positions. These compare to the current year's $324,660,083 allocation for 2,171 positions.
DeSantis has continually blasted the conservative-dominated Florida House since Speaker Danny Perez led the charge to override nearly $5 million of the governor's budget vetoes. Earlier this year, both chambers overrode a nearly $60 million veto to restore legislative support services to both chambers.
Republican Rep. Alex Andrade has since hosted two committee hearings investigating First Lady Casey DeSantis's Hope Florida program after reports that it has not paid its taxes, quietly received $10 million of a separate state settlement, and dispersed that money to two non-profits, which later funneled that money into DeSantis's then-Chief of Staff James Uthmeier's committee to defeat a pro-marijuana ballot measure.
"It's a hoax," DeSantis said Wednesday, insisting all is above board, and that this is part of a coordinated "smear" against his administration from House Republicans and the "liberal media" that first reported the stories.
"This is the swamp. This is the swamp trying to strike back after 6 years of success," he added.
