OCHOPEE—Florida Sen. Joe Gruters knows that Gov. Ron DeSantis won't pick him to be the state's next chief financial officer, but he says that doesn't matter.
Gruters, 48, believes that President Donald Trump's support is his "golden ticket" to the cabinet position in 2026, even though DeSantis plans to fill the vacant role with somebody else in the coming weeks. His comments to The Floridian came at the grand opening of the state's new migrant detention facility, Alligator Alcatraz, on Tuesday.
"We're winning. We're winning. I have the President of the United States," Gruters said, smiling. He pointed to the large desk behind him, where Trump, DeSantis, and a slew of officials would take the stage hours later.
Gruters would be one of them.
"And you see I'm on the panel? You see I actually have a panel spot? I think the White House has my back, and I appreciate the president's continued support and assistance," he said, before acknowledging that DeSantis has not interviewed him to be the next chief financial officer, nor does Gruters think he will.
"I don't think I'm going to get picked, but I don't need to get picked because I know that with Trump, we have a golden ticket. It's like Willy Wonka—the fact that I have that golden ticket makes me confident in my ability to win," he added.
DeSantis said last week that he still hasn't decided who he wants to be CFO, though he'll make his announcement sometime after the Fourth of July. But according to two sources familiar with the process, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia will be the governor's pick.
Ingoglia is a Spring Hill Republican, former GOP Chair, and top DeSantis ally in a legislature rapidly drifting out of the governor's grasp. He's long been speculated as the governor's choice—which POLITICO first reported—and according to the sources who spoke to The Floridian this week, that thinking hasn't changed.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis vacated the CFO position in March when he pursued a congressional seat, urging DeSantis to appoint someone before the post's 2026 election. And though Trump had already endorsed Gruters with a hearty "RUN, JOE, RUN" social media post, DeSantis has long clashed with the Sarasota senator.
Gruters was one of the few Florida Republicans who immediately endorsed Trump over DeSantis during the governor's failed presidential bid. In comments to the Washington Post at the time, Gruters anticipated DeSantis's campaign's "downfall" because he claimed the governor wasn't likeable.
More recently, DeSantis bashed him first for supporting a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana and later for sponsoring a rivaling illegal immigration bill.
The CFO's duties include heading up the state treasury, acting as the state fire marshal, and overseeing the Office of Insurance Regulation.
Alligator Alcatraz is a sprawling migrant detention facility in the middle of the Everglades. Able to hold up to 5,000 migrants and surrounded by 28,000 feet of razor wire, Trump flew on Air Force One to celebrate the center's grand opening.
He lauded the facility at a Tuesday roundtable surrounded by DeSantis, Gruters, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Rep. Byron Donalds, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, and Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
