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Ron DeSantis was essentially worthless as our representative in Congress. I held out little hope he would do any better as governor.
Thus far, he is proving me wrong. He has entered the office he won by the slimmest of margins as though he had won by a massive landslide, and has taken charge with an aggressive, mostly positive agenda.
DeSantis has wiped away some of the disastrous policies inflicted on the state by his predecessor, Gov. Fraud. He rescinded 46 appointments Rick Scott made to state boards during his lame-duck period, and asked for the resignations of every member of the Scott-appointed board of the South Florida Water Management District.
That, coupled with DeSantis’ announcement he would push for an additional $1.5 billion for Everglades restoration and the intent to form a new office aimed at responding to the consequences of climate change, gives hope he will not be the disaster for Florida’s environment his predecessor was.
DeSantis is looking to clear the state docket of many of the frivolous lawsuits Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi had committed the state to. He rescinded the suspension of Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes, who stated she planned to resign, avoiding a messy and unnecessary hearing into the matter.
DeSantis also stated his intention to drop the lawsuits Scott and Bondi initiated against the will of the people, stated in the 2016 amendment legalizing medical marijuana.
“We’ve got a lot of fish to fry in Florida. The last thing I want to be doing is cleaning up for something that should have happened two years ago.”
DeSantis also wants to loosen up marijuana-business regulations. But his approach appears to be to empower the Legislature to tackle the issues rather than attempting to do it through executive action. I find that laudable, although I have even less faith in the Florida Legislature to get things right.
This governor is showing, in contrast to Scott, an openness and willingness to engage on actual issues rather than talking points. He has called regular press conferences, and has included Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez in all of them, showing she will be more active and involved than many of her predecessors.
It’s not all positive. He has appointed far-right judges to the state Supreme Court, although one of them, a Hispanic female, is a first. But, so far, it’s far better than many of us expected.
— White, a retired fire services chief in South Florida, lives in Orange City. Send email to info@beacononlinenews.com.
