News from Central Florida: The 2026 legislative session opens with high-stakes battles over property taxes, redistricting, AI regulation, and healthcare as Governor DeSantis enters his final year in office and lawmakers clash over power, policy, and Florida’s political future.
Solid breakdown of the lame duck dynamic. The Perez-DeSantis property tax fight is the real story here; when even a speaker from the same party starts positioning against a termed-out governor this early, it signals power's already moved on. I saw something similiar in another state where a governor tried pushing major tax reform in his final year and the legislature just slow-walked everything becuase they knew he had no real leverage left. The homestead elimination proposal sounds bold but honestly feels DOA when schools are involved.
Thanks for reading! The rift between Governor DeSantis and Speaker Perez—alongside broader Republican infighting—originated nearly a year ago during a high-stakes standoff over immigration policy. Since then, this friction has repeatedly resurfaced across a variety of legislative priorities. It's never ideal for a governor to be operating from a position of diminished leverage, especially when they are widely expected to run for higher office and have a wish list of some of the boldest policies of their tenure to accomplish. This new dynamic marks a sharp departure from the first six years of DeSantis' governorship, during which he enacted a comprehensive policy agenda with virtually no resistance from the Republican-dominated Legislature.
Solid breakdown of the lame duck dynamic. The Perez-DeSantis property tax fight is the real story here; when even a speaker from the same party starts positioning against a termed-out governor this early, it signals power's already moved on. I saw something similiar in another state where a governor tried pushing major tax reform in his final year and the legislature just slow-walked everything becuase they knew he had no real leverage left. The homestead elimination proposal sounds bold but honestly feels DOA when schools are involved.
Thanks for reading! The rift between Governor DeSantis and Speaker Perez—alongside broader Republican infighting—originated nearly a year ago during a high-stakes standoff over immigration policy. Since then, this friction has repeatedly resurfaced across a variety of legislative priorities. It's never ideal for a governor to be operating from a position of diminished leverage, especially when they are widely expected to run for higher office and have a wish list of some of the boldest policies of their tenure to accomplish. This new dynamic marks a sharp departure from the first six years of DeSantis' governorship, during which he enacted a comprehensive policy agenda with virtually no resistance from the Republican-dominated Legislature.