Winner of the Week
Casey DeSantis. We knew Florida’s first lady was well-liked. But the former TV reporter is becoming an established power broker, too. A Politico story described her consolidating power as she wielded behind-the-scenes influence along with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff, Shane Strum. Meanwhile, former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham unleashed a tweet storm against Gov. DeSantis, but reserved kind words for his wife. “She is sharp,” Graham concluded.
Loser of the Week
Florida Sunshine. It’s not just August rain clouds blotting out Florida sunshine. It’s practically everyone in power in Tallahassee obstructing the state’s Sunshine Law. Once revered as one of the most successful laws in the nation at forcing government transparency, it’s become something of a joke as even the most routine records requests are ignored. How bad is it? Consider the News Service of Florida. It requested text messages from three Florida lawmakers. One, Rep. Mike Hill, a Pensacola Republican, complied. The other two, House Speaker José Oliva and future House Speaker Chris Sprowls, did not. Clearly they were public records, but, alas, a House spokesman said responding to requests was up to each member’s own discretion. These are dark days.