DeSantis ends his bid for president, and Florida awaits | R. Bruce Anderson

Gov. Ron DeSantis is out. Nikki Haley’s stab at an upset in New Hampshire was doomed – probably from the start. South Carolina looms as a disaster in the making, unless your name is Donald J. Trump.

And we’re about to embark on the longest general election campaign in the nation’s history. The conversion from a policymaking apparatus occasionally punctuated by elections to an endless election only very occasionally punctuated by something masquerading as policy has finally topped the horizon.

It’s a season made to consist of a feeble battle between two of the singularly most unpopular candidates ever to run for office. Something like 80% of polled voters identified this Trump v. Biden fiasco as the one thing they did not want in 2024.

Yet here we are. DeSantis did endorse Trump on his way out the door but it seemed, at least to me, a decidedly lukewarm blessing of the anointed one. The campaign failed and there will be far and away enough people out there taking delight in the autopsy of its failings and missteps. I’d rather have a harder look at the future.

Dropping off the vine means the governor is headed home to Florida, where there’s plenty to keep anyone busy as the legislative season kicks off. There are some slight indications, I think, that we may see a different context; a slightly altered state.

Whatever one might think of the folly of the last legislative agenda, it was aimed at a presidential run. The new session has its own possibilities – and it, too, may have political implications for the governor.

While he was away, a number of lunatic bills have been dropped, including some half-witted nonsense about the state of Florida footing former President Trump’s legal bills. Despite the support of Florida’s CFO and the enthusiasm of several bright-eyed but flatly empty-headed senators, DeSantis swiftly indicated that he would likely veto such a measure and the bill was withdrawn.

But the fact that anyone would publicly envision dedicating $5 millions of Florida’s tax dollars to an idiocy like this without first checking with the boss is a red flag. Has the Governor lost authority since dropping out of the presidential run? Are the fickle denizens of Tallahassee’s halls o’ power forgetting his margin of support back in 2022? Is it all over?

No.  Or, it need not be.

I remember the guy who took over the reins in 2018 – before presidential ambitions hijacked the agenda. If the governor is thinking of another grab at the presidential brass ring, re-creating, reviving and reinventing that guy is the way forward.

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DeSantis was a problem-solver; a conservative, yes, but determined to preserve the Everglades, stop or mitigate beach erosion and take a firm hand with the sugar industry to stop the kind of pollution that is choking our streams with stinking algae and toxic goo. He worked overtime for hurricane preparation, aligning the various emergency response units and working to form partnerships with the feds.

There are massive, fundamental problems facing Florida, and a governor with a clear supermajority in both houses is exactly the one to build a record out of finding and implementing the solutions. Many of his environmental concerns remain – and extending state parks and land preservation can become a by-word for this new, post-primary administration.

But it’s not all wildlife corridors and cleaning up parks, either. The insurance crisis remains a crisis – and someone with real juice needs to redirect the legislature and force them to make some hard choices in this arena. Traffic issues affect Floridians from the Georgia border to the Keys. Smart, creative solutions are needed.

DeSantis is an energetic, resourceful guy. He is not likely to sit still for long. We should all hope that whatever drives him forward, he’ll take up the challenge of the red meat issues of Florida for the balance of his term.

R. Bruce Anderson is the Dr. Sarah D. and L. Kirk McKay Jr. endowed chair in American history, government and civics and Miller distinguished professor of political science at Florida Southern College.  He is also a columnist for The Ledger and political consultant and on-air commentator for WLKF Radio in Lakeland.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Now that DeSantis isn't running for president, Florida needs him