WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will now return to Tallahassee as his presidential campaign ends.
As he returns, the Florida Legislature is already involved in an early session that largely may not be influenced by the governor.
"I have to say, the governor has been the most proactive governor when it comes to legislation," state Rep. Rick Roth, R-West Palm Beach, said. "That is my hope, that he is a little more accessible."
On the other hand, Democrats are pointing out that DeSantis' failed campaign may be a national rejection of his conservative culture agenda from last year.
"There's a lot of bills filed that continue down this ridiculous path of anti-LGBTQ," state Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said. "They may not get heard if he's not pushing them."
For the most part, Republicans in control have focused on education and health care as part of their legislative agenda.
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As DeSantis returns full-time to the state, one issue still hanging around is homeowners insurance.
Efforts to reign in fraudulent litigation in a special session in December 2022 have still not produced the lower premiums many were hoping to see.
Political reporter Marc Caputo of TheMessenger.com has followed DeSantis' rise in Florida and said insurance may be a tough political obstacle as DeSantis works on the remaining three years of his term.
"For now, he goes to Tallahassee and stays in Tallahassee, presumably to be the best governor he can," Caputo said.
