TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address on Tuesday is supposed to be about Florida’s future. Iowa, though, is more likely at the front of his mind.
The speech kicking off Florida’s annual legislative session comes exactly a week before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, and DeSantis has been spending much more time in the Hawkeye State than the Sunshine State in recent weeks.
So it won’t be a surprise if his sixth State of the State is as much a message to Iowa voters as it is a forecast of his continued vision for Florida.
Unlike past years, when DeSantis would spend months forecasting his priorities ahead of the session, this year he has largely been silent as he woos Iowa and New Hampshire voters. Many of his staff who helped him prepare for the 2023 State of the State address are now in Iowa.
“A lot of his team is now on the campaign trail, so you’re managing with a skeleton crew,” former Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes said. “He’s not going to want a huge amount of fights here to distract from the national picture. Nothing I’ve seen coming out of the Legislature is earth shattering or groundbreaking this year.”
“The governor has these people pretty much trained,” Brandes said. “Many of these House and Senate members are calling the governor’s office preclearing their legislation at a volume that historically you have not seen, at least in the Senate.”
DeSantis’ speech will be delivered in the state House chambers after lawmakers hold ceremonies opening the session. It likely will highlight his success over the last few years and remind conservatives of his efforts to restrict abortion, ban instruction on LGBTQ+ topics in schools, keep immigrants living in the country illegally out of Florida, expand gun rights and push back against federal government advice on COVID-19 restrictions and treatments.
