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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being accused of retaliating against a state Republican over his support for former President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
DeSantis, who is running for the GOP nomination himself for 2024, vetoed a number of projects on Thursday, including many in the Sarasota area—a move that was slammed by state Senator Joe Gruters who represents the district.
"The Governor is clearly upset I endorsed Donald Trump for President, and so he took it out on the people of Sarasota County," Gruters said in a statement. "Trump and I understand that people come first, and it's our job to deliver clean water, jobs and a better America for the next generation. The Governor clearly sees politics differently."
Gruters, who served as the chairman of the Florida Republican Party up until last year, was an early supporter of Trump's 2016 campaign and publicly endorsed the former president for 2024 in April. Gruters, meanwhile, has remained one of Trump's closest political allies in Florida.
Gruters is among dozens of Florida Republicans who have backed Trump over DeSantis. Among congressional Republicans from the Sunshine State, Trump has 12 endorsements to DeSantis' one. However, Gruters is the only state legislator to support Trump, with DeSantis receiving the backing of 23 state senators and 77 state representatives.
DeSantis' office denied Gruters' claims that the vetoes were made in retaliation to the senator's 2024 endorsement.
"Senator Gruters turning conservative governance and fiscal responsibility into a political statement is absurd," DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern told Newsweek on Friday, adding that the governor approved more than $125 million for projects in Sarasota County.
When asked about Redfern's response, Gruters told Newsweek he continues to stand by his claims.
On Thursday, DeSantis signed Florida's $116.5 billion budget and released the list of vetoed items, which included $29 million that was allocated to projects in Sarasota. Some of those items were $20 million for a STEM nursing facility at University of South Florida's Sarasota campus, a $4 million road expansion and $1.5 million earmarked for the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.
"Simply because I support his political opponent, the Governor chose to punish ordinary Floridians who want better water quality, less traffic congestion and increased resources for disabled children to find gainful employment," Gruters said in his statement. "It's mean-spirited acts like this that are defining him here and across the country."
The Sarasota projects that were approved by the governor include $33.4 million for operating funds at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, $19 million for the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus and $10.7 million for the school district's workforce education programs, according to a budget spreadsheet shared with Newsweek.
"The state is in great shape, the state is going in a great direction," the governor said before signing the state budget into law.
Update 06/20/23, 12:21 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Gruters.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more