No matter who drives, brace for a sharp turn

GOP’s DeSantis might take state as far to right as Gillum would to left.

Republicans are TALLAHASSEE — blasting Democrat Andrew Gillum as a lefty who is “too extreme” for Florida because of his calls for a major tax increase, health care expansion and softer immigration laws. But Gillum’s gubernatorial opponent, Republican Ron DeSantis, also is poised to be a disrupter — only he’s coming from the right. While much of his plans for state government remain under wraps, off-center positions DeSantis took during three terms in Congress — if reshaped for Tallahassee — would rattle much of Florida’s entrenched Republican power structure, which has commanded state government for 20 years. “I like to think he’ll continue on the track that Gov. (Rick) Scott set for us,” said Rep. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota. “But he sure does have an independent streak.” A pair of large business associations, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business-Florida, just endorsed DeSantis — even though these organizations support the kind of government spending programs the former congressman has steadily fought against. But NFIB-Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle said backing DeSantis still was simple when faced with Gillum’s bid to sharply increase the corporate income tax to raise $1 billion more for education. “Our small-business owners looked at his opponent, who’s done a great job promoting his

agenda, and said ‘This an easy one,’” Herrle said. “His tax plan helped seal their decision.” Still, DeSantis’ congressional record — he was a founding member of the arch-conservative Freedom Caucus — shows he could shake up a lot of what passes as Tallahassee status quo. His strict, free-market views likely threaten the future of Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, the state’s business marketing and tourism agencies, and might derail much of the corporate, local government and university spending which generally earned Scott’s backing. Democrats say establishment Republicans are forced into giving DeSantis an awkward embrace. “They’re scared to death,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “I really don’t think (DeSantis) knows anything about economic development. You can’t just sell this state on sunshine and sand. I didn’t agree with Scott on a lot of things, but he understood the need for selling the state.” Before recently resigning from his Palm Coast congressional seat a few weeks ago to focus on the governor’s race, DeSantis had staked out positions limiting the size of government and cutting federal spending — including money sought by Florida officials. DeSantis voted as a freshman congressman to abolish the federal Economic Development Agency, which pours millions of dollars into community public works projects in Florida and around the country. The agency helped finance road and hangar work at the Treasure Coast International Airport, the University of Florida’s Innovation Hub, the Lake Worth Commerce Park and a venture-capital fund dubbed Seed Tampa Bay.

Similarly, DeSantis opposed reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, a target of such hard-line conservative groups as Heritage Action and the Club for Growth. Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers managed to push Congress into keeping the credit agency alive. President Donald Trump, as a candidate, ridiculed the bank as corporate welfare — although his criticism has cooled. While the Ex-Im bank helped finance billions in exports from thousands of Florida companies over the past decade, it has run afoul of conservatives, including DeSantis, who is endorsed by Trump. But perhaps the biggest Florida Republican ally DeSantis antagonizes is the sugar industry, which donated heavily to his losing primary opponent, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. Sugar was linked to a political committee that ran TV and radio spots against him. In Congress, DeSantis has voted to reduce long-held federal subsidies to the industry, joining critics who see them as a taxpayer giveaway that drives up prices and hurts consumers. U.S. Sugar Corp. and Florida Crystals, though, appear to be now trying to gain an edge with DeSantis. They’re contributors to Florida Jobs PAC, a political spending committee of the Florida Chamber, which is likely to continue powering DeSantis, given its recent endorsement. The chamber had backed Putnam in the Republican primary before coming around to DeSantis. Some of DeSantis’ strongest allies, though, say they are ready for the lean government strategies advanced by the nominee. AFP Action Fund, a political committee that is part of Americans for Prosperity, the advocacy organization heavily financed by oil billionaires Charles and David Koch, will launch an advertising and direct mail campaign in coming days in support of DeSantis. “I don’t think Ron DeSantis is going to be part of the status quo in Tallahassee,” said Chris Hudson, senior advisor to AFP-Action. “I think he’s going to have a bold agenda.” While Gillum’s proposals to boost the corporate income tax by 40 percent, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and expand Medicaid would face major hurdles in a Legislature almost certain to remain Republican-dominated, DeSantis could have an ally for his rollback of state spending. House Speaker-designate Jose Oliva, R-Miami, was an early endorser of DeSantis. Oliva also was central to the House’s efforts in 2017 that scaled back Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida — which Scott was forced into supporting. AFP also opposed the state’s film incentive program, which shuttered in 2016 after handing out $296 million in tax credits over its six years of existence to companies producing movie and TV projects in Florida. Scott and conservative Republicans said it was a waste of money, but Gillum has vowed to revive the program, to bring back jobs and productions lost to Georgia and other incentive-friendly states in recent years. Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor, in February lamented on Twitter that the blockbuster “Black Panther” superhero movie generated almost $90 million for the Georgia economy. He tweeted, “This could have been us, Florida.” Still, there’s a plot twist. “Black Panther” is a Marvel Entertainment production. And Marvel’s chairman, Ike Perlmutter, and wife, Laura, a Palm Beach Republican power couple, are also major DeSantis donors — even loaning a private plane to his campaign.