Florida's Latest News

Ron DeSantis, Trump's No.1 GOP Rival, Flexes His Fundraising Muscles

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly raised over $100 million for his Florida gubernatorial campaign—all through donations.

According to figures filed with the Florida Secretary of State, between January 1 and December 31, 2021, DeSantis received a total of $109.869 million—with $6.6 million of total contributions coming from the Republican Governor Associations alone, and $5 million from Kenneth C. Griffin.

Nick Iarossi, co-founder of Capital City Consulting and DeSantis fundraiser, doesn't believe the rivalry between DeSantis and Trump exists.

"DeSantis has national popularity because of how he governs and as a result is public enemy number one of the far left, so he's building a robust campaign arsenal to fight back. Any narrative about a Trump rivalry is promoted by his opponents or manufactured for entertainment where there is none."

Twenty-seven percent of Republican voters would like Trump to name DeSantis as his vice-presidential running mate.

DeSantis told Fox News the White House race is "not anything that I'm planning for."

Gov. DeSantis Supports Special Session On Soaring Property Insurance Costs

As St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes quickly got the support needed to poll lawmakers on the need for a special session to address growing property insurance costs, Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed the effort.

But DeSantis, who didn’t include insurance in the call for a special session on redistricting that takes place next week, said Monday that lawmakers first need to reach a deal on reforms that could build on changes to the insurance industry made last year.

While the House still hasn’t shown a willingness to accept more aggressive measures pitched in the 2022 regular session by the Senate, DeSantis said during a press conference at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa that lawmakers should return to Tallahassee “once we have something that will go.”

Providers still waiting for state to deliver $1.2B in supplemental Medicaid funds

In an effort to bolster the state’s home- and community-based services network, the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration late last summer agreed to tap into $1.2 billion in additional federal Medicaid funds.

More than six months later, the state hasn’t distributed any of the supplemental funds and providers don’t know when to expect the payments. They also don’t know how much to expect because the state did not finalize the distribution formula it was going to use to disburse the funds.

Attain Inc. has taken out two small business loans since September when the state announced it received approval from the federal government to use the funds, said Craig Cook, executive director of the not-for-profit agency that has been providing residential services to people with disabilities in central Florida since 1988.

Personnel note: Joe Mongiovi joins Capital City Consulting

Capital City Consulting announced Wednesday that Joe Mongiovi is joining its team of government affairs consultants.

Mongiovi comes to the firm with experience working with tech manufacturing and solutions providers, having served as the Southeast technology engineering director for a global technology company and as a lead technology architect at one of Florida’s most prominent public universities.

“I am thrilled to join Capital City Consulting’s team,” said Mongiovi. “Their well-known success and team of first-rate government consultants makes this a truly exciting move and I am ready and looking forward to this new opportunity.”

At Capital City Consulting, Mongiovi will advise clients in technology, procurement, contracts, and go-to-market strategy advocacy before Florida’s government, focusing on results-driven business and government solutions.