When we elect people to office, we expect them to focus on the issues that matter to us.
What is the number one issue in your life these days? For many Floridians, the state’s ongoing affordability crisis is what’s driving conversations at dinner tables and in living rooms from the Panhandle to the Keys.
For many families, you’re working harder than ever and still piecing together the money to pay the bills every month. Or if you’re retired, you’re watching your savings that you carefully put away over the years dwindle as you try to keep up with the rising cost of property insurance, groceries and utilities.
Unfortunately, right now, due to a game of political musical chairs after the last presidential election led to politicians putting their own ambitions first, Floridians are currently suffering under statewide officials who were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, rather than elected by voters, to their current positions.
Why does that matter? Because Florida’s current attorney general, chief financial officer and lieutenant governor are not beholden to you, the voter, but rather to the person who appointed them to their position.
After President Donald Trump selected Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, to his Senate seat. Governor DeSantis then appointed his Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, to be Attorney General.
When Congressman Matt Gaetz resigned his position, the state’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, ran for that Congressional seat instead of finishing his term. This allowed Governor DeSantis to handpick his ally, state Senator Blaise Ingoglia, to be Florida’s new CFO.
And when Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez took the job as the new president of Florida International University, the Governor chose another of his political allies, state Senator Jay Collins, to be the new Lieutenant Governor.
So who are these people serving in these positions that you had no say in picking?
Attorney General James Uthmeier is best known for his role in the Hope Florida scandal, which is now the subject of an open grand jury investigation, and has used his time in office to mastermind the costly, corrupt and cruel makeshift detention camp in the Everglades. While attorneys general in other states have intervened on behalf of consumers when utility corporations try to jack up costs, Uthmeier has remained silent while Florida Power and Light seeks the largest rate hike in American history.
CFO Blaise Ingoglia is a developer and professional gambler who during his decade in the Florida Legislature voted to give private insurance corporations $3 billion in taxpayer-funded handouts and to make it almost impossible for policyholders to get the money they are owed when those companies deny legitimate claims after a natural disaster. His office is in charge of regulating the insurance industry.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins sponsored legislation in the state Senate allowing anyone, including criminals, to carry hidden, loaded guns in public with no background checks training, or permits and for billions of dollars in tax breaks for the ultrawealthy and multinational corporations. As lieutenant governor, he’s been a TV personality cheerleader for DeSantis and is widely expected to enter the race for governor in the near future.
Instead of getting to work on behalf of Floridians in their new jobs, all three of these unelected statewide officeholders have spent millions of taxpayer dollars traveling the state to advance their own political ambitions while costs continue to rise for the people of Florida.
All of this means we currently have politicians representing more than 20 million Floridians who are more beholden to the person who appointed them to their office, and the powerful special interests funding their campaigns to keep their jobs, than the voters of our state.
You work hard and you deserve elected leaders who will put politics aside and focus on what really matters: lowering costs, raising wages, and making our communities safer.
That means candidates who aren’t just chasing headlines, but are putting forward practical solutions to the real issues impacting our lives.
Here’s the good news: next year, you will get your chance to have your say at the ballot box. Choose wisely.
Mark Ferrulo is the executive director of Progress Florida, an organization promoting progressive values. Natasha Sutherland is the executive director of Florida Watch, a nonprofit communications hub.
