Thirty minutes into a routine appearance Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis abruptly turned his fire on a fellow Republican, accusing a veteran state lawmaker of betraying the party’s voters.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Manatee County is on deck for DOGE audit as cuts to government spending reach the local level.

Florida picked up an extra seat in the last round of reapportionment and produced maps that triggered a lengthy legal battle only resolved this month by the state Supreme Court. The map pushed by the governor ultimately resulted in Republicans gaining four seats across the state, helping the GOP narrowly win the House back in 2022.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Thursday it would be “appropriate” to pursue redistricting in Florida in the middle of the decade due to population shifts and what he called “defects” in the way

DeSantis said communications director Bryan Griffin is the best candidate to promote “the message of the Free State of Florida.”

The governor’s ally will lead the publicly funded agency that works to attract tourists and conventions to Florida. He could earn up to $215,000.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it clear that reducing property taxes for homeowners is a priority during his final two years in office. The governor has proposed a ballot amendment in 2026 to give Florida voters the choice to get rid of taxes on homestead properties altogether.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Manatee County is next to receive state-level D.O.G.E. budget audits.

The court ruled last week against a challenge to the map on the grounds that it eliminated a minority-access seat in North Florida. That ruling came days after DeSantis claimed problems with the census “gypped” Florida out of at least one more seat it should have had.