This is the most powerful time in Florida’s history for the Republican Party.
In addition to holding all three Cabinet positions, maintaining a supermajority in both houses of the Legislature, and controlling the governor’s residence for almost thirty years, it also leads Democrats by more than 1.3 million votes in voter registration.
However, a number of prominent Republican leaders cautioned at the Florida Freedom Forum in Orlando on Saturday that infighting and complacency may allow their political enemies to gain an advantage.
“Avoid getting high on your own supply,” Governor Ron DeSantis said. In politics, nothing is permanent.
The governor cited two proposed constitutional changes that were on the statewide vote last year and came very close to passing as evidence, as did his close ideological friend, recently hired Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
While Amendment 4 would have incorporated abortion rights into the state constitution, Amendment 3 would have legalized cannabis for recreational use by adults. Although they both had over 55% support—a resounding majority—they fell short of the 60% level needed to pass.
According to DeSantis, the left can use the backdoor to transform this into California if they can spend $250 million on these ballot proposals. without ever needing to exert legislative authority. We might wake up in ten years and discover that we have a left-wing state without even ever being able to elect a governor. Therefore, Amendments 3 and 4 constituted a significant test for this state.
Ingoglia went on to say, “Never, ever underestimate leftists and their ability to lie, cheat, and steal.” Progressives and leftists are aware that they are no longer viable candidates in Florida. In an attempt to transform this state into California, they are now attempting to purchase our Constitution. Voter fraud is rampant. Spending hundreds of millions of dollars. unclear wording. Alluring titles. foreign currency. Every God-fearing Republican in this room should take note of last year’s amendments; they won’t let up, and neither should we. Protect the Constitution!
The fact that the Legislature enacted and DeSantis signed into law a measure in response to those proposals was not mentioned, but Democrats claim it has made it much harder to pass (or even get on the ballot) citizen-led constitutional changes in the future. The fact that Amendment 3 was supported by both President Donald Trump and state Senator Joe Gruters—whom Trump is currently supporting to take over as chair of the Republican National Committee—makes the criticisms of the bill noteworthy.
Therefore, it may be noteworthy that Byron Donalds, a Republican U.S. Representative from Naples who was endorsed by President Trump in the 2026 governor contest, stated that intraparty strife is the only thing that may stop the GOP’s progress in Florida.
In a conversation with conservative influencer Benny Johnson, he said, “Listen, man, we cannot fight among ourselves right now.” We have the wind on our backs. Florida has a 1.3–1.4 million voting edge. We’re winning. And if this person wants to be in power, the only way you can lose is if we start fighting. That individual desires control. Or I want my committee. We must continue to win and remain unified.
DeSantis has yet to support Donalds, despite the fact that he already has Trump’s support for governor.
Attorney General James Uthemier, who, like Ingoglia, was appointed to his position by DeSantis earlier this year (in his case to replace Ashley Moody), was among the other officials who spoke at the event, which also featured an award given to Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff who has previously been at odds with DeSantis.
Prior to his appointment, Uthmeier was largely unknown outside of Florida politics, but he has made headlines this summer after threatening to remove local politicians from office if they don’t support DeSantis’s illegal immigration agenda.
In a sort of victory lap, Uthmeier explained to the audience how he had developed the idea for the Alligator Alcatraz prison in the Everglades.
Additionally, he added that state Democrats who recently visited the location were engaging in political scheming and that they were more concerned with the undocumented than with American families who had been negatively impacted by former President Joe Biden’s open border policy. Therefore, he claimed, their party is getting their ass kicked every single day.
Additionally, Uthemier informed the Republican audience that he will be on the ballot the next year.
“I am definitely not your guy if you want someone who is lenient, soft on crime, and wants illegal immigrants to have an easy way out,” he stated.
During his presentation, Uthmeier also had to deal with a protester who started yelling at him. This was just one of over six similar outbursts that occurred at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel during the day.
He yelled, “Get this guy outta here.” What do you know? I believe the guy has a place in Alligator Alcatraz.
DeSantis was the most interrupted.
When a fourth protester started yelling during his address, he declared, “If you’re going to interrupt, you’ve got to do a better job than that.” DeSantis said, “That was a weak performance,” as the protester was led from the ballroom.
Earlier in the morning, two more demonstrators were also removed out after yelling at U.S. Representative Randy Fine, who was speaking with Republican members of Congress Aaron Bean and Daniel Webster.
Later that day, the activists’ group released a press release outlining their course of action.
Part of the statement read, “Republican lawmakers have made it difficult to register complaints.” To avoid hearing from any constituents who don’t already agree with them, they have avoided town halls, disregarded petitions, circumvented our phone calls, and generally done everything in their power.
In the press release, Joy Metzler, who was wearing a Veterans Against Fascism T-shirt and identified herself as a recently separated Air Force veteran, attacked Florida Republicans for their involvement in the construction of the immigration detention facility, claiming that they had constructed a concentration camp in their own backyard. This was an incredibly offensive insult to my grandfather, who fought against the Nazis during World War II.
The sporadic outbursts were largely dismissed as bothersome diversions on a day that was supposed to be a celebration of the GOP’s hegemony in the state.
