Florida Phoenix by Michael Moline
May 30, 2019
Gov. Ron DeSantis was pleased enough with the Florida Cabinet’s meeting in Jerusalem this week to suggest hitting the road more often. That won’t mean convening once per month, as has long been the practice.
DeSantis acknowledged “a little hiccup at the start” of the meeting Wednesday, but said he was glad the Cabinet could gather in such an “historic” setting – an annex to the United States’ new embassy in Jerusalem.
“I think the Florida Cabinet should be expeditionary – and we’ve shown that we can do that,” he told reporters after the meeting.
The governor and Cabinet – who preside over key areas of Florida government, including environmental and police protection, state investments, and insurance regulation – have cancelled four meetings since early April.
DeSantis said that was because he was preoccupied moving his priorities through the Legislature’s spring regular session. But he saw no need to stick to the traditional schedule.
“You can meet however often you want,” he said. “Probably not going to be every month.”
DeSantis scoffed at criticism by media organizations who said holding a Cabinet meeting 6,000 miles away – creating a high bar for citizen participation – violates the state’s Sunshine Law.