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topicnews · August 29, 2024

Dispute between DeSantis and GOP Rep. Fine sparks internet fire

Dispute between DeSantis and GOP Rep. Fine sparks internet fire

Fine of Brevard County now wants to launch an investigation into “whether certain positions in the governor’s office are necessary.”

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The dispute between Governor Ron DeSantis and a key Republican lawmaker escalated Wednesday night when his aides launched online taunts against Rep. Randy Fine, demanding that the state legislature examine whether these positions are really needed.

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for DeSantis, Christina Pushaw, a senior analyst in the governor’s office, and Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for DeSantis’ political campaigns, teased Fine in a series of posts on the social media site X.

“Will (Fine) give back his Harvard degree now?” Fenske posted a story above about Harvard University’s hiring of former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, who resigned after testifying before Congress about her efforts to combat anti-Semitism on campus.

The post alluded to Fine’s criticism of DeSantis’ trip to Ireland, which was first reported by the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau.

The trip included meetings with Irish companies seeking to boost economic development in Florida and attending the Florida State-Georgia Tech football game in Dublin. However, Fine called Ireland an “anti-Semitic country” that “supports Muslim terror” because it recognized Palestine as a country in May.

The recognition came in the midst of the war between Hamas and Israel, which began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded by invading the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says around 40,000 Gazans have died since the invasion began. However, this figure does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, nor does it specify causes of death. The Israeli government says it has killed 17,000 fighters.

At the time, Fine announced he would introduce a bill to add Ireland, as well as Spain and Norway, which also recognized Palestine, to the list of Florida-controlled entities. This would prohibit Florida government agencies from investing in or contracting with companies in those countries. Fine is running for a 15-year term in the House of Representatives, but he is running for a Senate district in Brevard County that is overwhelmingly Republican.

Redfern and Pushaw chimed in with their own posts, sparking a heated exchange with Fine, who then attacked them sharply, demanding an investigation into their activities and questioning whether they should stick to their positions.

“I would fire her immediately,” Randy Fine posted on X

“If any of my taxpayer-funded employees ever came into conflict with another elected official in the manner that three of the governor’s staff did tonight – and they do so often and routinely – I would fire them immediately,” Fine wrote.

“Tomorrow, I will call on the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to investigate whether certain positions in the Governor’s office are necessary given how frequently they are involved in personal and political activities for the Governor. This conduct is not only inappropriate and unprofessional, it may be illegal.

“The governor had no problem blocking the budget for legislative support staff. It’s time to turn the tables.”

Although Fenske previously worked in DeSantis’ office, her salary for her role on the campaign side is not taxpayer-funded. However, Redfern and Pushaw receive $129,800 and $159,700 per year from the state, respectively.

Fine was once a key DeSantis ally in the legislature, sponsoring the bill that would have stripped Walt Disney of its home-government status in the Reedy Creek Improvement District. That highly controversial bill destroyed the entertainment conglomerate’s longstanding friendly relations with Florida Republicans who control the legislature.

Fine also supported DeSantis in his presidential campaign last year, but then abruptly switched his support to Donald Trump, claiming DeSantis was not doing enough to enforce a new law to combat anti-Semitism in the state.

DeSantis responded to Fine’s criticism early Wednesday by indicating that he would not turn away the lobbyists who also traveled to Ireland for the FSU game.

“I think pretty much every lobbyist in Tallahassee has made this trip. So is Rep. Fine going to stop taking money from all the lobbyists like he has been doing?” DeSantis told reporters. “I would love to see his response to that.”

Fine and DeSantis share a love of Ireland – the country, if not its administration’s decision on Palestine. DeSantis has spoken before about his attachment to the island after visiting it, and Fine said he traveled there with his family last year, before the Oct. 7 attacks and the initiative to recognize Palestine.

“My family and I went to Ireland last summer and had a fantastic summer,” Fine said Monday in an interview with the USA TODAY Network Florida Capital Bureau.

“I had no idea that there was such deep-rooted anti-Semitism in Ireland. So of course it was very sad for me. It was literally one of our best family trips ever. I thought to myself, ‘Boy, what would have happened if I had worn my kippah?'”

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.

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