DeSantis Launches Fiery Attack on House Speaker Perez Over ‘Personal Agenda’
Governor delivers blistering 10-minute tirade against Miami Republican who blocked vaccine mandate repeal and AI regulation bills.
MADISON, FLORIDA — Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a scathing nearly 10-minute verbal assault on Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez during a ceremony Thursday afternoon, accusing the Miami Republican of having “a personal agenda” and undermining the governor’s legislative priorities.
The heated remarks represent the latest escalation in an ongoing feud between DeSantis and Perez, who has acted more independently since taking over as House Speaker in November 2024. Unlike other Republican leaders who have served with DeSantis since he took office in January 2019, Perez has demonstrated a willingness to oppose the governor’s initiatives.
Redistricting Success Overshadowed by Defeats
DeSantis expressed frustration that while the House voted nearly unanimously last month to approve his congressional redistricting map, which could generate as many as four additional Republican seats this fall, the chamber rejected two other key measures. The House killed proposals to end vaccine mandates for school children and create guardrails around artificial intelligence, both of which the Senate had previously supported.
“All you have to do is, like, copy and paste what has been done,” DeSantis declared about what the Legislature should be doing. “That’s what folks want. They want us to continue with what’s been successful.”
Speaker Cites Safety Concerns
On the first day of the special session on April 28, Perez, a father of three young children, told reporters that he felt “uncomfortable” about children going to school with measles, mumps, or chicken pox when explaining his opposition to ending vaccine mandates. Regarding artificial intelligence regulations, Perez said he preferred to defer implementing any AI rules to the federal government, taking a cue from President Donald Trump.
As a result of Perez’s stance, no House member filed companion legislation to bills on those topics that had been re-filed in the Senate to address during the special session.
‘Throwing His Members Under the Bus’
DeSantis accused the Speaker of misleading the public about the legislative process. “The Speaker said, ‘Nobody filed a bill on this so we can’t move forward,'” DeSantis said Thursday. “Now, do you believe nobody filed a bill, or were they told not to file a bill?”
The governor’s extended criticism highlights the growing tension between the executive and legislative branches in Florida, with Perez representing a more independent approach to Republican leadership than DeSantis has previously encountered. The conflict comes as both officials navigate their respective political priorities heading into the remainder of the legislative term.
The feud between DeSantis and Perez has been building for more than a year, with the governor consistently expressing frustration over the Speaker’s willingness to chart his own course rather than simply rubber-stamp the administration’s agenda.
