SARASOTA COUNTIES (SNN TV) – Sarasota state Senator Joe Gruters slammed Governor Ron DeSantis after the governor vetoed many Sarasota area projects
Gruters says in a statement, “The Governor is clearly upset I endorsed Donald Trump for President, and so he took it out on the people of Sarasota County.”
Gruters was co-chair of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 and has a long relationship with the former president, having twice brought him to Sarasota to receive the local GOP’s “Statesman of the Year” award
According to the Herald-Tribune, Gruters‘ blistering statement is the most dramatic break with DeSantis by any member of the Legislature, and a sign of how presidential politics are creating rifts in the Florida GOP.
Some examples of the governor’s vetoes are $4 million for the widening of a segment of Fruitville Road, $1 million for a project that could potentially create a new Midnight Pass, and $500,000 for a project that will relocate the city of Venice’s Fire Station #2.
During a news conference at a Fort Pierce yacht club this week, DeSantis signed a 516-page appropriations bill funding state operations during the next fiscal year, which the governor dubbed his “framework for freedom.” He pointed out increased salaries for law enforcement and teachers as highlights of the budget.
DeSantis touted the state’s low unemployment rate, sales tax relief events, and how the tourism industry rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sales tax relief programs include items for babies and toddlers, back-to-school, and hurricane preparedness.