Unscripted Drive

Finally something resembling an answer to my question, even if it's completely frivolous. Speaker Perez is arguing that the newly created post of Chief Immigration Officer should be an elected official, rather than someone appointed by the Governor, and since both AG Ashley Moody and CFO Jimmy Patronis are headed to DC, it makes sense to give it to the Agricultural Commissioner. I cannot emphasize how silly this is. This logic could apply to every single agency head in the state government, the vast majority of whom are appointed by the Governor. There is political accountability for these appointees because the Governor is responsible - and held democratically accountable - for their performance. Further, there wouldn't be meaningful democratic accountability for the Ag Commissioner, because *normal people don't assume that the Ag Commissioner would have anything to do with immigration law.* The legislature's proposal would obfuscate the way immigration enforcement functions in the state. And, of course, none of this answers the obvious conflict of interest problems that are created by making the Ag Commissioner the Chief Immigration Officer, nor does it explain how the Ag Commissioner will be able to efficiently coordinate with the other Florida law enforcement agencies that he does not supervise. If after 24 hours, this is the best that Perez and his cronies can come up with, it's obvious what the actual game is here. Perez and his cronies are lashing out at Governor DeSantis, thinking they can screw with him because he's termed out in 2026. But if they managed to succeed with their proposal, the damage they do would be with us well into the future, as future Florida Governors find they lack any authority to enforce state immigration law or coordinate with federal law enforcement.