GOP Trio Challenges DeSantis on Education and Transparency

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From Loyal Allies to Independent Voices

In the shifting landscape of Florida politics, three Northwest Florida Republicans have emerged as unexpected champions of local control of higher education and government transparency. Sen. Don Gaetz, Rep. Alex Andrade, and Rep. Michelle Salzman—loyal, conservative GOP lawmakers—have demonstrated political courage by challenging the governor’s agenda when it threatened their community’s interests.

Gaetz: Sage Defender of UWF

Sen. Don Gaetz, a former Senate president that the voters sent back to Tallahassee in November, has used his position as chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections to quietly pressure Boise State professor Scott Yenor and Tampa podcaster Gates Garcia to resign from the University of West Florida Board of Trustees before the pair appeared before his committee next Tuesday.

After this blog broked the news of Yenor’s resignation, Gaetz told the News Service of Florida: “I believe that Mr. Yenor did the gentlemanly thing, because gentlemen don’t go where no one wants them, and his timely resignation takes much of the steam out of what otherwise might have been an unnecessary blowup between Gov. DeSantis and many of his Northwest Florida friends and supporters.”

When Don Gaetz speaks, people listen.

Salzman: Champion for Transparency

Rep. Michelle Salzman has successfully led the charge against secretive university presidential searches. Her House Bill 1321, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support (104-8), repeals exemptions to public records laws that shielded these processes from public scrutiny. Despite DeSantis publicly criticizing her in her own district, claiming she had “gone native” in Tallahassee, Salzman held firm to her principles of government transparency.

“This is about showing the voters what we’re doing. This is about transparency in government,” Salzman stated, refusing to be intimidated by the governor’s direct attacks.

Andrade: Following the Money

Meanwhile, Representative Alex Andrade has fearlessly pursued answers about potential financial irregularities in First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida initiative. As chair of the House Health Care Budget Committee, Andrade has raised pointed questions about a $10 million settlement redirected to Hope Florida rather than state coffers.
When administration officials pushed back, Andrade remained undeterred, describing what he witnessed as a “money laundering scheme” and pursuing accountability regardless of political consequences.

Standing for Northwest Florida

Their resistance is particularly noteworthy because these lawmakers come from solidly conservative districts where DeSantis remains popular. Yet they’ve prioritized their constituents’ interests over political expediency, defending the University of West Florida against outside interference and demanding proper financial oversight.

Clearly, DeSantis’ weird self-centered brand of conservatism is out of step with Northwest Florida’s Republicans and maybe the rest of the state.

Our delegation’s courage has not gone unnoticed. Andrade revealed that despite the governor’s public calls for constituents to pressure the representatives, “the only phone calls I’ve gotten from staunch strong conservatives in Northwest Florida are encouraging me to keep going.”

In an era where political courage is increasingly rare, Gaetz, Andrade and Salzman demonstrate that principled resistance to executive overreach can come from unexpected quarters—even from the governor’s own party.

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2 thoughts on “Unlikely Conservative Heroes: Gaetz, Andrade and Salzman stand against DeSantis”

Romi White says:

April 20, 2025 at 8:50 am

Couldn’t agree more!
Dot Dixon says:

April 19, 2025 at 11:33 am

Reminds me of “child/boy” in Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. We need more like them.

Comments are closed.

Unlikely Conservative Heroes: Gaetz, Andrade and Salzman stand against DeSantis

From Loyal Allies to Independent Voices

Gaetz: Sage Defender of UWF

Salzman: Champion for Transparency

Andrade: Following the Money

Standing for Northwest Florida

2 thoughts on “Unlikely Conservative Heroes: Gaetz, Andrade and Salzman stand against DeSantis”

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From Loyal Allies to Independent Voices

<img title="Don Gaetz - Rick&#039;s Blog" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-94757" src="https://ricksblog.biz/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Don-Gaetz.jpg" alt="" width="139" height="185" />Gaetz: Sage Defender of UWF

Standing for Northwest Florida

2 thoughts on “Unlikely Conservative Heroes: Gaetz, Andrade and Salzman stand against DeSantis”

Rules for Comments

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Walker Holmes Books

Inweekly Newsletter

Gaetz: Sage Defender of UWF