The day before Ron DeSantis was set to become Florida’s 46th governor, we wanted some perspective on what it feels like to be on the brink of leading the nation’s third most populous state.
Former Gov. Bob Martinez, the state's leader from 1987 to 1991, was about to head to Tallahassee for the inauguration festivities on Monday. He told 10News some advice he would give to the governor-elect.
What would you tell the incoming governor to think about Tuesday’s inauguration?
“He should enjoy it. You know, soak it in. Enjoy tomorrow. After the ball tomorrow, go back to work. And start doing all the things that a governor has to do.”
Having been there, what does it feel like as you are about to be sworn in as the governor of Florida?
“It’s a great moment, it’s one of the peaks of your life to be sworn into a major office like the governor of the state of Florida. And your family is there, your supporters are there, everyone is generally very positive. So, it’s perhaps the highest moment you’ll have holding political office.”
Are you, somewhere in the back of your mind, also thinking about the enormity of the job you are about to undertake?
“Behind all that is the work that starts immediately. Ron DeSantis has three Supreme Court appointments he’ll have to make. Staff appointments. You have a budget to work on only in about a month before you’re supposed to deliver to the legislature and that’s a short period of time.”
What are you concentrating on and thinking about you as you take the oath and address those in attendance?
“I hope I can deliver my acceptance speech in a good manner. I hope the weather is good. You’re thinking about the moment when you’re going through an inaugural. Your parents, your children, your loved ones are there. They’re there to celebrate a great day.”
What advice would you give to Ron DeSantis as one of his first orders of business after taking the oath of office to be an effective Governor?
“So, I think it’s important that the governor establish relationships with those who have also been elected to office. And by the constitution, have been given certain authorities that you are going to have to deal with. Because without them, quite frankly, you’ll have a lot of stalemates. You’ll have a lot of, sometimes aggressive debate, and what you want to do is see if you can come, at least to start with before you get into something contentious, that there’s a relationship. And I think that’s one of the very first steps a governor needs to do. Reach out to the opposite party, too.”
Governor DeSantis was endorsed by President Trump. Do you believe his close relationship with the White House is an asset for Florida?
“Oh, you’ll benefit, no doubt about that. He can pick up the phone...(and) call the president. And that’s very, very important. Particularly when you have a crisis that you need some immediate assistance. Some immediate attention. He’s had a pretty long relationship with President Trump coming in. As a result of that, he’s going to have really good access.”
Voters passed amendments restoring felons’ rights and legalizing medical marijuana. Critics say lawmakers have been dragging their feet. You opposed the Florida Lottery, but you made it happen during your administration because voters had passed an amendment. What advice would you give the incoming governor about enacting the will of the people when it comes to such issues?
“You always carry out the will of the people. People sometimes believe automatically, just because they pass something, that the next day or on January 1st of the following year that it’s already operable and it just doesn’t work that way. I don’t think governors do that. I don’t think that they deliberately try. There’s no percentage in it to do that. You’re just going to get yourself into a controversy that has no end. And, so politically, it’s not a smart thing to do. Just because you want implementing language doesn’t mean you don’t want it to happen, you just want it to be implemented in an orderly fashion.”
During your administration, you found it was important to get out of Tallahassee and visit different parts of the state. You advise Gov. DeSantis to do the same?
“You know, Tallahassee is up there in the northwest part of the state. It’s a long way from Key West. But you do have to get yourself grounded periodically spending time with, whether it’s in the Tampa Bay area of Miami area, because different parts of the state have different needs and different wants and different philosophies.”
You say a governor’s responsibilities can be broken down into “buckets”. The economy, education, the environment, transportation and health. Why do you recommend concentrating on those core issues?
“What you have to do is move it forward. Improve it from where it is and...knowing that new things will evolve over time...go back and examine it.”
You say a governor can ultimately be judged on issues that are not easily planned for?
“What’s on your calendar to be done in two weeks, you plan for it. And you’ve got resources to get the information, and you’ve got the advisers that give you their opinion. And therefore, there is a less likelihood of a misstep. But when it just happened suddenly -- no one had it on the agenda. It’s critical. People can get hurt. Can die. Whatever. That’s when you get the final judgment.”
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