*Note: The Floridian has learned that mailers requesting Florida residents to call on their legislators to support the special session on immigration have been sent out to all regions of the state. Edits of this article reflect this revelation.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is asking Florida residents to call on their state legislators to support and participate in the upcoming special session to address illegal immigration and is using President Donald Trump's (R) endorsement of the session to do so.
A legislator included in this call to action is State Senator Randy Fine (R-FL-19), who was endorsed by President Trump in his special election race for U.S. Congressional District 6.
Sen. Fine has expressed his disapproval of the session, which begins on January 27th. The mailers, which The Floridian has obtained, are paid for by the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF). While mailers from DeSantis and the RPOF have been sent to all regions of the state, asking all state legislators to support the special session, State Sen. Fine has been one of the leaders in opposition to the timing of it.
Here's an abridged timeline:
2024 President Campaign Cycle
During the Republican Presidential Primary, State Sen. Fine initially backed Gov. DeSantis but flipped following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel committed by Hamas.
"Today, I am endorsing @realDonaldTrump. The past 2 weeks have made me realize our choice as Jews is simple. We can vote for the Gov who says the right things, or we can vote for the President who actually does them. When it comes to action, Trump has never let us down," Rep. Fine tweeted.
January 2025: DeSantis Calls Special Session
After Gov. DeSantis called for a special session, State Sen. Fine accused Gov. DeSantis of calling this special session without a concrete plan to tackle illegal immigration. He told reporters, "It is a huge problem, it is urgent. So what’s the bill? Saying ‘Oh we have a problem, let’s have a special session, let’s have a special session but I’m not sure what to do about it.’ What good does that do?”
However, on the same day, President Trump thanked DeSantis publicly for scheduling the session just one week following his inauguration.
Recently, Gov. DeSantis has sent out these mailers asking Floridians to call on their state legislators to support the special session.
"Trump and DeSantis need you," the mailer begins. "Legislators in Tallahassee believe that fixing our border can wait until Summer. But President Trump and Governor DeSantis believe the time to combat illegal immigration is now! Gov. DeSantis called a special legislative session for next week. Please call your legislators."
Moreover, in an email from DeSantis and the RPOF, the governor says "There isn't a second to waste" and that "Making America Great Again requires action at the state level, and with your help, we will get the job done."
The Floridian can confirm that voters in U.S. Congressional District 6 have been receiving campaign mailers from State Sen. Fine with President Trump's endorsement present. All of these mailers can be seen below.
DeSantis/RPOF Special Session Mailers
Randy Fine Mailer
These issues are not mutually exclusive, and is not in the realm of possibility that Trump would rescind his endorsement. Disagreements such as these happen in politics regularly, but it will interesting to see how Fine navigates this conundrum.
