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The Florida Republican Who's Giving Ron DeSantis Headaches

Daniel Perez, the Florida Speaker, has been combatting the governor over various proposals and personal ambitions all year.

Gov Summer 2025 Mag_Player
Daniel Perez, Florida Speaker.
Associated Press
Editor's Note: This article appears in Governing's Summer 2025 magazine. You can subscribe here.

Governors who run unsuccessfully for president often end up less popular back home. That’s been the case for Ron DeSantis in Florida. After dominating state politics for years, DeSantis now faces a surprising antagonist in fellow Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez.

The two have argued about everything from higher education and offshore drilling to funding for legislative support services and condo safety standards. They locked horns at the start of this year’s session over immigration. Their battle intensified as the state House launched a probe into a nonprofit connected with the governor’s wife. Their dispute about whether to prioritize sales or property tax cuts led to a delay in passing this year’s budget.

Perez, a 38-year-old Cuban American from Miami, has not backed down for a minute, publicly accusing DeSantis of lying, being emotional and throwing temper tantrums. “Threatening others to get your way isn’t leadership, it’s immaturity,” Perez said on the House floor earlier this year.

Despite routinely hurling insults, Perez insists he doesn’t want to be the governor’s enemy. But he represents the first real opposition DeSantis has seen since taking over Tallahassee in 2019. Perez obviously thinks there’s some upside in that. “He is the single most talented political person I have dealt with in political office,” state Rep. Sam Garrison said of Perez, who he will succeed as speaker in the term-limited chamber.
Alan Greenblatt is the editor of Governing. He can be found on Twitter at @AlanGreenblatt.