Ron DeSantis wanted to make artificial intelligence regulation his signature issue heading into 2028. Florida Republicans just made clear that plan is not happening on their watch.
For the second time this year, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature rejected the governor's push for sweeping AI rules, this time during a special session that began this week. House Speaker Danny Perez, locked in a long-running feud with DeSantis, flatly declared the AI proposal off the table despite the governor's repeated requests to consider it.
Perez aligned himself with President Donald Trump's position that federal authorities, not states, should set AI policy. "I understand the governor's concerns of wanting to protect children," Perez said at the session's opening. "But we have seen very clearly that the president of the United States issued an executive order stating the federal government should take the handle of the AI policies in this country."
The procedural death was swift and effective. No Republican in the Florida House filed the legislation DeSantis requested, making it impossible to bring the measure forward during the abbreviated session. The state Senate, more aligned with the governor, had actually passed AI legislation on a bipartisan basis. The House blockade rendered that effort pointless.
DeSantis fired back on social media, blasting his own party's lawmakers. "Voters elected Republicans to protect freedom against both the Big Tech cartel and the medical industrial complex," he wrote. "Yet, when given the chance to deliver for their constituents, not a single Republican House member could even be bothered to file a bill."
The defeat highlights a growing rift within Republican ranks over how to handle AI as the technology reshapes national politics. DeSantis has positioned himself as the party's skeptic, warning about data center sprawl and AI's risks to children. His advisers point to chatbots encouraging minors toward self-harm as a driving concern.
That stance puts DeSantis increasingly isolated among prominent Republicans positioning themselves for 2028. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both emerged as industry champions, backing federal regulation but opposing state-level restrictions. Vance carries particular weight in Silicon Valley circles and has warned that excessive regulation "could kill a transformative industry."
The industry itself is making Florida a battleground. A leading pro-AI super PAC called Leading the Future is spending $5 million backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, who is endorsed by Trump and considered much friendlier to tech interests than DeSantis. Donalds was the first state-level candidate to receive backing from the group.
Public sentiment remains genuinely uncertain. An NBC News poll from March found 57% of registered voters believe AI risks outweigh benefits, and a plurality trusts neither major party to manage expansion responsibly. Republican pollster Micha Roberts noted the concern cuts across demographics, particularly among younger voters and women under 50, with job displacement emerging as a key worry.
Vance has recently adjusted his messaging to acknowledge those anxieties, comparing AI job creation to ATM adoption while still opposing state regulation. He told Fox News he supports federal standards, warning that "the worst possible outcome would be to have far left California dominate the entire AI regulatory map."
For DeSantis, the Florida rejection leaves him pursuing a political lane that few others want. Whether that distinction helps or hurts his national ambitions remains to be seen.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "DeSantis is betting on contrarianism to stand out in 2028, but when your own party won't fight the battle with you, the gambit looks more desperate than visionary."
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