DeSantis flexes executive powers while eyeing White House

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has advanced elements of his aggressive conservative agenda though the use of executive power, drawing on appointees, state boards and the state Constitution as he builds toward an expected presidential candidacy. The approach displays the Republican’s willingness to leverage the powers of his office to notch political wins and punish political enemies, even as the GOP-dominated Legislature has sped his proposals through the statehouse. It also signals the meticulous style that underpins his brash public persona and offers hints about how he could govern if elected president.