Florida’s tax revenues have predictably plunged during the pandemic. There is a large hole in the state’s budget. Ron DeSantis opted to make heroic assumptions about recovering revenues in the apparent hope that the federal government would fill in the hole. He won; today, he’s in the best possible position, because he can whine about the unfairness of the recovery bill while pocketing its proceeds and cutting taxes instead of spending. Biden has, effectively, bailed him out.
Rick Scott, on the other hand, was elected initially in 2010, and still misses the glory days of the Tea Party. He is calling on the states, including Florida, to send the Biden money back and tighten their belts. Expansionary austerity! Doesn’t that bring back lots of warm memories?
Scott undoubtedly thinks that the GOP can be united around budget cutting, just as it was in 2010. I suspect he has completely misread the room, particularly after the huge deficits in the Trump years. He won’t be able to portray most of the Biden spending–most notably, the $1,400 checks–as “welfare” for lazy minorities. But what choice does he have, realistically? Hating government and slashing budgets is his brand. It’s his way of distinguishing himself from DeSantis and Rubio. He will live or die with it in 2024.