For much of the year, state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, remained the only member of the Florida Legislature who endorsed Donald Trump over Gov. Ron DeSantis. And during budget season last year, Sarasota appeared to pay the price. 

DeSantis vetoes funding for a STEM facility at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, for a road expansion of Fruitville Road, to reopen Midnight Pass and to replace pipes at Alligator Creek.

“There’s no question it was retribution,” Gruters said. “But to me, it’s not hurting Joe Gruters. It’s hurting disabled kids and nursing programs and water quality issues in Sarasota County. It’s not about me as an individual.”

With that type of reaction to his endorsement last year, there seemed to be real reason to fear Sarasota’s state Senator would be isolated in the legislative session in January. But in the past few weeks, it at least became clear he would not be on the island alone. The ranks of pro-Trump state lawmakers started to grow quietly, then noisily.

At a Republican Party of Florida event last weekend, eight state lawmakers who once endorsed DeSantis announced they would jump to Trump. By my count, the number of state lawmakers backing DeSantis has shrunk to 91 as the number backing Trump grew to 14. And Gruters said there’s conversations with more lawmakers who could announce Trump endorsements soon.

“There’s a lot of room on the bus for everybody,” Gruters said, “whether they come on board now or whenever the inevitable moment arrives.”

The inevitable, and polls suggest that to be the right word, could come in January when early states start voting in Republican primaries. Trump leads in every poll, and DeSantis’ one-type grip on second place is no longer secure with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley competing for silver in many surveys.

That said, it begs the question why jump now, before the legislative session and before the Iowa caucuses?

“It still matters if you come over before the end of the race,” Gruters said. “They still want a better seat on the bus.”

Need proof? When Trump hosted a number of Florida political leaders at Mar-a-Lago, including U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler. Gruters introduced Trump on stage and rose shotgun with him all evening.

But is it time yet to get off the DeSantis bus? Some lawmakers like state Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton, decided this week to the fresh Trump endorsements by doubling down on his own support of DeSantis. “His leadership is needed in DC to restore the glory of our great country!” Robinson posted on X, along with a 2018 pic of himself with the then-newly elected Governor.

Word is most local lawmakers are pretty committed to DeSantis. And hey, there’s still a chance this turns around, if not because of a DeSantis surge than because of a Trump implosion as he fights legal battles on multiple fronts.

In the meantime, DeSantis does have governing to do, and indeed a reputation for letting personal grudges guide his veto pen. But as he goes from Governor 19-Point Landslide to Candidate Whats-In-Those-Boots, there’s just little fear of that.

“We have 14 people standing with us now. Maybe’s he’s going to punish all of us,” Gruters acknowledges.

But that’s no way to curry favor with fellow elected officials— or with the public.

“When he does vetoes as a form of retribution, that is only hurting the community and constituents,” Gruters said. “Politically, it’s a mistake.”

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ MEDIA. 

Photo courtesy Joe Gruters' Instagram.

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota faculty and students, as part of the Cross College Alliance, participate in the Environmental Discovery Awards Program, also called EDAP. The program aims to enrich the learning experiences of CCA students who are enrolled in science and environmental studies programs or have a demonstrated interest.  

EDAP provides student awardees with high-quality, paid experiential learning internships in collaboration with many outstanding environmental organizations in Sarasota and Manatee counties, such as Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sarasota County, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and Sunshine Community Compost. Students obtain hands-on skills involving lab work and equipment, data analysis, nature and animal observation and conservation.

At SCF, our faculty defines experiential learning as “learning through reflection on doing” that involves a robust range of activities, supports higher-order thinking skills and is scalable. We also believe every student should have the opportunity as part of their academic journey at SCF. Experiential learning provides individuals with highly sought-after creativity, innovation, team collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Andrew Swanson, professor of natural science and Marcus Lindemann, instructor of marine science, serve on the Environmental Discovery Awards Faculty committee. As experts in their respective fields, they help to develop the program, review student intern applications, and review the requests from local organizations and initiatives for student interns. 

Professor Swanson’s students have participated, and he believes the benefits and impact of the program are outstanding for all those involved.

“The advisory committee is made up of members from all CCA members and it’s great to have a real collaboration. It also allows us to collaborate with local organizations to do real environmental work. This keeps us abreast of what’s happening in the community in this regard and lets them know that we’re here as a potential pipeline for talented students.” He also shared that “The internships are REAL, meaning that the students who participate are doing real and meaningful work that their internship sponsors appreciate. Some students are even getting a publication out of the work.”

Ayse C., an SCF student and EDAP intern with Sarasota Jungle Gardens, learned and received training on the eastern screech owl and noted she had a “great summer experience” and got to know “great people and animals.” Her most transformational experience during the internship was reading animals’ behaviors.

Another SCF student and intern, Anastashia R., achieved the following learning outcomes as part of a seagrass monitoring initiative: experience with water quality monitoring instrumentation, experience conducting field research and quantitative analysis, differentiating seagrass and other species/substrates' composition and distribution, and learning about the diversity, abundance and distribution of the main phytoplankton groups and marine invertebrates associated with seagrasses. As part of her evaluation of the program, Anastashia said, “My insight into research was widened with this experience and I am super excited to look for more research opportunities.”

When I asked Professor Lindemann what he finds most favorable from participating, he said, “The end-of-program presentation(s) - I can honestly say that I was amazed and deeply moved. My favorite part had to be the interaction before and after the presentation itself.” “To see that the passion fostered by these internships carried over long after the programs had concluded is what truly drives home how important EDAP is to every one of us.”

SCF is proud to be one of the five members of the Cross College Alliance. We created this organization with the shared vision to build a network among the region's educational organizations that amplifies and expands learning opportunities for our students and the communities surrounding us. Through the Environmental Discovery Awards Program and other academic and student initiatives, we continue to rethink education together.

For more information about EDAP or the Cross College Alliance, contact Josephine Eisenberg, initiative coordinator, at (941) 321-8425 or josephinecca@gmail.com.

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida Sarasota-Manatee. 

Photo courtesy SCF: Professor Andy Swanson.