What are you accomplishing by muzzling Nikki Fried, Gov. DeSantis? Answer: nothing | Editorial
We’re getting a headache watching Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried bang her head against the brick wall that is Gov. DeSantis and his handmaidens on the Florida Cabinet.
To Fried’s credit, she tried to create some space on a recent Cabinet agenda for serious coronavirus conversation. To no one’s surprise, she failed. In fact, the governor irresponsibly spurns her input at almost every turn.
Fried, a Democrat, was elected statewide, defeating Republican state Rep. Matt Caldwell. Along with DeSantis, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and Attorney General Ashley Moody, Fried’s duties include serving on the Cabinet, a collegial body with regulatory authority over agencies touching upon virtually every aspect of public health, safety and welfare. Under the Florida Constitution, the governor has an outsized influence on the Cabinet’s agenda and outcomes, but all four members share authority and oversight responsibilities.
That’s the theory, anyway.
As we are told on the Cabinet’s official web page, Floridians ratified the state Constitution of 1968, giving each member “equal footing with the Governor on matters that come before the Governor and Cabinet so that Cabinet members were no longer expected, constitutionally, to capitulate to the Governor’s wishes.”
In fairness to DeSantis, 20th-century Democratic governors bent the Cabinet to their will, too. But they did a far better job of pretending to respect the concerns of its members. It was not as easy as it is now for the governor to demean and disrespect Cabinet colleagues, as DeSantis and his retinue routinely demean and disrespect Fried.
Contrary to the original intent of the Florida Constitution’s framers, the Cabinet has devolved into a mindless variety show for the Florida Channel’s audience of people who make their living in politics. Scripted presentations by agency heads are followed by fulsome praise from the dais.
Even Fried couldn’t resist fawning over Ash Williams, the extremely well-compensated head of the state’s Board of Administration. DeSantis was happy to let Fried complete her thoughts on Williams’ wonderfulness. Most people lucky enough to still have a job do not expect to be praised by their bosses every time they show up for work as expected and perform their duties in a competent fashion.
The Cabinet Show is a dreary, soulless, predictable production. Deals cut behind closed doors are rubber-stamped. Community volunteers are honored with plaques for the uncompensated time they spend ministering to the needs of millions of Floridians who have been abandoned by their government. Heroes of one kind or another are thanked for their service by their well-fed, well-coiffed leaders who have no interest in telling their Chamber of Commerce cronies that teachers, first-responders and grocery-store clerks should be paid a living wage.
As part of the “show,” dogs are adopted, and grip ’n grin video and still photographs are taken for posterity, as well as for use in campaign commercials and fundraising solicitations.
A snowball seems to have a better chance in hell than Fried has in making the Cabinet a venue for serious policy debate. Of course, we hope we’re wrong. The coronavirus has wreaked havoc with the state’s budget, and Cabinet meetings — used as the authors of the Florida Constitution intended — could be a forum for serious, respectful conversations about how 23 million Floridians can best “get through this together.” And make no mistake, protests against police brutality are also about inequity deeply ingrained in government policies.
Floridians need DeSantis and the Cabinet to thoughtfully tackle both issues. What they don’t need in this time of crisis is even one more performance at the Cabinet Kabuki Theater.
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 6:00 AM.