Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis considers a run for the White House in 2028. PHOTOS COURTESY OF FL.GOV AND STOCK PHOTO

By David L. Snelling

Miami – After his bid for the U.S. presidency failed miserably last year, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is working to improve his chances for possibly another run in 2028, according to sources.

During his final year as the state’s leader, DeSantis, who’s term-limited in 2026, is trying to score political points within the GOP in hopes of becoming the frontrunner to succeed President Donald Trump.

An endorsement by Trump could put DeSantis in the driver’s seat and ahead of other potential MAGA presidential candidates including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngin and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Trump has been tight-lipped about picking his successor when he is termlimited in 2028.

“I think you have a lot of very capable people,” Trump told reporters. “So far I think he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s too early. We’re just starting.”

DeSantis’ political record aligns with Trump’s policies including illegal immigration crackdown which has captured and deported over two million undocumented immigrants since January 2025.

DeSantis’ brainchild, Alligator Alcatraz, a controversial detention center on an abandoned airstrip in the Florida Everglades to expedite deportation, was condemned by Democrats and protesters over reports of detainees living in deplorable conditions.

It also drew several lawsuits.

A federal court ordered the makeshift center shut down because it violated a state law which mandates a study to determine any potential impact on sensitive environmental land, but was overturned by an appeals court.

The facility can hold up to 5,000 detainees.

Florida built a similar detention center dubbed Deportation Depot at the Baker Correctional Institution west of Jacksonville, which also drew complaints about inhumane living conditions including lack of water, food and healthcare.

Trump praised DeSantis and Florida for helping him carry out his massive illegal immigration crackdown operation and promised to reimburse the state $608 million for expenditures spent on building and maintaining Alligator Alcatraz.

“There’s a massive part here at Baker Correctional that’s vacant and isn’t being used for any state correction activity,”

DeSantis said at a press conference. “Talk about ready-made infrastructure, this is something that’s very appealing from that perspective.”

DeSantis even went deeper with illegal immigration enforcement.

The state passed a law in 2025 which penalizes undocumented immigrants with jail time if they enter the state without immigration officials’ knowledge and imposes the death sentence for committing capital murder and sexual crimes involving minors.

However, a federal court struck down the law, ruling it unconstitutional.

In another move, DeSantis responded to the president’s call for redistricting in 2023 to give Republicans an advantage during the 2026 midterm elections to keep control of U.S. Congress.

The political map shifted congressional districts into Republican territory and disenfranchised Black voters in northern Florida by eliminating a seat which Democrats called racial gerrymandering.

DeSantis is proposing a mid-decade redistricting conceivably targeting South Florida including the districts represented by Democratic U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Sheila Cheriflus McCormick.

The governor said redistricting is required because Florida’s population has increased in recent years and miscounted in the 2020 U.S. Census.

DeSantis argued that Democratic “Blue States” in fact “overcounted” in 2020 to include “illegal aliens.”

“I think it’s wrong. I think it’s unconstitutional that they’re counted in the census. So there was no way that I was going to devote taxpayer money for that. Even without counting that, we should have gotten at least one more seat,” DeSantis said.

And to top it all off seeking Trump’s endorsement for the White House, DeSantis orchestrated a plan to build the President Donald Trump Library and hotel on land adjacent to the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.

The site is a parking lot owned by Miami-Dade College and the MDC’S Board of Trustees transferred the lot over to the state which drew protests from community leaders who said it was a blatant violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law by failing to disclose its plans without notifying the public.

Reportedly, Miami Dade College originally purchased the land in 2004 for $24.8 million.

DeSantis hasn’t overly announced his aspirations to be the next president of the United States but sources indicated he’s boosting his record to draw more supporters.

DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign ahead of the New Hampshire Primary following dismal results in Iowa and endorsed Trump.

According to one poll in 2024, Republican voters weren’t pleased with his work as Florida governor, focusing on less pressing issues like his STOP W.O.K.E. Act, limiting what students can learn in African American studies and targeting the LGBTQ community.

The poll also pointed to DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature’s failure to address the state’s affordable insurance crisis that left hundreds and thousands of residents at risk of losing their homes and the uninsured reluctantly selling their houses to avoid the chaos.

But DeSantis wants to leave his best mark on Florida when he leaves political office in January 2026: Eliminating property taxes.

DeSantis is proposing property taxes reform for relief for Florida residents who have seen their tax bills increase as high as 23 percent in the past five years.

“I’m focused on people being able to own their own home without being squeezed by property taxes,” he said.

The governor said he plans to unveil a detailed plan to slash property taxes during the 2026 Legislative Session but his GOP colleagues might stop his effort realizing the potential impact to local governments.

Smaller bureaucracies rely on property taxes to fund critical services like police, fire rescue and schools.

House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) has proposed his plan for property taxes relief including exemptions for longtime senior homeowners and shielding up to $500,000 of a home’s value from local taxes.

Political science experts are divided on whether Ron DeSantis should run for president in 2028.

Some say they believe that DeSantis could learn from his 2024 campaign and adapt his strategy for a 2028 run.

This time around, they suggested that DeSantis has a strong name recognition and a broad network of supporters and donors, which could give him an advantage if he runs again.

However, they also note that without Trump in the picture, DeSantis would have an easier time winning over conservative Republicans who have shown loyalty to the former president.

“Although there is no DeSantis 2028 groundswell, he could eventually make a comeback,” said political strategist Myra Adams.

But there is a dark cloud hanging over DeSantis’ tenure as governor: The Hope Florida scandal.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Leon County prosecutors have convened a grand jury to explore possible wrongdoing associated with Hope Florida, The Hope Florida Foundation, founded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, received $10 million out of $67 million from a Medicaid settlement with Florida which was subsequently diverted to Secure Florida’s Future and Save our Society from Drugs.

The nonprofits then made contributions to Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee (PAC) with ties to Governor Ron DeSantis. Hope Florida’s chairman admitted mistakes and “lapses in reporting procedures,” including missing federal tax reports.