Topline
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) received a pricey golf simulator for his Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee from one of his political operatives and donors who also let DeSantis and his wife, Casey, use his private planes on at least a dozen occasions, the Washington Post reported—revelations that raise ethical questions as DeSantis campaigns for president as a candidate with “blue-collar, salt-of-the earth” roots, as he alleges in his recent book.
Personality boy: Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to listen to a … [+]
Key Facts
Mori Hosseini, who heads a major residential building company in Florida, lent the golf simulator to the Governor’s Mansion during DeSantis’ first year in office, according to a letter to Hosseini obtained by the Washington Post from DeSantis’ former lawyer turned chief of staff James Uthmeier acknowledging the simulator’s receipt and confirming that the loan fell within ethical guidelines.
Hosseini also let DeSantis and his wife, Casey, fly on his private plane at least a dozen times, including as recently as February, and Hosseini also took DeSantis to play at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, the Post reported.
Hosseini is chairman and CEO of residential home building company ICI Homes and serves on the board at the University of Florida, a position DeSantis reappointed him to in 2021—he also cochaired DeSantis’ gubernatorial transition team and his inaugural committee’s finance team, the Post reported.
Companies controlled by Hosseini gave at least $361,000 combined to the Friends of Ron DeSantis super-PAC supporting his 2022 reelection campaign, the Florida Republican Party and DeSantis’ campaign, according to the Post, which also that noted Hosseini and his companies donated $75,000 to the state party during the 2018 campaign cycle.
It’s unclear if the golf simulator donation violated state ethics rules—the Ethics Commission in 2013 found that a public official could receive a donation that would typically be impermissible as long as it was under control of a governmental agency, the Post noted (the Governor’s Mansion is property of the State of Florida and overseen by the Department of Management Services).
But the ethics manual for the Office of the Governor lays out the guidelines in broader terms and states that neither the governor nor their staff can accept “a benefit of any sort when a reasonable observer could infer” that the benefit was intended to influence the governor’s decisions, the Post reported.
Crucial Quote
“This would be ripe for [the Ethics Commission’s] scrutiny if a complaint were to be filed,” executive director of the non-profit Florida Ethics Institute and former deputy executive director for the Florida Ethics Commission Caroline Klancke told the Post about the golf simulator, noting the donation is “unusual” and whether the device was used by anyone except the governor would be a factor in an investigation.
Contra
DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern defended Hosseini’s loan and said the simulator was “approved by legal counsel,” in a statement to the Post, adding that “many” previous administrations have received donations for the governor’s residence. “It will remain in the state’s possession for the use of first families, their guests and staff as it is now,” he said.
Big Number
$27,500. That’s the starting price for a customized AboutGolf simulator, which runs up to $69,500 for a curved-screen simulator, according to the Post, citing a Precision Sports listing.
Key Background
DeSantis, who announced his run for president in May, has formulated an image as a Washington outsider and a “blue-collar kid,” referring to his parents’ Rust Belt roots. He also routinely rebukes “elites,” despite his own elite Ivy League background (he received his undergraduate degree from Yale and his law degree from Harvard). “Ron DeSantis can’t be bought,” the spokesperson for the super-PAC supporting his presidential campaign, Never Back Down, Dave Vasquez, recently tweeted. The DeSantises’ ties to Hosseini have been scrutinized before–including when Casey DeSantis took a plane owned by one of his companies to a fundraiser in Miami. “Everything we do is 100% in accordance with the law,” she said at the time. He is not the only donor whose planes the couple has used, according to the Post, which found at least 50 other financial disclosure entries indicating that DeSantis’ super-PAC and campaign received in-kind contributions for transportation from companies that own private planes, including several controlled by donors.
Tangent
Hosseini has been involved at the University of Florida in several controversial hires who are aligned with DeSantis’ political leanings, including university president and former Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse, along with Covid-19 vaccine skeptic Joseph Ladapo, who was appointed to the University of Florida’s medical school and later named as DeSantis’ surgeon general.
Key Background
Casey DeSantis took GOP donor’s plane to attend mental health event (Politico)
Air DeSantis: The Private Jets and Secret Donors Flying Him Around (The New York Times)
DeSantis’ office acknowledges golf simulator from wealthy donor, raising ethics concerns (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/06/21/desantis-received-high-end-golf-simulator-private-flights-from-donor-report-says/