PERFORMATIVE CRUELTY ISN'T AS FUN AS THEY THOUGHT?:

Republican lawmakers are stalling a handful of his key remaining legislative priorities with just weeks left in the annual session. And what started out as whispers in private about unhappiness over the governor are starting to become louder even though Republican lawmakers remain unwilling to speak out publicly against DeSantis because of his power and clout. One House Republican recently told a former legislator he was ready to resign out of frustration over how the session was going.

Part of the angst has been sparked by a grinding session where legislators have pushed through bill after bill -- and chewed up hours of contentious debate -- that's considered integral to DeSantis' expected presidential campaign. DeSantis' announcement this week that he wanted legislators to take aim again at Disney has irritated conservative Republicans loathe to target private businesses.

One GOP legislator privately said: "We're not the party of cancel culture. We can't keep doing this tit for tat." The lawmaker was granted anonymity to speak freely about the GOP governor.

"People are deeply frustrated," said former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who has been talking to his former GOP colleagues frequently this session. "They are not spending any time on the right problems ... Most legislators believe that the balance of power has shifted too far and the Legislature needs to re-establish itself as a coequal branch of government."

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