Alert: Florida legislature clears path for DeSantis presidential run

With just a week left in session, the Florida Legislature passed an elections bill Friday with an amendment that makes clear the so-called “resign-to-run law” will not prevent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ to run for president in 2024.

Opponents have been asserting that the state’s resign to run statute prevented the Florida governor from also running for president without resigning from office.

The amendment added Tuesday to Senate Bill 7050 made clear however that elected officials “seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States” would be exempt from the provision. The bill passed the Republican-held state House Friday.

“Any person seeking the office of President or Vice President of the United States is not subject to the requirements of chapter 99, Florida Statutes, which govern candidate[s] qualifying, specifically those which require the submission of certain documents, full and public disclosures of financial interests, petition signatures, or the payment of filing fees. This section shall take effect upon this act becoming a law,” the bill reads.

To be fully codified into law, it now only requires Gov. DeSantis’s signature.