Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is on track to match his first term’s inflated legal spending budget, with loyal boutique firms continuing to take home the biggest share of contract dollars, according to state data.
During his first term, the DeSantis administration directed a total sum of at least $123 million in contracts to a number of law firms tasked with helping the state with a variety of legal issues. The largest contracts went to firms helping uphold controversial culture war policies by helping implement laws and litigate any challenges to those laws. The $123 million budget outpaced DeSantis’ predecessor, now-Sen. Rick Scott’s, legal spending budget of $86 million and that buying power is establishing a new wave of conservative boutiques in Tallahassee.