It was the snub that had the Florida Capitol buzzing. Walking onto the rostrum to deliver his eighth and final State of the State address, Governor Ron DeSantis patted Senate President Ben Albritton on the back and shook his hand.
The two men smiled at one another and shared a few words. Standing just two feet away was House Speaker Danny Perez. DeSantis never made eye contact with Perez and, unlike the previous year, never shook Perez’s hand.
“I noticed that as well,” Perez told CBS News Miami during Sunday’s interview. “Yeah, it was a bit awkward, and I thought, disrespectful. But it’s all right. We move forward.”
“Look, my job is to lead the House. I was elected by my body to do so. I treat everyone with respect,” he continued. “I’m able to compartmentalize my personal differences with someone, with that of the personal responsibility that I have to lead a chamber and lead the state.”
DeSantis and Perez have had a contentious relationship going back to last year, when Perez reasserted the independence of the House and argued his chamber would no longer be subservient to the governor. It has endeared Perez to his members but alienated the governor, whose team routinely attacks the House speaker.
Perez told CBS News Miami he has called DeSantis, offering to sit down with him and discuss this year’s legislative session, but the governor has never returned his calls.
“I called him,” Perez said. “He didn’t call me back. I guess that’s how he thinks he should govern himself. And I think it’s wrong. And not even because of me. I’m a big boy, I’ll be all right, but really for the people we represent. We represent the state of Florida, and you have got to sit down and, you got to govern. And sometimes it’s with people that maybe you just don’t see eye to eye. Look, I think he’s been a good governor. I agree with him on most issues. Sometimes we just have different opinions on how to get there. But I don’t see us getting together anytime soon.”
Property taxes take center stage during the 2026 legislative session
On the upcoming session, which got underway on Tuesday, Perez said he does expect to pass something relating to property taxes.
The House is currently reviewing seven different proposals, including eliminating homestead property taxes for seniors. The one exception: The portion of the property tax that goes to support schools and education.
“So, we don’t defund education,” Perez said. “At the same time, [our proposal] doesn’t allow local governments to defund the police or our first responders or firefighters. We have that in the House. We don’t know if that is something that the governor agrees with or not, because he hasn’t opined on it. He just goes on Hannity and says he’s going to eliminate property taxes. Well, great. Okay, send me the proposal. But we don’t have that from him. So, I still don’t know where we end [up].”
On his relationship with Albritton, Perez called the Senate president “a good person” but a tough political partner.
“I think he’s a good husband. I think he is a good dad. But as a political partner, you know, it’s been tough for me,” he said. “You know, we had an agreement last year towards the end of session. We agreed on it. We each went back to our chambers. We publicly told the media we have a deal. We were all very happy. Largest tax cut ever. [But] a weekend goes by, and he told me that he no longer wanted to do the deal. I don’t function like that, Jim. I’m a young guy. I am 38, but I’m an old soul. If I give you my word and I give you my handshake, you can take it to the bank.”
Florida’s future with artificial intelligence
Another issue expected to take center stage during the regular session is questions surrounding data centers and potentially regulating the use of artificial intelligence. In recent weeks, DeSantis has vowed to block the proliferation of data centers: high-speed computer complexes that require large amounts of electricity and water to operate. The governor argues they would lead to higher electric bills for Floridians.
Perez said he found DeSantis’ new position somewhat curious.
“Last year, the governor’s office gave us a bill to put inside our tax package, essentially that gave a tax break of $100 million to data centers,” Perez said. “We passed it and he signed it. Now, he’s saying that he’s against data centers. I think from where I sit, I see him as talking out of both sides of his mouth and I think he has to kind of pick a lane. Some of his concerns on data centers, I hear them. I hear them loud and clear. I’m not saying that it’s a conversation I’m not willing to have. I’m not saying we have to let them go be the Wild, Wild West. I’m okay with having a conversation on what a bill would look like regarding data centers and AI.”
He continued, saying that the discussions surrounding AI should be taken seriously, calling the technology “our generation’s nuclear arms race.”
“It is no longer about missiles — it is now about technology and artificial intelligence,” Perez said. “What I don’t want to do is put this country in a position where we fall behind the Chinese on artificial intelligence because we’re not willing to have that tough conversation now on AI. I think this is a national security issue. I think that this is something that the federal government should lead the states on. I know President Trump has been very vocal on artificial intelligence and on data centers, but what we do here in a state, I think, should rely significantly on the federal government because I have always considered AI to be a national security issue.”
