{"id":160181,"date":"2026-02-18T19:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/160181\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T19:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:14:07","slug":"new-political-ads-for-governors-race-floridas-budget-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/160181\/","title":{"rendered":"New political ads for governor\u2019s race, Florida\u2019s budget battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 This week on \u201cPolitically Motivated<\/a>\u201a\u201d Christopher Heath and Lauren Melendez dive into the millions of dollars spent on a new wave of political ads in the race for Florida governor, the big issue holding the legislature back from passing a budget, and a look back at the legacy of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died Monday. <\/p>\n

Pricey political ads (first 10 minutes of segment)<\/p>\n

1. New political ads for Florida\u2019s governor\u2019s race: The podcast highlighted a fresh wave of political advertising in the 2026 Florida gubernatorial election \u2014 specifically ads featuring two major Republican figures:<\/p>\n

Rep. Byron Donalds, who has secured President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement and leads the GOP primary field. He\u2019s aired ads and raised substantial funds while positioning himself as the frontrunner, focusing heavily on a pro-ICE immigration agenda <\/a>and supporting the lowering of property taxes. Jay Collins<\/a>, the state\u2019s lieutenant governor, has seen television ads promoting his record and DeSantis-aligned conservative credentials\u00a0even before formally announcing his campaign \u2014 funded by a new outside group called Florida Fighters. Collin\u2019s advertising presence suggests a \u201csoft launch\u201d or testing of his viability as a challenger to Donalds.<\/p>\n

These ads are shaping early perceptions in what\u2019s become a crowded Republican primary, with both figures jockeying for support against Donalds\u2019 Trump-backed campaign. <\/p>\n

Key things to know <\/p>\n

There are 34 candidates who have filed for Florida governor. Important dates to keep in mind are Aug. 18, for the primary election, and Nov. 3 for the general election.<\/p>\n

Republican candidates for Florida governor in 2026<\/p>\n

Daniel J. Imperato<\/a>\u00a0(REP): Public Relations and Public Affairs consultant, independent U.S. Presidential candidate in 2008 and 2024, Florida gubernatorial candidate\u00a0in 2010 (campaign website<\/a>)Paul Renner<\/a>\u00a0(REP): Palm Coast, former state representative (2015-2024), former Florida House speaker (2022-2024)Caneste Succe<\/a>\u00a0(REP): Public Representative at nonprofit Good Shepherd Humanitarian in West Palm Beach, former corrections officer, former Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office employee, candidate for Lantana mayor in 2003 and 2009 (campaign website<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Democrat candidates for Florida governor in 2026<\/p>\n

Richard Paul Dembinsky<\/a>\u00a0(DEM): Professional engineer, former candidate for multiple races under different parties since 2004, including House District 28, Senate District 7, Senate District 8, Senate District 14, Chief Financial Officer and governor. (No campaign website found)David Jolly<\/a>\u00a0(DEM): Former Republican U.S. representative from Florida\u2019s 13th congressional district (2014\u20132017), current MSNBC political analyst (campaign website<\/a>)Florida legislature budget split over emergency fund authority (10:00 – 15:00 segment)<\/p>\n

Florida legislators are split over how to control the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, a state emergency reserve used by the governor\u2019s office. Originally designed for natural disasters, the governor has used it for broader purposes \u2014 including immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

Florida House proposal:\u00a0Wants to place stricter limits\u00a0on how the funds can be used, restricting eligibility to natural disasters, banning certain purchases, and increasing legislative oversight. This stems from concerns about the governor\u2019s broad use of the money and a desire for accountability.<\/p>\n

Florida Senate proposal:\u00a0Has pushed to extend the fund with fewer restrictions, arguing that the governor needs flexibility to respond quickly in emergencies.<\/p>\n

Political divide:\u00a0The disagreement has contributed to a budget standoff\u00a0between the House and Senate, underscoring a broader struggle over executive power versus legislative oversight.<\/p>\n

This debate reflects significant tension over how much power the governor should retain in deploying state emergency resources. The fund expires on Feb 20th.<\/p>\n

Legacy of the Late Rev. Jesse Jackson (last 6 minutes of episode)<\/p>\n

Jesse Jackson, the iconic civil rights activist and political figure, has died at age 84. Family said he died peacefully, surrounded by them, on Tuesday after battling a neurodegenerative condition.<\/p>\n

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. was a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who ran twice in the 1980s to become the Democratic Party\u2019s presidential nominee, prompting his family and political figures, including President Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama, to share an outpour of praise. <\/p>\n

Civil Rights Leadership:\u00a0Jackson was a longtime leader in the Civil Rights Movement, closely allied with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and later heading influential organizations like the\u00a0Rainbow\/PUSH Coalition. He fought for decades for racial justice, voting rights, and economic equality.<\/p>\n

Political Trailblazer:\u00a0He made history with his two presidential campaigns\u00a0in the 1980s, which galvanized minority and progressive voters and expanded the Democratic Party coalition.<\/p>\n

National Impact:\u00a0Jackson\u2019s rhetoric and organizing helped shift national conversations on civil rights and inequality. Leaders across the political spectrum \u2014 including Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and even Donald Trump \u2014 have praised his contributions.<\/p>\n

Enduring Message:\u00a0Phrases like\u00a0\u201cI Am Somebody\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cKeep hope alive\u201d\u00a0capture Jackson\u2019s lifelong commitment to dignity, empowerment, and social justice.<\/p>\n

His legacy is remembered as that of a relentless advocate for marginalized communities and a bridge between generations of civil rights activism.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 This week on \u201cPolitically Motivated\u201a\u201d Christopher Heath and Lauren Melendez dive into the millions of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[445,28,30,100,29,5187,63323,99,8240],"class_list":["post-160181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-byron-donalds","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-legislature","tag-florida-news","tag-jay-collins","tag-politically-motivated","tag-politics","tag-results-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}