Gov. DeSantis reappoints Moms for Liberty co-founder to Commission on Ethics
A year and a half after he first named her to the Commission on Ethics, Gov. Ron DeSantis is reappointing Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich to the pivotal panel.
It’s the second time the Governor has reappointed her. In December, the Commission unanimously elected her to serve as Vice Chair.
She still has not received Senate confirmation.
DeSantis first appointed Descovich, a 50-year-old Indialantic Republican, to the nine-member Commission in September 2023.
The Commission is responsible for, among other things, investigating and issuing public reports on complaints of breaches of public trust by public officials and employees. Five of its members are appointed by the Governor. The remaining four are appointed by the Senate President and House Speaker. All serve two-year terms.
Descovich came to the role nearly three years after co-founding Moms for Liberty, a controversial conservative organization formed in 2021 that promptly made headlines for fighting mask mandates during the pandemic, LGBTQ inclusion in public schools and critical race theory curricula.
But the Senate, which must confirm all Ethics Commission appointments, declined to confirm Descovich last year, marking the first time in DeSantis’ tenure as Governor that one of his ethics appointees failed to receive confirmation.
Then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo cited a citizen complaint that “politicized” the process. The complaint, by Melbourne resident Robert Burns, alleged Descovich was a paid lobbyist for Moms for Liberty.
She was and is not registered as a lobbyist, but she earns roughly $56,000 in salary and benefits from the group while advocating policy in the Legislature, according to Florida Bulldog. Ethics Commission members are prohibited from lobbying state and local governments.
Descovich has denied ever working as a lobbyist and said Moms for Liberty isn’t a lobbying organization either.