{"id":8059,"date":"2025-04-07T23:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T23:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/this-is-fine-florida-sends-a-bare-knuckle-brawler-to-congress\/"},"modified":"2025-04-07T23:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T23:04:08","slug":"this-is-fine-florida-sends-a-bare-knuckle-brawler-to-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/this-is-fine-florida-sends-a-bare-knuckle-brawler-to-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"This is Fine: Florida sends a bare-knuckle brawler to Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Congress has seen plenty of firebrands and confrontational lawmakers \u2014 especially from Florida. But Washington still might be in for a shock when it comes to Randy Fine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over his nine years in the Florida Legislature, he gained a reputation for his bare-knuckle style of politics and spats with local officials. Now the former gambling executive will be going national with last week\u2019s special election win in a deep-red district on Florida\u2019s northeast coast.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, Fine called a school-board member a \u201cwhore\u201d in a text<\/a>. During Covid, he got sanctioned by Facebook after he wrote a post alerting constituents to a school-board meeting on masking that included the school-board member\u2019s phone number<\/a>. A judge sent Fine to anger management after pictures surfaced that appeared to show him giving the middle finger during a virtual hearing. (He insisted he was scratching his forehead<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

He recently became irritated with a pro-Palestinian activist who was testifying at a hearing and dismissed the man with, \u201cEnjoy your terrorist rag.\u201d When people began to protest, he threatened to empty the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the chairman, I can say what I want,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t like it, you can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

And most eye-popping of all, he\u2019s been a frequent foil of Gov. Ron DeSantis ever since he swapped his 2024 presidential endorsement from the governor to Donald Trump, even topping it with a scathing Washington Times op-ed<\/a> that accused the governor of not doing enough to fight antisemitism in Florida in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s been more than a year since that fallout, DeSantis has made it clear all is not forgiven. \u201cHe repels people<\/a>,\u201d DeSantis said about Fine in the middle of a 10-minute rant after the election. He then dumped on Fine as someone who had underperformed in the race and argued he was only able to pull off a 14-point victory after the president helped \u201cbail him out in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fine\u2019s response: To needle DeSantis over how he has less than two years left in office, with no clear path for where his political career is headed next. \u201cA dying star burns hottest before it fades into oblivion,\u201d Fine wrote on X before taking that same message into his first national interview with FOX Business Network\u2019s \u201cMornings with Maria<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fine has some enemies. But to his allies, his personal style makes him a good lawmaker. \u201cThe guy is destined for stardom,\u201d said Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters, another GOP DeSantis antagonist who was Fine\u2019s roommate when they served in the Legislature and is his closest friend. He praised Fine\u2019s \u201cability to throw the hardest right hook in the business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody punches him, he throws the biggest haymaker that’s around at his opponents,\u201d Gruters said, \u201cand that goes for Republicans and Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ordeal between DeSantis and Fine has been a dramatic U-turn. Fine was once DeSantis\u2019 Jewish outreach chair. He even introduced or co-sponsored many of the policies DeSantis became known for nationally, including measures to limit race-related trainings<\/a> in classrooms and to punish businesses that allow minors into \u201cadult live performances\u201d \u2014 seen by many as targeting drag shows. He was also a key player in the law to give parents more say about what happens in schools<\/a>, the bill critics like Walt Disney World dubbed the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d law.<\/p>\n

And when Disney protested, Fine introduced legislation that aimed to dissolve the theme park\u2019s special tax district. He rejoiced after the feud ended<\/a>, saying he couldn\u2019t wait to once again enjoy Disney\u2019s cruises and parks with his family.<\/p>\n

Chris Sprowls, the former speaker of the Florida House, said he often turned to Fine to ask him to do \u201creally difficult things,\u201d in part because he thought he was smart and could articulate the policy in ways people could easily understand, but also because he could get up and debate against anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s the guy who wants the ball,\u201d Sprowls said. \u201cEvery coach wants the guy who wants the ball, and Randy wants the ball for people all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gruters agreed. \u201cIf you want a bill to pass in the Legislature, the first guy I always recommend is Randy Fine, because he will beat the crap out of his colleagues to try to make sure that that bill passes,\u201d he said. \u201cThere’s nobody with the personality and the willingness to get in the mud and make things happen like Randy Fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cIf<\/p>\n

Nicknamed the \u201cHebrew Hammer\u201d by Gruters \u2014 a title he embraces \u2014 Fine was the only Jewish Republican for most of his time in state government.<\/p>\n

He has said a key reason he\u2019s in politics is to support pro-Israel causes. But he has also lashed out against Muslims, referring to Josh Weil, his Democratic opponent in the special election who is a convert to Islam, as \u201cJihad Josh.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for Fine to be censured, including for comments he made on social media saying, \u201cGaza must be destroyed.\u201d Fine also posted on X that Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib<\/a> of Michigan and Ilhan Omar<\/a> of Minnesota “might consider leaving before I get there. #BombsAway.”<\/p>\n

But the Republican Jewish Coalition endorsed Fine early in his campaign, and his allies defend him as someone passionate about pro-Israel causes and fighting antisemitism.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is unapologetic about fighting for Israel,\u201d said Sprowls, who joined Trump and Fine on a trade mission to Israel. He pointed to Hamas\u2019 acts of terrorism and said of Fine: \u201cHe’s not going to equivocate on these issues. He’s going to be strong, and I think that is really important to have members like Randy who can fight for the moral imperative that is protecting Israel and their right to live and thrive in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump endorsed Fine over Truth Social before he got into the race and later called him a \u201ctremendous Voice for MAGA<\/a>.\u201d The race ended up tighter than expected in the closing weeks, with Fine\u2019s opponent polling close to him and estimating he raised $14 million.<\/p>\n

Fine was thought to be a shoo-in for the seat previously held by Trump\u2019s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, who has been in hot water recently over accidentally adding The Atlantic\u2019s editor in chief to a messaging group with other top officials. (In an ironic twist, the seat is also the one DeSantis held when he was in Congress.)<\/p>\n

Fine said in an interview that he had been interested in going to Congress \u201cwhen I was a kid.\u201d But when he worked for a congressman one summer, the representative told him, \u201cDon’t do this job until you know how you’ll pay your mortgage. Don\u2019t be like me.\u201d So Fine became a gambling executive whose millions allowed him to mostly retire by age 40. (His state financial disclosure counts his net worth at just over $30 million.)<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t think politics was in his future at that point, but then, he said, \u201cI got mad about my kid\u2019s school.\u201d His son was in first grade and he told the school he didn\u2019t like how they were teaching common core math.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got told I wasn’t qualified to have an opinion about it, because I don’t have a degree in academic administration. And look, my degrees from Harvard aren’t worth that much, but I ought to be able to handle first-grade math,\u201d he said, referring to his undergraduate and business graduate degrees from the storied Ivy League school. \u201cWe got upset, and so I decided I would go and fix it. And I did: We got out of common core math then I helped pass a law that said you can’t tell a parent they’re not qualified to have an opinion about their kids\u2019 education.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January, the Legislature had its first big standoff<\/a> with DeSantis over illegal immigration, after years of complying to his demands. After a state Senate floor session, many Republicans in the Legislature scattered to avoid talking to any reporters about the tension with the governor. But Fine came out of the chamber ready to discuss what had just gone down and why the Legislature disagreed with the governor\u2019s proposals.<\/p>\n

Looking toward the group of journalists, a senior Democratic aide who has described Fine as a \u201cmean-spirited asshole\u201d leaned over to a reporter and whispered, \u201cI disagree with him on almost every issue, but he is very good at what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Democrats in Florida agree with DeSantis on Fine, with state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried calling him an \u201casshole\u201d as well as a \u201cbad politician and a bad person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in almost six years,\u201d she said, \u201cI agree with Ron DeSantis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Jenkins, the former school-board member Fine insulted, called him a \u201cpiece of shit\u201d and a \u201cbully.\u201d The two have fought over<\/a> mask mandates and LGBTQ+ policies in schools. Fine also raged at a city councilmember in a text over the fact that county police had invited Jenkins and not him to an event, saying it would jeopardize funding<\/a> for the Special Olympics and the county, texts obtained by Florida Today showed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRandy Fine\u2019s behavior speaks for itself,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cHe is divisive, disrespectful, and entirely untrustworthy. He\u2019s not a leader, he\u2019s a cautionary tale that Florida is about to serve up to the rest of the country on what happens when you let a clown hold office.”<\/p>\n

When asked about what his style in Congress would be, Fine said it took him a couple of years to break out in the Legislature. In Congress, he said, it\u2019ll be similar because he\u2019ll be so new and will still have to learn the process and learn from others.<\/p>\n

Pressed about it, he said: \u201cI do think that my style will work well in Washington. I mean, I’m an aggressive guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congress has seen plenty of firebrands and confrontational lawmakers \u2014 especially from Florida. But Washington still might be in for a shock when it comes to Randy Fine. Over his nine years in the Florida Legislature, he gained a reputation for his bare-knuckle style of politics and spats with local officials. Now the former gambling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}