Senate holds off on confirming Moms for Liberty cofounder to ethics commission due to citizen ‘politicizing’ process

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Senate will hold off on confirming Moms for Liberty cofounder Tina Descovich to Florida Commission on Ethics due to a citizen “politicizing” the process, according to Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment in September 2023. In February, the Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections recommended a number of executive appointments, including Descovich.

In order to be confirmed, the full Senate needed to approve Descovich’s confirmation. However, Descovich’s name did not appear on the confirmation report.

Descovich was previously elected to the Brevard County School Board in 2016 and served as the president of the Florida Coalition of School Board Members. 

On Thursday, reporters asked Passidomo about the decision.

“She was appointed sort of late in the process and one of our senators in committee expressed concerns about her appointment. When we looked at we realize it’s a two year process, the governor could reappoint her. So we didn’t feel pressure to do anything,” Passidomo said.

Passidomo said there was “some citizen” that “said he was gonna file a complaint and politicized our process.”

“And that troubles me because that’s not what we do. So put it on hold, and if the governor reappoints her, then she’ll come back, it’ll give us an opportunity to get through the whole process,” Passidomo said.

Descovich responded to the news and said: “It is one of my greatest honors to be a Governor’s appointee to the Florida Ethics Commission.”

“I respect the decision of the Senate to wait until next session and I will continue to provide any information they may need from me as a part of the confirmation process.” 

The governor’s office told Florida’s Voice that DeSantis will reappoint Descovich as soon “as she is eligible for reappointment if she is not confirmed by the Senate.”

Passidomo’s office told Florida’s Voice the Senate process allows two years to complete the confirmation process, which provides time for the Senate to review matters and provide answers to questions brought forward by Senators.

In the meantime, Descovich is eligible to be reappointed by the Governor, and can continue to serve subject to Senate confirmation next session.

Descovich’s term began Sep. 6, 2023 and was set to end June 30, 2024.

She previously appeared in person and took multiple questions from senators relating to her organization in February. Descovich’s confirmation was recommended favorably by the committee, despite a few Senators voting in opposition.

Descovich said her role with Moms for Liberty is “independent and separate from the role on the Ethics Commission.”

She told the committee she promised to be “fair,” “just” and will work with her teammates on the commission.

“This is a position that is important to hold elected leaders accountable, and I think that is the most important role in the state of Florida right now […] If we lose our faith in our elected leaders, we’ve lost a lot of faith in our government, and we’ve lost our government as a whole,” she said.

During debate, Polsky asked senators to vote against her recommendation. Polksy said Descovich is “so involved in politics.”

Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, spoke in support of Descovich and said it would be a “mistake if we did not have someone of her caliber in this position.”