PAY UP

Georgia Golf Course Told DeSantis to Stop Coming for Free

The episode occurred during a series of golfing sessions DeSantis would host with lobbyists.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took so many trips to a lush Georgia golf course he favored—one that boasts a membership fee in the thousands of dollars—that he was asked by the club to either pay up or stop coming, according to a new Washington Post report that examined how lobbyists curried favor with the politician. In the first few years of his governorship, aides worked to auction off the governor’s time, including hours-long golf sessions, to secure donor commitments. “It’s about getting your phone calls returned and having the ability to make asks,” a lobbyist told the Post. “You want to engender access and goodwill with the governor.” A campaign spokesperson told the Post that the governor never dictated policy per a donor’s request. DeSantis did not return to the Georgia golf course.