Earlier this week, a video of former Representative Joel Rudman speaking in Pensacola with Governor DeSantis started making the rounds on social media. In this speech, the former Rep discusses a meeting shortly after the November election. He said that the same day they were sworn in, leadership gathered the Republican caucus for what sounded like a Maoist struggle session, demanding loyalty from the members and vowing to fight the Governor’s agenda.
Representative Rudman from HD 3 was one of the most conservative members in Tallahassee. He was also the pro-gun champion who filed HB 31, which would have legalized Open Carry and repealed “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation. Unfortunately, he had to resign when he ran for former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s congressional seat.
Now we may think that the legislature is a separate branch from the Governor and has every right to act independently, and you would be correct to feel that way. Unfortunately, the “independence” the legislature has shown has been one of the least productive sessions for the conservative agenda here in Florida. As gun owners, we have felt the brunt of this; there have been no bills filed to legalize open carry, and no bill to repeal Red Flag gun confiscation, keeping Florida on the same level as New York and California.
Is this meeting that was held in November the reason Representative Monique Miller betrayed gun owners by refusing to file Open Carry because she did not feel like it was “time for Open Carry?” Is this why the first bill the legislature tried to pass was to strip the Governor of his ability to enforce immigration law and give it to gun-grabbing Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson? This legislative session’s complete failure is starting to make a lot more sense.
What can we do to avoid this in the future? Florida gun owners cannot forget this betrayal. You can learn so much from defeats or, in this case, shady backroom deals and petty politics. We must demand accountability from our representatives; the only way to be respected in politics is to be feared. The bottom line is we must hold them accountable so this level of betrayal never happens again.
Florida Gun Rights will do everything possible to inform you of what is happening in Tallahassee. When primary season comes around, we will notify all of our members all across the state who the pro-gun choices are and who betrayed us in 2025. I will repeat it: You will not be respected in the political arena until you are feared, and gun owners must be feared this upcoming primary season and send a message. These people are elected to represent us, not fight against the best governor in America for their egos. It is time for the grassroots to take the people’s house back. We are citizens, not subjects, and not cheerleaders for cowards like Speaker Perez and Leader Allibriton; now more than ever, they need to feel that sentiment.
About the Author
Logan Edge is the Executive Director of Florida Gun Rights. Logan has spent his political career working for grassroots organizations and candidates, specifically in Florida. He has worked and advised over 25 campaigns; he joins the Florida Gun Rights Team fresh from Capitol Hill after a two-year stint with pro-gun champion Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY).
