This past weekend, Florida governor
Ron DeSantis and Sen.
Marco Rubio, both of whom are up for reelection this fall, headlined the Republican Party of Florida’s annual Sunshine Summit. Other high-profile Florida Republicans were also in attendance at the Hardrock Hotel & Casino event, which this year tried something new: after seven years of being open to the press, “it limited which media could attend, giving inside-the-room access to right-wing outlets that give the governor positive coverage,” Politico
reports, adding that traditional GOP figures were “largely replaced by the conservative social media influencers with massive followings who have recently moved to Florida and become some of DeSantis’ most vocal backers.”
Many local and national mainstream outlets were unable to get press credentials,
according to the
Tallahassee Democrat, including the
Miami Herald, Politico, Florida Politics, the
New York Times, and the
Washington Post. A Florida wire service, the
Wall Street Journal, and Business Insider were among the few mainstream outlets allowed to cover at least some parts of the weekend: