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DeSantis' State Board of Administration meeting excludes Nikki Fried

Fried, Florida's Agriculture Commissioner, is the Cabinet’s lone Democrat.

By News Service of Florida on Thu, Jun 16, 2022 at 4:40 pm

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Photo via NikkiFried/Twitter

Nikki Fried (right) during a June event calling for common sense gun laws.

After the cancellation of a Cabinet meeting this month, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the two Republican members of the Cabinet have scheduled a meeting Wednesday as the State Board of Administration.

The board, which oversees issues such as the state pension fund, is made up of DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — but does not include Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the Cabinet’s lone Democrat.

The board typically convenes during Cabinet meetings. The Cabinet had been slated to meet June 28, but DeSantis canceled that meeting, drawing protests from Fried.

A notice published Thursday said the State Board of Administration will meet Wednesday. Among items on the agenda is approval of the board’s proposed budgets for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

DeSantis, Moody and Patronis also met as the board in December to request an audit of Florida Retirement System investments to try to find links to China.

The full Cabinet has met once since September. That meeting occurred in March. The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23 —- the same day as this year’s primary elections.