Putnam Says DeSantis Has "No Working Knowledge" of Florida, Would Need Two Years of "On-The-Job Training" as Governor

Putnam Says DeSantis Has “No Plan, No Vision, No Agenda, No Knowledge, No Working Knowledge of Our State”

Putnam Says a DeSantis Victory in November Would Be “Tragic”

During an interview with WFLA today, Adam Putnam slammed Ron DeSantis for having “no working knowledge” of Florida and said his opponent would need “two years of on-the-job training” if elected. Putnam even claimed that a DeSantis victory in November would “be tragic” because of his opponent’s ignorance about state issues.

Putnam has been sharply critical of DeSantis, but today’s attacks are the closest Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner has come to saying DeSantis is unqualified to be Florida’s next governor.

Listen to the interview here at minute 2:26.

During the interview, Putnam said DeSantis’ campaign is “being run out of a TV studio, largely out of state, one that involves celebrity guest appearances popping in and out, but really has no plan, no vision, no agenda, no knowledge, no working knowledge of our state. And it would be tragic to have the CEO of the third largest state being, doing on the job training during the first two years.”

Putnam’s attack on DeSantis’ lack of Florida knowledge has been echoed by editorial boards across the state — including The Miami Herald, The Tampa Bay Times, and The Sun Sentinel. In an editorial today, The Miami Herald slammed DeSantis for presenting “few ideas as to how he will address the state’s most pressing issues: education, healthcare, immigration, transportation, jobs. Supporting the border wall won’t be enough.” The Tampa Bay Times editorial board echoed that view earlier this month, saying that DeSantis “shows little understanding of state policy or of the challenges facing this state on state issues.”