ANNALS OF DeSANTISTAN: A former top aide to Gov. Ron DeSantis landed a $6,500-a-month public relations deal with the Orange-Osceola state attorney’s office

As the late California Democratic leader Jesse Marvin Unruh said, "Money is the mother's milk of politics/" Our former Congressman from St. Augustine, Governor RONALD DION DerSANTIS, has a custom, usage, practice and procedure of advancing the careers of young mossbacks, like St. Johns County Commissioners SARAH ARNOLD and ROY ALAIMO, JR., unqualified hacks whom he appointed to St. Johns County Commission.  Fun fact: our all-Republican County Commissioners are uncouth and uneducated: two never matriculated.  When I pointed this out, they turned their heads from side to side, because they did not know what "matriculate" means. Two of five Commissioners are not college graduates. Wonder why?  Herr TRUMP "loves the uneducated," and dingbats in Florida feel the same way.  They are laughing at you, Florida, while they rape the land and peculate our public fisc, "worse than any c carpetbagger," in the immortal words of former County Commission Chair Ben Rich, Sr.  From 

Ex-DeSantis aide had $6.5K a month contract with state attorney Bain’s office

Taryn Fenske also has been ‘helping out’ with public relations at the Disney World oversight district

State Attorney Andrew Bain’s office hired an ex-DeSantis aide at $6,500 a month.

By SKYLER SWISHER | sswisher@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel

PUBLISHED: April 3, 2024 at 7:51 a.m. | UPDATED: April 3, 2024 at 7:52 a.m.

A former top aide to Gov. Ron DeSantis landed a $6,500-a-month public relations deal with the Orange-Osceola state attorney’s office to handle communications work in the wake of Monique Worrell’s suspension.

Taryn Fenske’s company, TMF Communications, made $26,689 off the contract with State Attorney Andrew Bain, state records show. DeSantis appointed Bain to the post on Aug. 9.

Fenske has deep Tallahassee connections, having served as DeSantis’ communications director. She also worked as a spokeswoman for the Department of Education when it was led by Richard Corcoran, a former GOP House speaker and current president of the New College of Florida in Sarasota.

The contract, which went publicly unnoticed until now, started Aug. 8 and ran for four months when the office was transitioning to new leadership, Jason Gunn, a spokesman for the state attorney, said in an email.

“State Attorney Bain brought this communications agency on board as a very short-term, temporary solution to manage the influx of media inquiries, draft press releases and provide short-term communication strategies and training while the office found a permanent communications director,” Gunn said.

Fenske also struck a deal with the New College of Florida, which is undergoing a conservative overhaul headed by her former boss Corcoran. The college has been paying TMF Communications $15,000-a-month since last July to do marketing and promotional work, the Miami Herald first reported in February.

Most recently, Fenske has been “helping out” at the DeSantis-aligned Disney World oversight district, but she does not have a contract at this time, said Matthew Thomas Oberly, a district spokesman.

The district’s new administrator is Stephanie Kopelousos, another DeSantis ally who served as his legislative affairs director. She’ll earn $400,000 a year in her new role. The five-member, DeSantis-appointed board opted not to interview other candidates, citing Kopelousos’ experience serving as county manager of Clay County and heading the Florida Department of Transportation.

DeSantis recommended her for the job.

Last summer, both Kopelousos and Fenske left the governor’s staff to work on his White House bid, Politico reported in June.

TMF Communications received $90,000 from Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis’ presidential run, campaign finance records show.

At the state attorney’s office, TMF Communications’ work included helping to develop a crisis communications plan, editing talking points and press releases and providing news media coaching to the state attorney and other top officials, according to the contract.

DeSantis suspended Worrell, a Democrat, in August and accused her of “refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida.” Worrell fired back, saying the suspension was politically motivated and designed to serve up “red meat” to conservative voters.

Worrell is challenging the suspension in the courts and is running again for state attorney in the November election. In an announcement Tuesday, Bain said he would run as an independent.

Only contractual services above $35,000 need to be competitively procured under state rules, Gunn said.

Ben Wilcox, research director at the government watchdog group Integrity Florida, questioned why outside communications help would be needed “unless you are wanting a particular spin.” Soliciting proposals would help assure the public that its tax dollars are being spent wisely, even if competitive bidding isn’t required by state guidelines, he said.

“It sounds like typical political favoritism,” Wilcox said. “The best way to approach that is to put it out for a bid. Have people bid to provide the services and choose the bid that produces the best result for the best price.”