Democracy Dies in Darkness

DeSantis donor supplied golf simulator for ‘Governor’s Cabana’ and private flights

The simulator was lent by Mori Hosseini, a major home builder and donor who chairs the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees

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Updated June 21, 2023 at 4:13 p.m. EDT|Published June 21, 2023 at 12:44 p.m. EDT
Then-Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) tosses a golf ball to then-Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) during the First Tee Congressional Challenge golf tournament at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., on July 27, 2015. (Congressional Quarterly/AP)
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s wealthy donors and supporters lent a golf simulator to the Governor’s Mansion and provided private flights to fundraisers and other political events, according to records obtained by The Washington Post.

The golf simulator came from Mori Hosseini, a major home builder who chairs the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees and lent the device to the Governor’s Mansion in DeSantis’s first year in office, according to documents released to The Post in response to a public records request. DeSantis, an avid golfer, has made his “blue-collar” roots a key part of his appeal as a Republican candidate for president and has faced some criticism for his interactions with donors.