During his first term, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis increasingly turned to law firms for help, specifically law firms with close ties to either DeSantis’ own administration or conservative circles.

From 2019 to 2022, the state has spent at least $123 million issuing contracts for legal services, according to the state’s online contract database. In contrast, his predecessor, Rick Scott, spent at least $86 million in the same categories in his second term, according to the same data.