Paul Renner, the Republican former Florida House speaker who has just launched a campaign for governor, lacks the backing of either President Donald Trump or Gov. “It looks like there may be a looming civil war, and I’m going to put Florida first. That’s going to be my approach,” Renner told the Florida Phoenix in a telephone interview. Renner plans to emphasize his alignment with Trump’s MAGA agenda while defining his record as “inseparable” from DeSantis’s legacy, which was largely built when Renner served as House Speaker. ‘Ego and politics and pettiness’Renner served as House speaker from 2022 through 2024 as DeSantis flexed an iron grasp over the Legislature.