A post shared on X claims that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis can set a special election for former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat in January 2025.

BREAKING: Ron DeSantis plans to set the special election to replace Matt Gaetz in April 2025 so his Chief of Staff James Uthmeier can run

DeSantis can set it up for as early as January. He’s sabotaging the GOP House Majority to get his puppet in charge.

The majority is already… pic.twitter.com/lbyuViNKAd

— George (@BehizyTweets) November 22, 2024

Verdict: Misleading

Florida set the special election as “quickly as statutorily possible,” according to Florida’s Secretary of State. The primary for Gaetz’s seat is in January 2025 with the general election in April 2025.

Fact Check:

The special election for Gaetz’s seat is set for January 28, 2025 for the primary and April 1, 2025 for the general, according to Politico. Gaetz resigned from his seat in Nov. 2024, per the outlet.

Social media users are claiming that DeSantis is setting the election up later than January 2025 for political purposes. (RELATED: Posts Claiming Elon Musk Banned Pride Content From X Are Based On Satire)

“BREAKING: Ron DeSantis plans to set the special election to replace Matt Gaetz in April 2025 so his Chief of Staff James Uthmeier can run DeSantis can set it up for as early as January. He’s sabotaging the GOP House Majority to get his puppet in charge,” one user wrote.

This claim is misleading. DeSantis ordered the Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to schedule a special election for Gaetz’s seat, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Byrd did so, setting January 28, 2025 for the primary and April 1, 2025 for the general election.

Byrd said that the election was “being conducted as quickly as statutorily possible” in a Nov. 22 tweet.

This Special Election is being conducted as quickly as statutorily possible. We are committed to ensuring this election is held as soon as we are allowed to hold it by state law. This special election will be faster than we have ever done before. https://t.co/pJkYux4HHz

— Cord Byrd (@CordByrd) November 22, 2024

“This Special Election is being conducted as quickly as statutorily possible. We are committed to ensuring this election is held as soon as we are allowed to hold it by state law. This special election will be faster than we have ever done before,” Byrd said.

The Miami Herald reported that “DeSantis acted immediately to set the special election.”

“The timetable, as fast as state and local election laws allow, means the Republican district will be unrepresented for 20 weeks,” the Herald reported. Politico also reported that it “takes several months to fill the seat in the 1st District because of requirements around qualifying, overseas ballot deadlines and the need to hold both a primary and general election.”

There is no evidence that DeSantis set the special election for April for political purposes. We rate this claim misleading.