Millionaire DeSantis donor to serve on BOT

Conor Moore | Staff Writer

Last Tuesday, Sept. 12, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed another candidate to serve on FIU’s Board of Trustees. The appointee in question, Yaffa Popack, is a longtime donor to DeSantis and manages real estate firm YMP Real Estate with her husband, Moshe Popack.

Coincidentally, Mr. Popack was also appointed to the Florida Development Finance Board by DeSantis.

In addition, she made a surprise visit to the latest Board of Trustees meeting, drawing the ire of some student groups as she was introduced to the Board.

While not the first DeSantis-appointed BOT member, Yaffa and her husband have donated thousands of dollars personally to DeSantis’s presidential campaign, as well as hosting fundraisers in their eight-digit million dollar mansion that have raised many times more for his presidential aspirations.

These reports come amidst news of the campaign’s flailing financial situation, as well as a severe decline in favorability among the American people.

Real estate donors have been a steady stream of income for the DeSantis campaign, with $2 million coming in with those affiliated with and inside the market, according to an analysis by Politico. Their generous donations have attributed to the profitability of the Florida real estate market which has increased exponentially over the last few years – home prices in Miami alone rose by 7.7% last August.

DeSantis’s pro-business policies have been perceived to contribute to such high profit margins despite the plateauing supply of housing in Florida.

This is yet another person in the midst of a slew of appointments from Desantis in his approach to higher education.