Casey DeSantis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2019 | |
| First Lady of Florida | |
Current | |
| Assumed role January 8, 2019 | |
| Governor | Ron DeSantis |
| Preceded by | Ann Scott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jill Casey Black (1980-06-26)June 26, 1980 (age 45) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | College of Charleston (BS) |
Jill Casey DeSantis (née Black; born June 26, 1980) is an American former news journalist who has been thefirst lady of Florida since 2019, as the wife ofGovernorRon DeSantis.[1][2]
Born and raised inOhio, DeSantis graduated from theCollege of Charleston, where she competed on the equestrian team. In 2009, she married Ron DeSantis and became a local news broadcaster in Jacksonville. After her husband's victory in2018, she ended her media career upon becoming the first lady. In 2025, DeSantis became embroiled in theHope Florida scandal and was investigated by theRepublican-controlledFlorida Legislature. Since May 2025, she has been undercriminal investigation by theSecond Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office.
Jill Casey Black was born on June 26, 1980,[3][4] inColumbus, Ohio,[5] the second child of Robert Black, anoptometrist and former officer in theUnited States Air Force, and Jeanne Caponigro, a speech-language pathologist[6] and the daughter of aSicilian immigrant.[7]
Black graduated fromTroy High School in Troy, Ohio, in 1999.[5] She graduated from theCollege of Charleston, where she received aBachelor of Science ineconomics with a minor inFrench.[8] She competed on itsequestrian team.[9]
Early in her career, DeSantis hosted theGolf Channel programsOn The Tee andPGA Tour Today. She was also a local newscaster and anchor forWJXT, inJacksonville,Florida. She held several positions there, including general assignment reporter, morning anchor, and police reporter.[10]
In 2014, DeSantis was a creator-moderator forThe Chat, an hour-long round table panel discussion talk show that aired onTegna's Jacksonville stationsWTLV (NBC) andWJXX (ABC).[1] She hosted the daily local talk showFirst Coast Living as well as the weeklyThe American Dream program about entrepreneurs. DeSantis wrote and produced the television documentaryChampion, The JT Townsend Story about high school football player J.T. Townsend.[11] She also won a regionalSuncoast Emmy Award.[1]
In 2018, Florida Politics called Casey "one of the most recognizable faces on Jacksonville television, with long runs at two local news operations".[12]
Desantis becamefirst lady of Florida on January 8, 2019, when her husband,Ron DeSantis, became the 46thgovernor of Florida.
In February 2019, DeSantis established the First Lady's Medal for Courage, Commitment, and Service.[13] Soon after, she announced Florida's 2019Black History Month theme as "Celebrating Public Service" where she and the governor honored the winners of Florida's Black History Month student contests and Excellence in Education Award recipients at theGovernor's Mansion. DeSantis recognized Mary Ann Carroll, the only female member ofthe Highwaymen, as Florida's featured artist for the month.[citation needed]
DeSantis participated in a Recovery Redfish Release to address the impacts ofred tide. "I've heard from those throughout Florida who understand that our water must be safe for our families, visitors and economy."[14] DeSantis has hosted listening sessions onVenezuela,hurricane relief, andmental health.[13]
In August 2019, DeSantis presided over the first meeting of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet as its chair.[15] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband held a roundtable in August 2020 centered on the mental health impact of the pandemic.[16]
According toPolitico, DeSantis has taken on a "sort of policy portfolio of her own that ranges from hurricane recovery to issues of mental health" in her role as First Lady.[17]
| Part of aseries on the |
| Hope Florida scandal |
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People |
In 2021, DeSantis foundedHope Florida, a charity to connect underprivileged Floridians with government resources, nonprofits, the private sector and religious organizations.[18] In early 2025, theFlorida House of Representatives launched an investigation into Hope Florida, in particular a transaction in which the foundation received $10 million of the $67 million legal settlement betweenCentene andFlorida Agency for Health Care Administration.[19] Hope Florida diverted the settlement proceeds to Secure Florida's Future and Save our Society from Drugs.[20][19] These nonprofits then made contributions to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee with ties to DeSantis' husband.[19] Hope Florida's chairman admitted mistakes and "lapses in reporting procedures", including missing federal tax reports.[20] The House halted its investigation on April 24 after Hope Florida and the nonprofits refused to continue cooperating.[19]
On May 20, 2025, State AttorneyJack Campbell of theSecond Judicial Circuit Court opened acriminal investigation into the controversy.[21][22]
In 2023, Casey DeSantis was honored by the Republican Party ofSarasota as "Stateswoman of the Year", an award that had been earned in the past by individuals including her husband,Ron DeSantis, and other national officeholders.[23] She became the first woman to receive the distinction.[24]
DeSantis was an advisor to herhusband's 2024 presidential campaign.[25]The New York Times has noted her role in advising her husband on media strategy and policy matters.[26] In December 2023, she was criticized for telling Republicans nationwide to participate in theIowa caucus.[27][28]
After receiving the Stateswoman of the Year award, speculation surrounding a potential bid by Casey DeSantis in Florida's2026 gubernatorial election has emerged.[29][30] However,Puck reported that a spokesperson for theDeSantis campaign denied her interest in running for office.[31]
In 2025, press reports speculated DeSantis was considered to fill the vacancy ofLieutenant Governor of Florida after the resignation ofJeanette Nuñez.[32][33]
She met Ron DeSantis, then a naval officer atNaval Station Mayport, on a golf course at theUniversity of North Florida.[34] They married on September 26, 2009,[35] atWalt Disney World Resort, which Ron DeSantis later called "kind of ironic" in the wake of his battle with the company over theFlorida Parental Rights in Education Act.[36] They have three children together: two daughters and a son.[37]
On October 4, 2021, her husband announced that she had been diagnosed withbreast cancer.[38] On March 3, 2022, she announced that she was cancer-free.[39]
Like her husband, DeSantis isRoman Catholic.[40]
That includes former President Donald Trump, who has been honored as Statesman of the Year twice... It also includes Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accepted the award in 2021... Other past Statesmen of the Year include U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Fox News pundit Sean Hannity.
A DeSantis campaign spokesperson disputed that Casey has any interest whatsoever in her own political career, calling the allegation "categorically false." But the whispers have been unavoidable since May, when Casey was named Stateswoman of the Year by the Sarasota G.O.P.
Media related toCasey DeSantis at Wikimedia Commons
