Ronald Dion DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978, inJacksonville, Florida, to parents Karen DeSantis (née Rogers) and Ronald Daniel DeSantis. His middle name, Dion, honors the singerDion DiMucci,[1] and his family name has different pronunciations.[2] His mother's family name, Rogers, was chosen by her grandfather (né Ruggiero) upon immigrating fromItaly.[3][4][5] All of DeSantis's great-grandparents immigrated fromSouthern Italy[a] during the firstItalian diaspora.[11] His parents and all of his grandparents were born and grew up in WesternPennsylvania and NortheastOhio.[1]
With two law-school friends, DeSantis founded anLSATtest-prep company, LSAT Freedom, that one of the other co-founders billed as "the only LSAT prep courses designed exclusively by Harvard Law School graduates". DeSantis also worked as a litigator at the Miami-based law firmHolland & Knight before running for Congress in 2012.[25]
In May 2015, DeSantis announced his candidacy for the2016 United States Senate election in Florida. He ran for the seat held byMarco Rubio, who initially did not file to run for reelection due tohis 2016 presidential campaign.[50] DeSantis was endorsed by the Koch Brothers' fiscally conservative Club for Growth, which had previously supported his U.S. House campaign.[51] When Rubio ended his presidential bid and ran for reelection to the Senate, DeSantis withdrew from the Senate race, instead running for reelection to the House.[52]
DeSantis opposesgun control and received repeated "A" ratings from theNRA Political Victory Fund.[60][61] He has said, "Very rarely do firearms restrictions affect criminals. They really only affect law-abiding citizens."[62]
DeSantis was a critic of Obama's immigration policies, including deferred action legislation (DACA andDAPA), accusing Obama of failing to enforce immigration laws.[63] In 2015 he co-sponsoredKate's Law, which would have increased penalties for aliens who unlawfully reenter the U.S. after being removed.[64] DeSantis encouraged Florida sheriffs to cooperate with the federal government on immigration-related issues.[65]
In 2016, DeSantis introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, which would have allowed states to create their own accreditation systems. He said this legislation would also give students "access to federal loan money to put towards non-traditional educational opportunities, such as online learning courses, vocational schools, and apprenticeships in skilled trades".[66]
In 2016, DeSantis received a "0" rating from theHuman Rights Campaign onLGBT-related legislation.[67][68] Two years later, he told theSun Sentinel that he "doesn't want any discrimination in Florida, I want people to be able to live their life, whether you're gay or whether you're religious."[69]
DeSantis supports aconstitutional amendment to imposeterm limits on members of Congress, so that U.S. representatives would be limited to three terms and senators to two.[74] He served three terms in the House of Representatives, retiring in 2018 to run for governor of Florida.[75]
DeSantis said that the debate over how to reduce the federal deficit should shift emphasis from tax increases to curtailing spending and triggering economic growth.[76] He is a past supporter of replacing the federal income tax and the IRS with a federal sales tax calledthe FairTax, by cosponsoring legislation to do so as a U.S. representative.[77][78] He supported a "no budget, no pay" policy for Congress to encourage passage of abudget resolution.[79] DeSantis endorsed theREINS Act, which would have required that regulations significantly affecting the economy be subject to a vote of Congress before taking effect.[80] He also supported auditing theFederal Reserve System.[81]
DeSantis supported the2014 Venezuelan protests, calling thempeaceful and a result of Venezuela's "socialist" economic policy. He heavily criticized theVenezuelan government's response to the protests, saying its actions resembled techniques used by Cuban leaderFidel Castro.[82] Foralleged IRS targeting of conservatives, DeSantis asked forIRS commissionerJohn Koskinen's resignation for having "failed the American people by frustrating Congress's attempts to ascertain the truth."[83][84] He cosponsored a bill to impeach Koskinen for violating the public's trust.[85] DeSantis criticized IRS employeeLois Lerner and asked that she testify to Congress.[86]
In 2014, DeSantis introduced the Let Seniors Work Act, the companion of a similar bill introduced byMarco Rubio in the Senate.[87] The bill would have repealedan incentive to retire instead of keep working and would have exempted those above 65 from the 12.4%Social Security payroll tax; he also cosponsored a measure to eliminate taxes onSocial Security benefits.[88][89] According toPolitiFact, it is "half true" that DeSantis voted to cut Social Security and Medicare and voted to increase the retirement age, because those votes were on non-binding resolutions that would not have become law even if passed, and because the objective was to stabilize those social programs to avoid steeper cuts later.[90][91]
2018 election results map by county DeSantis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Gillum: 50–60% 60–70%
On January 5, 2018, DeSantis filed to run for the office ofgovernor to replace term-limited Republican incumbentRick Scott.[101] President Trump had said the previous month that he would support DeSantis should he run for governor.[102] During the Republican primary, DeSantis emphasized his support for Trump by running an ad in which DeSantis taught his children how to "build the wall" and say "Make America Great Again".[103] Asked whether he could name an issue on which he disagreed with Trump, DeSantis declined.[104] On August 28, 2018, DeSantis won the Republican primary, defeating his main opponent,Adam Putnam.[105]
DeSantis's gubernatorial platform included support for legislation that would allow people with concealed weapons permits tocarry firearms openly.[106] He also supported a law mandating the use ofE-Verify by businesses and a state-level ban onsanctuary city protections for undocumented immigrants.[106] DeSantis promised to stop the spread of polluted water fromLake Okeechobee.[106] He expressed support for a state constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote for any tax increases.[107] DeSantis opposed allowing able-bodied, childless adults to receiveMedicaid.[107] He said he would implement a medical cannabis program, while opposing the legalization of recreational cannabis.[107][108][109]
The day after his primary win, in a televisedFox News interview, DeSantis said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state." His use of the word "monkey" received widespread media attention, and was interpreted by some, including Florida Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo, as a racistdog whistle alluding to the Democratic gubernatorial nominee,Andrew Gillum, who is African-American.[110][111][112][113] DeSantis denied the racism charge.[114][115][116][117]Dexter Filkins, writing inThe New Yorker in 2022, called it a "disastrous gaffe," and quoted an unnamed ally of DeSantis lamenting that afterward, "We were handling Gillum with kid gloves. We can't hit the guy, because we're trying to defend the fact that we're not racist."[114]
The general election was "widely seen as a toss-up."[118] Some sheriffs endorsed DeSantis, while other sheriffs backed Gillum.[119] DeSantis was endorsed by the Florida Police Chiefs Association.[120] On September 5, he announced state representativeJeanette Núñez as his running mate.[121] He resigned his House seat on September 10 to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.[122] The same month, he canceled a planned interview with theTampa Bay Times to have additional time to put together a platform before an in-depth policy interview.[123] On election night, initial results had DeSantis winning, and so Gillum conceded.[124] Gillum rescinded his concession when the margin narrowed to 0.4 percent, and an automatic machine recount began with a November 15 deadline.[125] Although three counties missed the deadline, it was not extended.[126][127] DeSantis was confirmed as the winner and Gillum conceded on November 17.[128]
2022 election results map by county DeSantis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Crist: 50–60% 60–70%
In September 2021, DeSantis announced he would run for reelection.[129] On November 7, he filed the necessary paperwork to officially enter the race.[130] In the general election, he faced Democratic nomineeCharlie Crist, a U.S. representative and former Florida governor.[131] Crist heavily criticized DeSantis's decision to transportillegal immigrants to Democratic states, arguing that it washuman rights abuse.[132] During an interview withBret Baier onFox News, Crist called DeSantis "one of the biggest threats to democracy".[133]
The gubernatorial debate was held on October 23, and the candidates exchanged attacks. At one point, Crist asked DeSantis whether he would serve a full four-year term, in relation to talk about a potential DeSantis campaign for president in2024. DeSantis responded, "the only worn-out old donkey I'm looking to put out to pastures is Charlie Crist".[134] On the campaign trail DeSantis criticized Crist's role as a U.S. representative, and at the debate said that Crist showed up for work for only 14 days during 2022.[135]
DeSantis won the November 8 election in alandslide,[136] with 59.4 percent of the vote to Crist's 40 percent; it was the largest margin of victory in a Florida gubernatorial election since1982.[137] Significantly, DeSantis wonMiami-Dade County, which had been considered a Democratic stronghold and had last voted Republican in2002, andPalm Beach County, which had not voted Republican since1986.[138][139] Crist conceded the election shortly after DeSantis was projected as the winner.[140] At DeSantis's victory rally, supporters chanted "two more years" at various times rather than the common "four more years" to show support for DeSantis for president in 2024.[141]
DeSantis's official portrait during his first term as governor
DeSantis became governor of Florida on January 8, 2019.[142] Inaugurated at age 40, he was the youngest person to assume the office sincePark Trammell in 1913 and the youngest Republican ever to hold the position.[143] He has generally governed as a conservative.[144] On January 11, 2019, he posthumously pardoned theGroveland Four, a group of black men falsely convicted of rape in 1949.[145][146] The same day,[147] he officially suspendedBroward CountysheriffScott Israel, ostensibly for his responses to themass shootings at theMarjory Stoneman Douglas High School, appointingGregory Tony to replace him.[148][149] In its 2021 session, theFlorida legislature passed DeSantis's top priorities.[150][151] During his tenure, the Republican-dominatedFlorida Legislature enacted much of DeSantis's legislative agenda, often on rapid timelines.[152][153] Maximizing the power of the governor's office, DeSantis exerted pressure on Republican legislative leaders.[154][155]
During his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, DeSantis pledged to lowercorporate income taxes to 5 percent or lower.[156] During his tenure, corporate income taxes in Florida got as low as 3.5 percent in 2021, but by 2022 they had increased to 5.5 percent.[157] DeSantis has maintained Florida's low-tax status during his time as governor.[158] In June 2019, DeSantis signed a $91.1 billion budget thelegislature passed the previous month, which was the largest in state history at the time, though he cut $131 million in appropriations.[159][160] In June 2021, he signed a $101.5 billion budget; he used his line-item veto to veto $1.5 billion (of which $1 billion was in federalAmerican Rescue Plan Act money for an emergency response fund).[161][162] The budget DeSantis signed was more than $9 billion higher than Florida's current state spending plan.[161]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, DeSantis blamed former governorRick Scott for "revamping the state's unemployment insurance system with pointless roadblocks that he said were designed to prevent people from claiming benefits", saying it created massive backlogs earlier in the year as the pandemic decimated the economy.[163] Afterward, Florida's economy swiftly started recovering, and the unemployment rate fell below 7 percent by the latter half of 2020.[164] In December 2020, DeSantis ordered the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to extend unemployment waivers until February 27, 2021.[165] By the end of 2020, theCato Institute, alibertarian think tank, graded DeSantis "B" in its biennial fiscal policy report on America's governors.[166] Since May 2022, Florida's unemployment rate has sat around two percent, below the national average.[167]
On November 22, 2021, because of a significant increase in gasoline prices, DeSantis announced that he would temporarily waive Florida's gasoline tax in the next legislative session, in 2022.[168] Florida had a record state budget surplus in 2023.[169]
While in Congress, DeSantis supported proposals to raise the retirement age (i.e., the age to qualify forMedicare andSocial Security) to 70 and to privatize Medicare, turning it into a "premium support" system.[91][173][90] While running for president in 2023, DeSantis reversed his position, saying, "we’re not going to mess with Social Security."[91][173][90]
In June 2021, DeSantis led an effort to ban the teaching ofcritical race theory in Florida public schools (though it had not been part of Florida's public school curriculum). He described critical race theory as "teaching kids to hate their country," mirroring a similar push by conservatives nationally.[174] TheFlorida Board of Education approved the ban on June 10. TheFlorida Education Association criticized the ban, accusing the board of trying to hide facts from students. Other critics said the ban was an effort to "politicize classroom education and whitewash American history".[175][176]
On September 14, 2021, DeSantis announced that Florida would replace the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) test with a system of three smaller tests throughout the school year, in the fall, winter and spring. The new system was implemented in the 2022–23 school year.[177]
On December 15, 2021, DeSantis announced a new bill, the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act ("Stop WOKE Act"), which would allow parents to sue school districts that teach critical race theory. He framed the bill as a bill to combat "woke indoctrination" that would "teach our kids to hate our country or hate each other."[178][179][180][181] On August 18, 2022, federal judgeMark E. Walker blocked enforcement of the act as applied to businesses, ruling that it violated theFirst Amendment and wasimpermissibly vague.[182] Walker later blocked enforcement of the act as applied to public universities for similar reasons, writing that the legislation is "positively dystopian" because it "officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints."[183]
DeSantis expressed support for theVoting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative after it passed in November 2018, saying he was "obligated to faithfully implement [it] as it is defined" when he became governor. After he refused to restore voting rights for felons with unpaid fines, which voting rights groups said was inconsistent with the referendum's results, he was challenged in court. The Florida Supreme Court sided with DeSantis on the issue,[184] and theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit also sided with DeSantis in a 6–4 ruling.[185]
In April 2019, DeSantis directed Florida's elections chief to expand the availability of Spanish-language ballots and Spanish assistance for voters. In a statement, DeSantis said, "It is critically important that Spanish-speaking Floridians are able to exercise their right to vote without any language barriers."[186]
In June 2019, DeSantis signed a measure that would make it harder to launch successful ballot initiatives. Petition-gathering for ballot initiatives to legalize medical cannabis, increases to the minimum wage, and expansion of Medicaid were also under way.[187][188][189] DeSantis instructed Florida Attorney GeneralAshley Moody to investigate whetherMichael Bloomberg had criminally offered incentives for felons to vote by assisting in a fundraising effort to pay off their financial obligations so they could vote in the2020 presidential election in Florida. No wrongdoing was found.[190]
In February 2021, DeSantis announced his support for eliminatingballot drop boxes and limitingvoting by mail by requiring that voters re-register every year to vote by mail and that signatures on mail-in ballots "match the most recent signature on file" (rather than any of the voter's signatures in the Florida system).[191][192] The changes to mail-in voting were notable given that Republicans had historically voted by mail more than Democrats, but Democrats outvoted Republicans by mail in 2020.[191] According to aTampa Bay Times analysis, DeSantis's signature match proposal could have led to rejections of his own mail-in ballots due to changes in his signature history over time;voting rights experts argued that the signature matching proposal could be used todisenfranchise voters whose signatures varied over time.[192]
After the U.S. Supreme Court decidedDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturnedRoe v. Wade, DeSantis pledged to "expand pro-life protections".[193] On April 14, 2022, he signed into law a bill that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy; under the previous law, the limit had been 24 weeks.[194] The law includes exceptions for abortions beyond 15 weeks if they are necessary to avert "serious risk" to the pregnant woman's physical health or if there is a "fatal fetal abnormality" but makes no exceptions forrape,human trafficking,incest, ormental health.[195]
The law was expected to go into effect on July 1, 2022,[196] but a state judge blocked its enforcement, ruling that it violated theright to privacy guaranteed by theFlorida Constitution.[197][198] After DeSantis appealed the ruling, the law went into effect on July 5, pending judicial review.[199] In January 2023, theSupreme Court of Florida agreed to hear a legal challenge to the law.[200]
In April 2023, DeSantis signed asix-week abortion ban.[201] The legislation contains exceptions allowing abortion up to 15 weeks in cases in which the pregnancy was a result of rape, incest, or human trafficking, but requires the woman to provide proof of a crime before being permitted an abortion under any of those exceptions.[202][203] The bill will make providing an abortion a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, bantelemedicine for abortion, and limit the availability ofmedication abortion.[204] The six-week ban went into effect on May 1, 2024, after the Supreme Court of Florida upheld the 15-week ban on April 1, 2024.[205]
On February 2, 2021, DeSantis announced support for legislation to holdtech companies accountable to prevent alleged political censorship.[206][207] In response to social media networks removing Trump from their platforms, DeSantis and other Florida Republicans pushed legislation in theFlorida legislature to prohibit tech companies from de-platforming political candidates.[208] A federal judge blocked the law bypreliminary injunction the day before it was to take effect, on the grounds that it violated theFirst Amendment and federal law.[209] When Twitter suspended DeSantis administration criticRebekah Jones's account for violating rules againstspam and platform manipulation, DeSantis's office applauded the decision, calling it "long overdue".[210][211] DeSantis supportedElon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, believing "it illegal for tech platforms to block or demote content that might otherwise run afoul of their terms of service".[212]
In 2024, Desantis signed into a law a bill that requires social media platforms to prohibit people under 16 years old from making accounts. The law has been criticized by digital rights organizations likeNetchoice, which said it "forces Floridians to hand over sensitive personal information to websites or lose their access to critical information channels. This infringes on Floridians' First Amendment rights to share and access speech online", and that "the Supreme Court has made clear that the government lacks the 'free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed'".[213]
During 2020 and 2021, scientists and media outlets initially gave mixed reviews of DeSantis's handling of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[214][215][216] From March 2020 through March 22, 2023, Florida had the 12th-highest rate of cases and deaths per 100,000 people among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, without adjusting for the age of Florida's large and vulnerable elderly population.[217][218] Florida'sage-adjusted death rate, which takes its disproportionately elderly population into account, was roughly near the median among states as of 2021, and a 2022 study placed it at the nation's 12th lowest.[219][218][220] By 2023, many political scientists acknowledged that DeSantis's management of the pandemic may have benefited him in his reelection campaign, and he was credited with turning "his coronavirus policies into a parable of American freedom".[221][222]
On June 1, 2021, DeSantis signed theFairness in Women's Sports Act (SB 1028). It banstransgender girls and women from participating and competing in middle-school and high-school girls' and college women's sports competitions. The law took effect on July 1.[223]
In February 2022, DeSantis voiced support for theFlorida Parental Rights in Education Act (HB1557), referred to by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" law, which prohibits discussion ofsexual orientation orgender identity in school classrooms from kindergarten to grade 3. He said it was "entirely inappropriate" for teachers and school administrators to talk to students about their gender identity.[224][225][226] DeSantis signed the bill into law in March 2022, and it took effect on July 1, 2022.[227] This statute also includes a provision "requiring school district personnel to encourage a student to discuss issues relating to his or her well-being with his or her parent or to facilitate discussion of the issue with the parent", and does not limit such issues to sexual orientation or gender identity.[228] As of March 2023, DeSantis was considering further similar legislation for all grades.[229][230] On April 19, the state board of education extended the act's restrictions on classroom instruction to grades 4–12, unless the instruction is required by existing state standards or is part of anelective course on reproductive health.[231][232]
The Walt Disney Company, owner ofWalt Disney World in Florida, called for the law's repeal, beginning adispute between Disney and the state government.[233] In April 2022, DeSantis signed a bill eliminating the company'sspecial independent district act and replacing its Disney-appointed board of overseers.[234][235] He also threatened during a press conference to build a new state prison near the Disney World complex.[236] On April 26, 2023, Disneyfiled suit against DeSantis and several others, accusing them of retaliating against protected speech.[237] DeSantis's attorneys filed a motion to dismiss Disney's lawsuit on June 26, claiming that the governor and state legislators have "legislative immunity".[238] The lawsuit was dismissed on January 31, 2024, with Disney vowing to appeal.[239] On March 27, 2024, Disney settled its pending state court lawsuits with DeSantis. Per the agreement, Disney put the appeal of its federal lawsuit on hold while a new development agreement with Florida was negotiated. But no alterations to Disney's appeal of the federal lawsuit were made.[240][241][242] The settlement came a day after DeSantis replaced two Disney critics on theCentral Florida Tourism Oversight District with two Disney supporters[243][244] and two weeks after a court largely overturned The Parental Rights in Education Act.[245][246]
DeSantis at a pro-law enforcement rally inStaten Island
DeSantis opposes efforts todefund the police, and as governor has introduced initiatives to "fund the police".[247] In September 2021, he introduced a $5,000signing bonus for Florida police officers in a bid to attract out-of-state police recruits.[248]
In April 2021, DeSantis signed into law the Combating Public Disorder Act he had been advocating. Aside from being an anti-riot statute, it forbade intimidation by mobs; penalized damage to historic properties or memorials, such asdowntown Miami's Christopher Columbus statue, which was damaged in 2020; and forbade publishing personal identifying information online with intent to harm.[249] DeSantis had argued for this legislation by citing theGeorge Floyd protests of 2020 and the2021 United States Capitol attack, although only the former was mentioned at the signing ceremony.[250] Several months after the signing, a federal judge blocked the portion of the law that introduced a new definition of "riot", calling it too vague.[251]
On May 5, 2021, DeSantis announced that all Florida police officers, firefighters, and paramedics would receive a $1,000 bonus.[252]
In 2022, DeSantis signed a bill creating an election police unit to investigate election fraud.[255] At a press event in September 2024, he defended the unit's visits to the homes of Florida voters who had signed an abortion rights ballot initiative.[256]
In June 2019, DeSantis signed an anti-"sanctuary city" bill into law. Florida had no sanctuary cities before the law's enactment, and immigration advocates called the bill politically motivated.[257][258][259]
Florida became the 12th state to adopt legislation requiring local governments to aid federal immigration-enforcement efforts.[260] In June 2020, DeSantis signed a bill requiring government employers and contractors to useE-Verify.[261][262][263] He had originally called for all employers to be required to use it.[264] A few years later, he signed into law an expansion of E-Verify and other immigration laws.[265]
In 2021, DeSantis halted cooperation with the Biden administration's program to relocate and resettle migrants in Florida in the wake of a surge in illegal immigration.[266] DeSantis's administration also allocated $12 million for relocating migrants to other states.[267]
In September 2022, after similar actions by Texas GovernorGreg Abbott, an agent of DeSantis recruited 50 newly arrivedasylum seekers, mostly from Venezuela, inSan Antonio, Texas, and flew them via two chartered planes to theCrestview, Florida airport, where they did not debark, then proceeded toMartha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The migrants filed a class-action suit against DeSantis, which was later dismissed, calling his treatment of them "extreme and outrageous, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community".[268][269]
In May 2023, DeSantis announced plans to send over 1,000 personnel to Texas, including National Guard troops, to help Texas stem the influx of illegal immigration across the southern border.[270]
PresidentJoe Biden and Governor DeSantis greet each other inFort Myers for a briefing on response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis was widely praised for the state's response toHurricane Ian — the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida in 87 years.[271][272][273] In September 2022, DeSantis declared astate of emergency for all of Florida as Ian approached and asked for federal aid ahead of time.[274][275][276] On October 5, after Ian deserted Florida, President Biden arrived in Florida and met with DeSantis and SenatorsMarco Rubio andRick Scott.[277] DeSantis and Biden held a press conference inFort Myers, at which Biden said DeSantis had "done a good job", to report on the status of the cleanup.[278] In addition, DeSantis partnered withElon Musk, CEO ofSpaceX andTesla, Inc., to use theStarlink satellite Internet service to help restore communication across the state.[279]
DeSantis supported programs dedicated to environmental conservation and protection from flooding in Florida. At the same time, he questionedclimate science, supported fossil fuels, opposed renewables, and sanctioned firms for considering environmental issues in their investments.[280]
DeSantis refused to accept $346 million from theInflation Reduction Act for rebates to homeowners who want toretrofit their houses, make it moreenergy efficient, $3 million to fight pollution, and a program to help low-income people buy solar panels, as well as $24 million from theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for improvingsewage systems in rural areas. The rebates were requested by Florida energy office and the legislature, but DeSantis vetoed them. All other governors, including Republicans, accepted the money. The money could go to local cities and authorities, and three Florida cities received some funds.Rhode Island andKentucky requested to take Florida's money for themselves. The program should help people lower their energy bills andweatherize their houses while creating jobs. Half the money should go to low-income households.[281][282][283] Making a house more energy-efficient can cut utility bills by 25% for an average family.[284] DeSantis later reversed course and attempted to reclaim some of the rejected home energy rebate funds.[285]
In June 2024, DeSantis vetoed a bill passed by theState House that would have created a statewide process managed by theDepartment of Health to issue closures and send warnings if the bacteria in waterways reached unsafe levels.[286]
During the 2025 legislative session, DeSantis and his former chief of staff,James Uthmeier, were involved in a controversy over the transfer of $10,000,000 from a Medicaid settlement to a political committee Uthmeier controlled. The money was initially directed to go to theHope Florida Foundation, but was immediately transferred by the foundation to two separate groups, both of which sent it to Uthmeier's political committee.[287] Legislators accused Uthmeier of money laundering and wire fraud for his role in directing the Medicaid settlement as DeSantis's chief of staff, then soliciting the applicants who requested the money from the Hope Florida Foundation, both of which immediately transferred it to a bank account under his control.[288]
The release of DeSantis's memoir,The Courage to Be Free, and book tour, increased 2024 speculation.[303] On May 24, 2023, DeSantis officially launchedhis bid for president.[304] It was announced on X, then calledTwitter, with assistance from its owner,Elon Musk; the launch was marred by technical glitches.[305]
He is a member of theVeterans of Foreign Wars and theAmerican Legion.[321] In 2022, DeSantis appeared onTime 100,Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[322] As of September 2023[update], his net worth was estimated at $1.5 million, up from $300,000 in 2021; his $1.25 million book deal withHarperCollins in 2022 made him a millionaire by the end of that year.[323][324][325]
DeSantis, Ron (2011).Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama.Jacksonville: High-Pitched Hum Publishing.ISBN978-1-934666-80-7.[326]
^Hall, Richard (March 17, 2023)."Former Guantanamo prisoner: Ron DeSantis watched me being tortured".The Independent.Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. RetrievedMarch 17, 2023.The United Nations has characterised the force-feeding of hunger strikers at Guantanamo Bay as torture. The U.S. government has denied that the practice amounts to torture, and it has been used against prisoners over successive administrations during hunger strikes.
^DeSantis, Ron; Lee, Mike (March 4, 2015)."Break Up the Higher-Ed Cartel".National Review.Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 29, 2016.
^abWoolfolk, John.“Why major study argues Florida's COVID death rate compares favorably to California's”Archived June 5, 2023, at theWayback Machine,The Mercury News (April 2, 2023): "Florida's older, unhealthier population contributed to its higher number of deaths ... COVID-19 is deadlier among the aged and diseased .... With an adjustment to show what it would look like if each state had the same age and health profile as the United States as a whole, Florida's death rate jumped to 12th lowest, while California's fell to 36th."
^"Florida's COVID-19 deaths are still among the highest in the nation".WUSF Public Media. October 14, 2021.Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. RetrievedMarch 25, 2023.When looking at all COVID-19 deaths in the state, the age-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 has Florida ranked 24th in the nation. The New York Times analysis places Florida's overall death rate as the 10th highest in the nation.
^Goldstein, Dana (March 18, 2022)."Opponents Call It the 'Don't Say Gay' Bill. Here's What It Says".The New York Times.Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 7, 2023.This parental-notification requirement appears to apply to any student, regardless of age or circumstances — the student could be seeking health services for gender issues, sexuality, depression, substance use, a parental divorce or any other challenge.
^Izaguirre, Anthony; Farrington, Brendan (April 19, 2023)."Florida expands 'Don't Say Gay'; House OKs anti-LGBTQ bills".Associated Press.Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. RetrievedMay 13, 2023.The rule change would ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4-12, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take.
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