Wikipedia

Governorship of Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis has served as the 46th governor of Florida since January 8, 2019.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he narrowly defeated Democratic challenger Andrew Gillum in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election. As governor, DeSantis resisted taking many of the measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 that various other state governments implemented, such as face-mask mandates, stay-at-home orders, and vaccination requirements. During the pandemic, Florida experienced above-average economic growth. DeSantis cut state-government spending, which, combined with federal stimulus payments and high sales-tax revenue, led to the largest budget surplus in Florida history. He engaged in recovery efforts after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole, and oversaw the passage of the controversial Parental Rights in Education Act. He was reelected in a landslide in the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election; his 19.4% margin of victory over Charlie Crist was the state's largest in 40 years. He has generally governed as a conservative.[2]

Ron DeSantis
Governorship of Ron DeSantis
January 8, 2019 – present
PartyRepublican
Election
SeatFlorida Governor's Mansion

Seal of Florida

Electoral history

edit

2018 gubernatorial candidacy

edit
Main article: 2018 Florida gubernatorial election
 
2018 election results map by county

On January 5, 2018, DeSantis filed to run for governor of Florida to succeed term-limited Republican incumbent Rick Scott.[3] President Trump had said the previous month that he would support DeSantis should he run for governor.[4] 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".[5] Asked whether he could name an issue on which he disagreed with Trump, DeSantis declined.[6] On August 28, 2018, DeSantis won the Republican primary, defeating his main opponent, Adam Putnam.[7]

The general election was "widely seen as a toss-up".[8] On election night, initial results had DeSantis winning, and so Gillum conceded.[9] Gillum rescinded his concession when the margin narrowed to 0.4 percent, and an automatic machine recount began with a November 15 deadline.[10] Although three counties missed the deadline, it was not extended.[11][12] DeSantis was confirmed as the winner and Gillum conceded on November 17.[13]

2022 gubernatorial candidacy

edit
Main article: 2022 Florida gubernatorial election
 
2022 election results map by county

In September 2021, DeSantis announced he would run for reelection.[14] On November 7, he filed the necessary paperwork to officially enter the race.[15] In the general election, he faced Democratic nominee Charlie Crist, a U.S. representative and former Florida governor.[16] Crist heavily criticized DeSantis's decision to transport illegal immigrants to Democratic states, arguing that it was human rights abuse.[17] During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, Crist called DeSantis "one of the biggest threats to democracy".[18]

DeSantis won the November 8 election in a landslide,[19][20][21] with 59.4% of the vote to Crist's 40%; it was the largest margin of victory in a Florida gubernatorial election since 1982.[22] Significantly, DeSantis won Miami-Dade County, which had been a Democratic stronghold since 2002, and Palm Beach County, which had not voted Republican since 1986.[23][24] Crist conceded the election shortly after DeSantis was projected as the winner.[25] 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.[26]

Economy

edit
 
DeSantis with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Finance Officer Jimmy Patronis, and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in 2019
Main article: Economy of Florida

Corporate income taxes were reduced in Florida to as low as 3.5 percent in 2021, but by 2022 had returned to the 2018 level of 5.5 percent.[27] DeSantis has maintained Florida's low-tax status during his time as governor.[28] In June 2019, DeSantis signed a $91.1 billion budget the legislature passed the previous month, which was the largest in state history at the time, though he cut $131 million in appropriations.[29][30] In June 2021, he signed a $101.5 billion budget that included $169 million in tax relief.[31] In its 2021 session, the Florida legislature passed DeSantis's top priorities.[32][33] During his tenure, DeSantis has had a generally smooth relationship with the legislature, which enacted many of his proposals.[34] DeSantis received a B grade in 2020 from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, in their biennial fiscal policy report on America's governors.[35]

Throughout most of 2019, Florida's unemployment rate hovered below 5 percent.[36] During the COVID-19 lockdown in early to mid-2020, Florida, and most other states, saw unemployment rates near 15 percent.[36][37][38] DeSantis partially blamed his gubernatorial predecessor, Rick Scott, for leaving behind a dejected unemployment system that created backlogs as COVID-19 damaged the state economy.[39] Afterward, Florida's economy swiftly started recovering, and the unemployment rate fell below 7 percent by the latter half of 2020.[40] In December 2020, DeSantis ordered the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to extend unemployment waivers until February 27, 2021.[41] Florida saw fast economic growth in 2022 and 2023, together with a record state budget surplus.[42][43] Since May 2022, Florida's unemployment rate has sat around two percent, below the national average.[28][36]

As a result of a significant increase in gasoline prices, on November 22, 2021, DeSantis announced that he would temporarily waive Florida's gasoline tax in the next legislative session, in 2022.[44]

Education

edit

In January 2019, DeSantis signed an executive order calling for the end of the nationwide K-12 educational standards initiative, Common Core, in Florida.[45][better source needed] On September 14, 2021, DeSantis announced that Florida would replace the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) test with a system of smaller tests scattered throughout the year. He said there would be three tests, in the fall, winter and spring, each smaller than the FSA. Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran agreed with the decision, calling it a "huge victory for the school system". The new system is to be implemented by the 2022–23 school year.[needs update][46]

In March 2021, DeSantis proposed legislation to impose restrictions and stricter requirements for Florida universities to collaborate with Chinese academics and universities; he said this would crack down on economic espionage by China.[47][48][49][50] DeSantis signed two such bills in June.[51]

DeSantis proposed legislation to "require colleges to report any gift of $50,000 or more that is made directly or indirectly by a foreign government". The policies sought by DeSantis also would change Florida laws involving theft from cloud technology and the theft or trafficking of trade secrets by China.[47][48][49][50] DeSantis signed two such bills in June 2021.[52]

In July 2023, Florida's new education curriculum for middle schools, which included content on how "slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit", came under criticism.[53] DeSantis defended the curriculum as "the most robust standards in African American history", and said of the controversial content: "I think that they're probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed being a blacksmith into doing things later in life."[54]

Critical race theory in schools

edit

In June 2021, DeSantis led an effort to ban the teaching of critical 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.[55] The Florida Board of Education approved the ban on June 10. The Florida Education Association criticized the ban, accusing the board of trying to hide facts from students. Other critics claimed the ban was an effort to "politicize classroom education and whitewash American history".[56][57]

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. The bill is designed to combat "woke indoctrination" in Florida businesses, schools, and public universities, by preventing instruction that could make some people feel they bear "personal responsibility" for historic wrongdoings because of their race, gender or national origin, preventing instruction that teaches that people are "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously", and preventing instruction that teaches that groups of people are oppressed or privileged based on their race, gender or national origin. He said of the bill, "No taxpayer dollars should be used to teach our kids to hate our country or hate each other."[58][59][60][61] On August 18, 2022, federal judge Mark E. Walker blocked the act in businesses, saying that it violates the First Amendment and is too vague.[62] Walker later blocked the act in public universities for the same reasons.[63]

COVID-19 pandemic

edit
See also: COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and COVID-19 pandemic in Florida
 
President Donald Trump and Governor DeSantis discuss COVID-19 at the White House in April 2020
 
DeSantis with Vice President Mike Pence in Orlando, May 2020

During 2020 and 2021, scientists and media outlets gave mixed reviews of DeSantis's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.[64][65][66] 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.[67][68] Florida's age-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.[69][68][70] 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".[71][72]

2020

edit
 
DeSantis meeting with soldiers at a COVID-19 testing site in Orange County

By March 11, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) concluded that community spread of the pandemic had occurred within Florida.[73] After considering the matter for a few weeks,[74][75] on April 1 DeSantis issued an executive order to restrict activities within the state to those deemed essential services.[76] By June, he had adopted a more targeted approach, declaring in mid-June:

We're not shutting down, we're gonna go forward, we're gonna continue to protect the most vulnerable...particularly when you have a virus that disproportionately impacts one segment of society, to suppress a lot of working-age people at this point I don't think would likely be very effective.[77]

That approach was similar to the one recommended a few months later in the Great Barrington Declaration.[78] DeSantis got vaccinated for COVID-19, and expressed enthusiasm for people getting vaccinated, but has opposed requiring it.[79]

In early June, DeSantis partially lifted his stay-at-home order, lifting restrictions on bars and cinemas; the same day he lifted the restrictions, Florida recorded the largest case surge in six weeks.[64] DeSantis rejected the implementation of a statewide face mask mandate, and let his stay-at-home order implemented in April expire.[64] He announced that he would reinstate some restrictions on business activity in late June to halt the virus's spread, but said Florida is "not going back" on reopening the economy, arguing that "people going to a business is not what's driving" the surge in cases.[80] On September 25, Florida lifted all remaining capacity restrictions on businesses, while also prohibiting local governments from enforcing public health orders with fines, or restricting restaurants to less than 50 percent capacity.[81][82][83] DeSantis urged public health officials in Florida cities to focus less on universal COVID-19 testing and more on testing people experiencing symptoms.[84]

DeSantis favored reopening schools for in-person learning for the 2020–21 school year.[85] By October, he announced all 67 public school districts were open for in-person learning.[85]

According to the CDC, life expectancy during 2020 dropped in Florida to 77.5 years from 79 years in 2019; that fall of 1.5 years in Florida was less than the nationwide fall of 1.8 years.[86][87][88] Both the statewide and nationwide falls in life expectancy were "mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in unintentional injuries", with the unintentional deaths mostly attributed to drug overdoses.[86][87][88]

2021

edit
 
DeSantis in Tampa speaking to students in July 2021

By February 2021, DeSantis had generally positive approval ratings, ranging from 51 to 64 percent.[89][90][91] That same month, the Biden administration mulled imposing travel restrictions on Florida and other domestic locations to prevent further spread of COVID-19,[92][93] and DeSantis pledged to oppose any effort "to shut FL's border".[94][95] In March 2021, Politico called DeSantis the nation's most "politically ascendant" governor, as his controversial policies had been at that point "short of or even the opposite of ruinous", while Florida had "fared no worse, and in some ways better, than many other states".[96]

DeSantis's initial rollout of vaccines in early 2021 gave rise to various complaints about favoritism toward campaign contributors and discrimination against communities that were predominantly Democratic, poor, or inhabited by ethnic and racial minorities.[97][98] DeSantis denied the alleged favoritism, defended his handling of the rollout, and pointed toward many vaccines distributed in underserved communities.[97][99]

By April 2021, Florida was 27th out of 50 in both cases and deaths per capita.[100] In May 2021, DeSantis rescinded the state of emergency and all COVID-19-related public health orders, statewide.[101][102][103] The same day, he signed a bill into law that prohibited businesses, cruise ships, schools, and government entities from requiring proof of vaccination for use of services.[104][105] Amid a July resurgence in new infections,[106] DeSantis banned public schools from implementing mask mandates and thus left mask-wearing up to the students' parents, though he advised them against it because "it's terribly uncomfortable for [children] to do it; there's not very much science behind it."[107][108][109] Later in 2021, his executive order about masking was superseded by a new state statute that he signed accomplishing the same thing.[110]

By August 2021, amid a record in new cases within the state, Florida had become the state with the highest per capita hospitalizations for COVID-19.[111] DeSantis disputed President Joe Biden's assertion that Florida was not doing enough to combat the pandemic.[112][113] He also argued that Biden was allowing COVID transmission across the southern U.S. border.[112][114] The Washington Post reported that this claim was based on "guesswork and assumptions, not evidence", while PolitiFact reported that COVID-19 hot spots tend to be clustered far from the border, in places with low rates of public vaccination, not along the southern border, as would be expected if migrants were driving the surge in cases.[112][114]

DeSantis continued to take COVID-related actions during the rest of 2021, including penalizing local government vaccine mandates,[115][116] appointing like-minded physician Joseph Ladapo as Florida's surgeon general,[117][118][119][120] and recruiting out-of-state police officers to relocate and work in Florida, including officers who sought to avoid vaccine requirements in their home states.[121] Ladapo, a signer of the Great Barrington Declaration,[122] had a history of promoting unproven treatments for COVID-19, opposing COVID-19 vaccine requirements, and questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.[118][120]

In November 2021, DeSantis signed into law a legislative package that made Florida the first state[123] to impose fines on businesses and hospitals that require COVID-19 vaccination without exemptions or alternatives.[124][125][126]

2022 and 2023

edit
 
DeSantis meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023

In June 2022, DeSantis decided against ordering COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5, making Florida the only state not to preorder vaccines for that demographic.[127]

In January 2023, DeSantis announced a proposal to permanently ban COVID-19 mandates in Florida. The proposal includes a permanent ban of mask requirements throughout the state, vaccine and mask requirements in schools, COVID-19 passports in the state, and employers hiring or firing based on COVID-19 vaccines.[128]

LGBT issues

edit
Further information: LGBT rights in Florida § Education

On June 1, 2021, DeSantis signed the Fairness in Women's Sports Act (SB 1028). It bans transgender girls and women from participating and competing in middle-school and high-school girls' and college women's sports competitions in Florida. The law took effect on July 1.[129][130]

In February 2022, DeSantis voiced his support for the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act (HB1557), commonly known as the "Don't Say Gay" law, which would prohibit discussion of sexual orientation or gender 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.[131][132][133] DeSantis signed the bill into law on March 28, 2022,[134] and it took effect on July 1.[135] 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.[136] As of March 2023, DeSantis was considering further similar legislation for all grades.[137][138] 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 an elective course on reproductive health.[139][140]

The Walt Disney Company, owner of Walt Disney World (through Disney Experiences) in Florida, called for the law's repeal, beginning a dispute between Disney and the state government.[141] In April 2022, DeSantis signed a bill eliminating the company's special independent district and replacing its Disney-appointed board of overseers with members he selected.[142][143] He also threatened during a press conference to build a new state prison near the Disney World complex.[144] On April 26, 2023, Disney sued DeSantis and several others, accusing them of retaliating against protected speech.[145] During an interview with CNBC in early August, DeSantis advised Disney to withdraw their litigation because "We've basically moved on...and they're going to lose that lawsuit."[146][147]

In April 2023, the Bud Light beer company began a sponsorship with a transgender person, resulting in the 2023 Bud Light boycott. With Florida's pension fund holding over 680,000 shares in Bud Light's parent company, AB InBev, in July 2023 DeSantis called for Florida's pension fund agency to investigate AB InBev for breaching duties to shareholders, as "there's got to be penalties when you put business aside to focus on your social agenda at the expense of hardworking people".[148][149]

Immigration

edit

In June 2019, he 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.[150][151][152]

Florida became the 12th state to adopt legislation requiring local governments to aid federal immigration-enforcement efforts.[153] In June 2020, DeSantis signed a bill requiring government employers and private companies that contract with the government to use E-Verify.[154][155][156] He had originally called for all employers to be required to use it.[157] A few years later, he signed into law an expansion of E-Verify and other immigration laws.[158]

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.[159] DeSantis's administration also allocated $12 million for relocating migrants to other states.[160]

In September 2022, after similar actions by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, an agent of DeSantis recruited 50 newly arrived asylum seekers, mostly from Venezuela, in San Antonio, Texas, and flew them via two chartered planes to the Crestview, Florida airport, where they did not debark, then proceeded to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The migrants filed a class-action suit against DeSantis, calling his treatment of them "extreme and outrageous, and utterly intolerable in a civilized community".[161][162]

In May 2023, DeSantis announced plans to send over a thousand personnel to Texas, including National Guard troops. Their mission will be to help Texas stem the influx of illegal immigration across the southern border.[163]

Response to Hurricane Ian

edit
 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holds a press conference while touring the damage in North Port, Sarasota County on October 2, 2022
Further information: Hurricane Ian

DeSantis was widely praised for the state's response to Hurricane Ian — the deadliest hurricane to hit Florida in over 85 years.[164][165][166] In September 2022, DeSantis declared a state of emergency for all of Florida as Ian approached and asked for federal aid ahead of time.[167][168] On October 5, after Ian deserted Florida, President Biden arrived in Florida and met with DeSantis and Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.[169] DeSantis and Biden held a press conference in Fort Myers to report on the status of the cleanup.[170] During the press conference, President Biden said DeSantis had "done a good job" in response to the hurricane.[171] DeSantis partnered with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Inc., to use the Starlink satellite Internet service to help restore communication across the state.[172]

First lady Casey DeSantis partnered with State Disaster Recovery Mental Health Coordinator Sara Newhouse and the Department of Health and Department of Children and Families to deploy free mental health resources to communities Ian affected.[173]

Florida Supreme Court nominations

edit

DeSantis began his first term as governor with three vacant seats on the Florida Supreme Court due to Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente, and Peggy Quince having reached the mandatory retirement age.[174] On January 9, 2019, DeSantis appointed Barbara Lagoa to fill the seat vacated by Justice Lewis,[175] on January 14 he appointed Robert J. Luck to fill Pariente's seat,[176] and on January 22 he appointed Carlos G. Muñiz to fill Quince's seat.[174] These three appointments were considered to have shifted the court to a more originalist judicial philosophy.[177]

In late 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Justices Lagoa and Luck to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, thus creating two more vacancies for DeSantis to fill.[178] On May 26, 2020, he nominated John D. Couriel and Renatha Francis to fill the respective seats; Couriel took office on June 1,[179] but the court found that Francis was ineligible to serve as she had not been a member of The Florida Bar for at least ten years.[180] On September 14, 2020, DeSantis instead appointed Jamie Grosshans to fill Luck's seat; she took office the same day.[181]

On April 29, 2022, incumbent Justice C. Alan Lawson announced his intent to retire, effective August 31.[182] In his place, on August 5, DeSantis appointed Renatha Francis again after she had reached her 10-year mark on the Florida Bar. She took office on September 1 as the court's first Jamaican-American justice.[183][184]

On March 20, 2023, incumbent Justice Ricky Polston announced his resignation, effective March 31.[185] DeSantis subsequently appointed Meredith Sasso on May 23, and she took office two days later. Following her joining the court, five of the seven justices of the Florida Supreme Court are DeSantis appointees.[186]

Abortion

edit

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, DeSantis pledged to "expand pro-life protections".[187] On April 14, 2022, he signed into law a bill that regulates elective abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy; under the previous law, the limit had been 24 weeks.[188] The law includes exceptions for abortions beyond 15 weeks if it is necessary to avert "serious risk" to the pregnant woman's physical health or if there is a "fatal fetal abnormality", but does not make exceptions for rape, human trafficking, incest, or mental health.[189]

The law was expected to go into effect on July 1,[190] but a state judge blocked its enforcement, ruling that the Florida Constitution guarantees a right to privacy that renders the law unconstitutional.[191][192] After DeSantis appealed the ruling, the law went into effect on July 5, pending judicial review.[193] In January 2023, the Supreme Court of Florida agreed to hear a legal challenge to the law.[194]

In March 2023, DeSantis said in a press conference of SB300, which regulates abortions after six weeks with exceptions to 15 weeks for rape and incest: "I think those exceptions are sensible. We welcome pro-life legislation."[195] Floridian physicians have expressed concern about the bill; most major medical societies such as AMA,[196] ACOG,[197] and AAP[198] consider abortion essential and life-saving health care, but SB300 will make providing abortion punishable by up to five years in prison.[199][195] DeSantis signed the bill into law on April 14, 2023.[200][201]

Gun law

edit

After the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, DeSantis expressed support for hiring retired law enforcement officers and military veterans as armed guards for schools.[202] He disagreed with legislation Governor Rick Scott signed that banned bump stocks, added a mandatory three-day waiting period for gun purchases, and raised the legal age for purchases from 18 to 21.[203] He has expressed support for measures to improve federal background checks for purchasing firearms and has said that there is a need to intervene with those who exhibit warning signs of committing violence instead of waiting until a crime has been committed.[202]

In November 2020, DeSantis proposed an "anti-mob" extension to the preexisting stand-your-ground law in Florida that would allow gun-owning residents to use deadly force on people they believe are looting. It would also make blocking traffic during a protest a third-degree felony and impose criminal penalties for partaking in "violent or disorderly assemblies".[204]

On April 3, 2023, DeSantis signed HB 543 into law, which allows Florida residents to carry concealed handguns without a permit. The law went into effect on July 1, 2023.[205]

Law enforcement

edit
 
DeSantis at a pro-law enforcement rally in Staten Island.

DeSantis opposes efforts to defund the police, and as governor has introduced initiatives to "fund the police".[206] In September 2021, he introduced a $5,000 signing bonus for Florida police officers in a bid to attract out-of-state police recruits.[207]

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 as downtown Miami's Christopher Columbus statue, which was damaged in 2020; and forbade publishing personal identifying information online with intent to harm.[208] DeSantis had argued for this legislation by citing the George Floyd protests of 2020 and the 2021 United States Capitol attack, although only the former was mentioned at the signing ceremony.[209] 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.[210]

On May 5, 2021, DeSantis announced that all Florida police officers, firefighters, and paramedics would receive a $1,000 bonus.[211]

On December 2, 2021, DeSantis announced that as part of a $100 million funding proposal for the Florida National Guard, $3.5 million would be allocated to the reactivation of the Florida State Guard, a volunteer state defense force that had been inactive since 1947.[212][213]

Environment

edit
Further information: Climate change in Florida and Plug-in electric vehicles in Florida

DeSantis has called himself a "Teddy Roosevelt conservationist". During his 2018 gubernatorial run, he said that he did not deny climate change's existence, but did not want to be labeled a "climate change believer",[214] adding, "I think we contribute to changes in the environment, but I'm not in the pews of the global warming left."[215]

DeSantis signed an executive order in 2019 that included a variety of components relating to the environment.[216] These included a promise to spend $2.5 billion over four years on restoring the Everglades and "other water protection", and the creation of a Blue-Green Algae Task Force, an Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency, and a chief science officer.[216] He also replaced the entire South Florida Water Management District board.[217]

On July 10, 2020, DeSantis announced that Florida would spend $8.6 million out of $166 million received by the state from a legal settlement between Volkswagen and the United States Department of Justice relating to emission violations to add 34 charging stations for electric cars. The stations would be along Interstates 4, 75, 95, 275 and 295.[218] On June 16, 2021, DeSantis signed into law House Bill 839, which bans local governments in Florida from requiring gas stations to add electric car charging stations.[219]

On June 21, 2021, DeSantis signed into law House Bill 919, which prohibits local governments from placing bans or restrictions on any source of electricity. Several sizable cities in Florida at that time (Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, Dunedin, Largo, Satellite Beach, Gainesville, Sarasota, Safety Harbor and Miami Beach) were setting goals to get all their energy from renewable sources. The bill was described as similar to those in other states (Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arizona and Oklahoma) that passed laws preventing cities from banning natural gas hookups.[220][221] DeSantis also signed a bill incentivizing wildlife corridors.[222]

Voting rights and elections

edit

DeSantis expressed support for the Voting 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. 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."[223]

In June 2019, DeSantis signed a measure that would make it harder to launch successful ballot initiatives.[224][225][226] DeSantis instructed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to investigate whether Michael 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 the 2020 presidential election in Florida. No wrongdoing was found.[227]

In February 2021, DeSantis announced his support for several election law restrictions.[228][229][230][231] He called for eliminating ballot drop boxes and limiting voting 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).[232][233] On September 2, 2023, a state judge ruled a district map submitted by DeSantis to the Florida legislature, unconstitutional for diminishing the ability of Black voters to elect the candidate of their choice.[234]

Technology companies

edit

On February 2, 2021, DeSantis announced support for legislation to crack down on Big Tech and prevent alleged political censorship.[235][236]

In response to social media networks removing Trump from their platforms, DeSantis and other Florida Republicans pushed legislation in the Florida legislature to prohibit technology companies from de-platforming political candidates.[237] A federal judge blocked the law by preliminary injunction the day before it was to take effect, on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment and federal law.[238] When Twitter suspended DeSantis administration critic Rebekah Jones' account for violating rules against spam and platform manipulation, DeSantis's office applauded the decision, calling it "long overdue".[239][240]

DeSantis supported Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, believing it could offer a more supportive environment for conservative ideas.[241]

Capital punishment

edit
Main article: Capital punishment in Florida

As governor, DeSantis has overseen the executions of multiple inmates, all of them convicted murderers.[242][243][244] In 2022, DeSantis criticized the life sentence jurors imposed on the Parkland high school shooter, as opposed to the death penalty. In that case, nine jurors supported a death sentence, but three blocked it.[245] In April 2023, DeSantis signed a law (Senate Bill 450) that allows juries to impose a death sentence if at least eight of the 12 jurors agree.[246][247] In May 2023, DeSantis signed a law allowing those convicted of raping a child under 12 years old to receive the death penalty, defying and setting up a "challenge" to the Supreme Court decision Kennedy v. Louisiana.[248][249]

Gambling expansion

edit

In an effort in increase tax revenue for Florida, DeSantis reworked the gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in August 2021.[250] Under the provisions, expectations set a minimum of $2.5 billion in new revenue over five years and an estimated $6 billion through 2030. As the Seminole Tribe did not make revenue payments to Florida, it would begin with the expansion of land-based casino gambling and online sports betting. However, the compact spent over two years in courts with many lawsuits brought forth.[251] Requesting the dismissal of West Flagler’s writ of quo warranto petition in the Florida Supreme Court, DeSantis argued Florida online sports betting is not a violation of Amendment 3.[252]

Other issues

edit

On January 11, 2019, three days after taking office, DeSantis posthumously pardoned the Groveland Four, a group of black men falsely convicted of rape in 1949.[253][254] The same day,[255] he officially suspended Broward County sheriff Scott Israel, ostensibly for his responses to the mass shootings at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, appointing Gregory Tony to replace Israel.[256][257] After the 2020 Republican National Convention was pulled from its originally scheduled host city, Charlotte, DeSantis campaigned to have Florida be the new host state.[258] The main festivities of the RNC, including Trump's keynote speech, were relocated to Jacksonville.[259][260] Ultimately, the entire event was scrapped in favor of rallies online and on television because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[261]

On May 8, 2023, DeSantis signed bills SB 264 and HB 1355 banning Chinese citizens without green cards from buying land in the state. Critics have warned that the bills could contribute to discrimination against the Chinese and other immigrants. Democrat state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani voiced concerns about the impact on Asian Americans. Asian American organizations compared the bills to the Alien Land Laws and the Chinese Exclusion Act.[262][263]

On February 29, 2024, DeSantis signed the controversial transfer of convicted Miami murderer Enrico Forti to Italy following Biden's request.[264]

Debate with Gavin Newsom

edit

On November 30, 2023, DeSantis participated in a debate hosted by Fox News with California Governor Gavin Newsom over their two contrasting political positions and styles of governance. Topics discussed included response to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration, education, LGBT issues, and economic policy.[265]

Public opinion polling

edit

In a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey in March 2019, DeSantis received a 62 percent job approval rating from statewide voters, and a 24 percent disapproval rating in the same survey.[266] That survey also found that DeSantis had the support from 66 percent of white voters, 39 percent of black voters, and 41 percent from Democratic voters.[266] Another poll that same month conducted by Quinnipiac University found a slightly different result, showing DeSantis with a 59–17 percent (approval-disapproval) rating.[267] In June 2019, another poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found the governor's approval rating to be 55 percent,[268] and a Morning Consult poll found it to be 57 percent.[269] By the end of 2019, a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey showed that DeSantis' ratings remained high, with 65 percent approving and 26 percent disapproving.[267]

According to a January 2020 Saint Leo University poll, DeSantis began the year with his highest approval rating yet at 68 percent.[267] But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, his approval rating gradually declined during the summer and eventually bottomed out at 45 percent in late August.[270] In an October 2020 polling survey by Florida Atlantic University, the governor's ratings stood at 43 percent approving and 48 percent disapproving.[271]

DeSantis' approval ratings began recovering in early 2021. He began the year with a 45 percent approval rating,[272] but by March it had reached 53 percent,[273] and by May it had reached 55 percent in a Florida Commerce poll.[274] Amid a sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in August, DeSantis saw his ratings fall to 47 percent approving and 45 percent disapproving in a CBS News poll.[275] His ratings rebounded to 56 percent approving in an October 17–23 polling survey by Saint Leo University.[276] In February 2022, a poll conducted by the University of North Florida found that DeSantis was the most popular elected official in Florida, with a 58 percent approval rating.[277] The next month a Saint Leo University poll found that his approval rating had ticked up to 59 percent.[278] According to a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy survey, DeSantis had an approval rating of 55 percent going into the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election.[279] After his win, DeSantis garnered an approval rating of 59 percent according the same institute, with 39 percent disapproving.[279]

In late 2023, during his presidential campaign, opinion of DeSantis' governorship became considerably more divided, with Morning Consult and FAU surveys finding that his approval ratings were 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively.[280][281] In June 2024, a Fox News poll placed DeSantis's approval rating at 52 percent.[282]

References

edit
  1. ^ "DeSantis already governor when ceremony begins". Tampa Bay Times.
  2. ^ "DeSantis stacks conservative agenda; presidential run looms". AP NEWS. May 4, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ron DeSantis files paperwork to run for Governor of Florida". First Coast News News. January 5, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  4. ^ Farrington, Brendan (January 5, 2018). "Trump's tweeted choice for Florida governor enters the race". Associated Press News. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  5. ^ Mahoney, Emily (July 30, 2018). "New lighthearted Ron DeSantis ad features his family, Trump jokes". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Martin, Jonathan (July 30, 2018). "In Florida, Not All Politics Are Local, as Trump Shapes Governor's Race". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Andrew Gillum, a Black Progressive, and Ron DeSantis, a Trump Acolyte, Win Florida Governor Primaries". The New York Times. August 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "GOP Florida governor nominee Ron DeSantis criticized for "monkey" remark". CBS News. August 29, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018. The race between Gillum and DeSantis is widely seen as a toss-up.
  9. ^ Wilson, Kirby. "Florida governor election results: Andrew Gillum versus Ron DeSantis". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  10. ^ "Gillum reverses course on conceding Florida governor race". CNBC. November 10, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "With Florida recount over, Andrew Gillum's last chance to become governor rests with the courts". USA Today. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Nam, Rafael (November 15, 2018). "Florida Senate race heads to a hand recount". The Hill. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  13. ^ Dan Merica; Sophie Tatum (November 17, 2018). "Andrew Gillum concedes Florida governor's race to Ron DeSantis". CNN. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  14. ^ Contorno, Steve (November 8, 2021). "Florida Gov. DeSantis officially launches 2022 reelection bid". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Greenwood, Max (November 8, 2021). "DeSantis officially files paperwork for reelection bid". The Hill. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  16. ^ Miami Herald (via McClatchy), "Feds say $5,000 donation to Florida Gov. Crist is illegal". February 27, 2009 (accessed October 16, 2019)
  17. ^ Greenlee, Will (November 7, 2022). "Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist urges people to vote, criticizes incumbent in SLC". MSN. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  18. ^ Stone, Tyler (November 4, 2022). "Charlie Crist: I'm Pro-Democracy, DeSantis Is One Of The Biggest Threats To Democracy". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Anderson, Zac (November 9, 2022). "DeSantis strengthens potential presidential campaign with landslide reelection win". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Pengelly, Martin (November 9, 2022). "Ron DeSantis landslide victory brings Trump and 2024 into focus". The Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  21. ^ Mahoney, Emily L.; Peace, Lauren (November 8, 2022). "DeSantis wins second term as Florida governor, beating Crist in landslide". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Kennedy, John (November 9, 2022). "With GOP sweep, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he recast Florida's political map". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Barone, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Trump and Biden big losers, DeSantis big winner in 2022". Washington Examiner. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Man, Anthony; Dusenbury, Wells (November 10, 2022). "DeSantis-led red wave penetrates even once-blue Palm Beach County". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  25. ^ Lo, Dodds (November 8, 2022). "Charlie Crist drowned by Democrat groans as he concedes to Ron DeSantis in Florida". MSN. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  26. ^ Lo, Dodds (November 8, 2022). "DeSantis Delivers Victory Speech After Defeating Crist in Race For Florida Governor". MSN. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  27. ^ Djinis, Elizabeth (October 17, 2022). "DeSant-O-Meter: Dip in corporate income tax rate was only temporary". PolitiFact.
  28. ^ a b Halaschak, Zachary (May 10, 2023). "DeFlorida Blueprint: DeSantis's economic record as governor". Washington Examiner.
  29. ^ Wilson, Drew (June 22, 2019). "Ron DeSantis signs 2019-20 budget, issues $131 million in line-item vetoes". FloridaPolitics. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  30. ^ "Gov. DeSantis signs $91 billion state budget". WFLA-TV. June 21, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  31. ^ "Governor DeSantis Signs the Florida Leads State Budget". Flgov.com. June 2, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  32. ^ Dixon, Matt (April 30, 2021). "'Ron's regime': Florida Republicans give DeSantis what he wants". Politico. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  33. ^ Call, James (April 30, 2021). "It's over. Who won? Who lost? A look back at the 2021 Florida legislative session". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  34. ^ Smith, Allan; Caputo, Marc (June 1, 2022). "'Full-throttle': How the Florida Legislature is making Ron DeSantis a GOP juggernaut". NBC News. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Kemp, David; Edwards, Cris (October 5, 2020).Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors 2020 Cato Institute.
  36. ^ a b c "State unemployment rates over the last 10 years, seasonally adjusted". U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  37. ^ Buczyner, Michael; Sutton, Scott (May 22, 2020). "Florida unemployment rate skyrockets to 12.9%". WPTV. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  38. ^ "Florida unemployment rate jumps to 14.5%". Florida Politics. June 20, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  39. ^ Lane, Sylvan (August 5, 2020). "DeSantis blames Rick Scott for 'pointless roadblocks' in Florida unemployment system". The Hill.
  40. ^ Carollo, Malena; Mahoney, Emily L.; DiNatale, Sara (October 22, 2020). "Florida's economy has entered a 'partial recovery.' Here's how that's playing out". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  41. ^ Shaw, Derrick (December 30, 2020). "Gov. DeSantis extends unemployment waivers until Feb 27". WINK-TV. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  42. ^ "How Fast Florida's Economy is Growing". Florida Trend. February 13, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  43. ^ Moran, Danielle (July 7, 2022). "Florida Posts $21.8 Billion Budget Surplus, a State Record". Bloomberg.
  44. ^ Park, Clayton (November 22, 2021). "DeSantis visits Daytona Buc-ee's to announce proposal to waive Florida's gas tax". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  45. ^ Patrick, Craig (January 31, 2019). "Florida Gov. DeSantis signs executive order scrapping Common Core". Fox News (from WTVT). Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  46. ^ Beals, Monique (September 14, 2021). "DeSantis calls for end to standardized testing in Florida". The Hill. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  47. ^ a b Atterbury, Andrew (March 1, 2021). "DeSantis and Florida GOP target China after CPAC". Politico. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  48. ^ a b Rohrer, Gray (March 1, 2021). "DeSantis wants crackdown on China stealing trade secrets at Florida universities". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  49. ^ a b Downey, Renzo (March 1, 2021). "Gov. DeSantis unveils legislation to crackdown on Chinese influence". Florida Politics. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  50. ^ a b Farrington, Brendan (March 1, 2021). "Florida proposal would target foreign corporate espionage". Associated Press. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  51. ^ Atterbury, Andrew (June 7, 2021). "DeSantis joins GOP base in attacking China". Politico. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  52. ^ Atterbury, Andrew (June 7, 2021). "DeSantis joins GOP base in attacking China". Politico. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  53. ^ Atterbury, Andrew (July 24, 2023). "Florida and DeSantis dig in as criticism of Black history curriculum mounts". Politico. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  54. ^ Stern, Emily (July 22, 2023). "DeSantis takes shot at Trump during Utah campaign event, says GOP wave can happen with 'no distractions'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  55. ^ Postal, Leslie (June 10, 2021). "Florida board votes to ban critical race theory from state classrooms". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  56. ^ Samee Ali, Safia (June 10, 2021). "Florida Board of Education passes rule banning critical race theory in classrooms". NBC News. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  57. ^ Felice, William (March 6, 2023). "How Gov. DeSantis whitewashes American history". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  58. ^ Finn, Teaganne (December 15, 2021). "DeSantis pushes bill targeting critical race theory in schools". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  59. ^ Walsh, Susan (December 16, 2021). "Florida's DeSantis pitches 'Stop WOKE Act' – as in 'Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees' – to banish perceived influence of critical race theory from schools and workplaces". MarketWatch. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  60. ^ Migdon, Brooke (August 19, 2022). "What is DeSantis's 'Stop WOKE Act'?". The Hill. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  61. ^ "Florida's Governor Just Signed the 'Stop Woke Act.' Here's What It Means for Schools". Time. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  62. ^ "Judge blocks Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act' pushed by Gov. DeSantis". NBC News. Associated Press. August 19, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  63. ^ "VICTORY: After FIRE lawsuit, court halts enforcement of key provisions of the Stop WOKE Act limiting how Florida professors can teach about race, sex". Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. November 17, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  64. ^ a b c Wootson, Cleve R. Jr.; Stanley-Becker, Isaac; Rozsa, Lori; Dawsey, Josh (July 25, 2020). "Coronavirus ravaged Florida, as Ron DeSantis sidelined scientists and followed Trump". The Washington Post.
  65. ^ Krischer Goodman, Cindy (December 3, 2020). "Secrecy and spin: How Florida's governor misled the public on the COVID-19 pandemic". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  66. ^ "Florida and DeSantis Defy Covid-19 and the Critics". Bloomberg.com. May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  67. ^ Cetoute, Devoun (May 4, 2023). "As COVID begins its fourth year, here's how Florida fared in cases, deaths and vaccines". Miami Herald. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  68. ^ a b Woolfolk, John. "Why major study argues Florida's COVID death rate compares favorably to California's", 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."
  69. ^ "Florida's COVID-19 deaths are still among the highest in the nation". WUSF Public Media. October 14, 2021. Retrieved March 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.
  70. ^ Bollyky, Thomas et al. "Assessing COVID-19 pandemic policies and behaviours and their economic and educational trade-offs across US states from Jan 1, 2020, to July 31, 2022: an observational analysis", The Lancet (March 23, 2023).
  71. ^ Lewis, Helen (November 10, 2022). "DeSantis's COVID Gamble Paid Off: Florida's governor turned his coronavirus policies into a parable of American freedom". The Atlantic.
  72. ^ Dokoupil, Tony; Finn, Martin (November 3, 2022). "'This is a deeply emotional issue:' Florida Gov. DeSantis' handling of COVID-19 helped shape his reelection campaign". CBS News.
  73. ^ Gross, Samantha J (March 11, 2020). "Is there community spread of COVID-19 in Florida? DeSantis tries to clear it up". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  74. ^ "Coronavirus Update: Governor Ron DeSantis Calls For Major Disaster Declaration For Florida". MSN News. March 26, 2020.
  75. ^ "Gov. Ron DeSantis won't shut down Florida. Here's who he's talking to about that". Tampa Bay Times. March 25, 2020.
  76. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen; Contorno, Steve (April 1, 2020). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issues statewide stay-at-home order". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  77. ^ Kennedy, John; Anderson, Zac (June 17, 2020). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledges to keep state open, downplays rise in coronavirus cases". USA Today.
  78. ^ Filkins, Dexter (June 18, 2022). "Can Ron DeSantis Displace Donald Trump as the G.O.P.'s Combatant-in-Chief?". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 21, 2022. the Great Barrington Declaration...argued that many governments were doing more harm than good by shutting down economies and schools. The only practical approach, they said, would be to protect the most vulnerable—mainly by isolating the elderly—and allow everyone else to go about their lives until vaccines and herd immunity neutralized the disease....For DeSantis, who espouses a libertarian vision of small government and personal freedom, the ideas in the Great Barrington Declaration resonated..
  79. ^ Stanage, Niall (February 2, 2023). "DeSantis's record on COVID-19: Here's what he said and did". The Hill.
  80. ^ Rummler, Orion (June 30, 2020). "Florida is 'not going back' on reopening, governor says". Axios. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  81. ^ DeSantis, Ron (September 25, 2020). "2020-244 Executive Order re: Phase 3; Right to Work; Business Certainty; Suspension of Fines" (PDF). Governor of Florida.
  82. ^ Calvan, Bobby Caina (September 25, 2020). "Coronavirus: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reopening state's economy despite COVID-19 spread, bans mask fines". Associated Press.
  83. ^ "Florida governor extends order suspending COVID-19 related enforcement fines". WESH. November 24, 2020.
  84. ^ Avlon, John; Warren, Michael; Miller, Brandon (October 29, 2020). "Atlas push to 'slow the testing down' tracks with dramatic decline in one key state". CNN. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  85. ^ a b Klas, Mary Ellen (July 9, 2020). "Gov. Ron DeSantis doubles down on schools reopening full time in August". Tampa Bay Times.
  86. ^ a b Sachs, Sam (August 2022). "Floridians' life expectancy drops by 1.5 years, according to CDC". WFLA-TV.
  87. ^ a b Arias, Elizabeth; Xu, Jiaquan; Tejada-Vera, Betzaida; Murphy, Sherry L.; Bastian, Brigham (August 23, 2022). "U.S. State Life Tables, 2020" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 71 (2). Atlanta, Georgia: Division of Vital Statistics, Center for Disease Control: 1–18. PMID 36043888.
  88. ^ a b Montgomery, Ben (September 6, 2022). "How Florida's life expectancy declined in the pandemic". Axios Tampa Bay.
  89. ^ "Gov. DeSantis's job approval rating at 54%". Florida Politics. January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  90. ^ Fineout, Gary (February 1, 2021). "New poll reveals balancing act for DeSantis, Legislature – Publix heiress helped pay for Jan. 6 rally – Florida man Carl Hiassen retiring from Miami Herald". Politico. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  91. ^ "Poll: Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of the most popular governors in America". Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  92. ^ Wilner, Michael; Conarck, Ben; Nehamas, Nicholas (February 10, 2021). "White House looks at domestic travel restrictions as COVID mutation surges in Florida". McClatchy. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  93. ^ Montgomery, Ben; Felice, Selene San (February 12, 2021). "New talk of Florida travel restrictions by Biden administration stirs pot". Axios. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  94. ^ Kim, Noah Y. (February 12, 2021). "PolitiFact – No indication that Biden administration is planning to shut down the Florida border". Politifact. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  95. ^ Palma, Bethania (February 13, 2021). "No, Gov. DeSantis Didn't Tell Biden 'Go F— Yourself'". Snopes. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  96. ^ Kruse, Michael (March 18, 2021). "How Ron DeSantis won the pandemic". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  97. ^ a b Anderson, Zac (April 4, 2021). "'60 Minutes' segment on Florida's COVID vaccine rollout spotlights claims of DeSantis favoring wealthy". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  98. ^ Alfonsi, Sharyn (April 5, 2021). "How the wealthy cut the line during Florida's frenzied vaccine rollout". 60 Minutes.
  99. ^ Cillizza, Chris (April 6, 2021). "'60 Minutes' just gave Ron DeSantis a massive gift". CNNdate=April 6, 2021.
  100. ^ McPhillips, Deidre (April 1, 2021). "Extreme policies, average statistics raise questions around Florida's Covid-19 data". CNN. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  101. ^ Macias, Amanda (May 3, 2021). "Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions: 'We are no longer in a state of emergency'". CNBC. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  102. ^ "Governor DeSantis Signs Executive Order Eliminating and Superseding Local COVID-19 Mandates". The National Law Review. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  103. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (May 4, 2021). "DeSantis declares COVID 'state of emergency' over, overrides local restrictions". Miami Herald.
  104. ^ Mower, Lawrence; Ross, Allison (May 3, 2021). "DeSantis signs bill banning vaccine 'passports,' suspends local pandemic restrictions". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  105. ^ Call, James (May 3, 2021). "Florida Gov. DeSantis invalidates COVID rules statewide: No need to police people 'at this point'". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  106. ^ "Florida has more new Covid cases than ever before". NBC News. July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  107. ^ "'We're not doing that in Florida': DeSantis says no lockdowns, mask requirements for upcoming school year". WFLA-TV. July 23, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  108. ^ "DeSantis signs order withholding state funds from schools with mask mandates". WFLA. July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  109. ^ McDuffie, Will (August 21, 2021). "Florida gives school districts 48 hours to reverse mask mandates or lose funding". ABC News. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  110. ^ "Appeals court tosses Florida school mask case". Orlando Weekly. News Service of Florida. December 23, 2021.
  111. ^ Schneider, Mike (August 2, 2021). "Florida breaks record for COVID-19 hospitalizations". Associated Press. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  112. ^ a b c Jacobson, Louis; Valverde, Miriam (August 6, 2021). "Ron DeSantis' effort to blame COVID-19 spread on migrants is short on evidence". Politifact. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  113. ^ Weissert, Will; Farrington, Brendan (August 6, 2021). "DeSantis feuds with Biden White House as COVID cases rise". Associated Press. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  114. ^ a b Kessler, Glenn (August 6, 2021). "DeSantis's effort to blame Biden for the covid surge in Florida". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  115. ^ Weixel, Nathaniel (September 13, 2021). "DeSantis: Local governments will face $5K fines for imposing vaccine mandates". The Hill. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  116. ^ "Opinion | Ron DeSantis reaches a new low of cynicism and recklessness". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  117. ^ Lonas, Lexi (September 21, 2021). "DeSantis's new surgeon general opposes vaccine mandates". The Hill. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  118. ^ a b Cohen, Li (September 23, 2021). "Florida's new surgeon general opposes mandates, calls COVID-19 vaccines "nothing special"". CBS News. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  119. ^ Mower, Lawrence; Wilson, Kirby (September 21, 2021). "Florida's next surgeon general opposes mask, vaccine mandates". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  120. ^ a b Sarkissian, Arek (September 29, 2021). "How a doctor who questioned vaccine safety became DeSantis' surgeon general pick". Politico. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  121. ^ Salcedo, Andrea (October 25, 2021). "As some police fight vaccine rules, DeSantis says Florida will pay them $5,000 to relocate: 'We'll treat you better'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  122. ^ "4 times Florida's new surgeon general bucked the coronavirus consensus". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  123. ^ Contorno, Steve (November 18, 2021). "Florida set to become first state to fine businesses over vaccine mandates, in defiance of Biden administration". CNN. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  124. ^ "Gov. DeSantis signs 4 special session bills aiming to combat COVID-19 vaccine mandates". WTSP. November 18, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  125. ^ Vakil, Caroline (November 18, 2022). "DeSantis signs legislation limiting vaccine mandates in Florida". The Hill. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  126. ^ Izaguirre, Anthony (November 18, 2021). "Florida Gov DeSantis signs bill limiting vaccine mandates". Associated Press. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  127. ^ Etienne, Vanessa (June 21, 2022). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Maintains He's 'Not Going to Order' COVID Vaccines for Young Children". People. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  128. ^ Yang, Maya (January 21, 203). "Ron DeSantis moves to permanently ban Covid mandates in Florida". The Guardian. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  129. ^ "UPDATE 1-Florida joins states to ban transgender girls from sports". Reuters. June 1, 2021.
  130. ^ DeSantis, Ron [@GovRonDeSantis] (June 1, 2021). "The Fairness in Women's Sports Act will empower Florida women & girls to be able to compete on a level playing field. This will help ensure that opportunities for things like college scholarships will be protected for female athletes for years to come" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  131. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (March 28, 2022). "Florida's governor signs controversial law opponents dubbed 'Don't Say Gay'". NPR.
  132. ^ "Florida House passes controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill". ABC News. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  133. ^ Contorno, Steve (February 7, 2022). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signals support for 'Don't Say Gay' bill". CNN. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  134. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Historic Bill to Protect Parental Rights in Education". Florida Gov. March 28, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  135. ^ O'Connor, Lydia (March 28, 2022). "Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Into Law". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  136. ^ Goldstein, Dana (March 18, 2022). "Opponents Call It the 'Don't Say Gay' Bill. Here's What It Says". The New York Times. 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.
  137. ^ "Florida Is Doubling Down on Its 'Don't Say Gay' Laws". Time. March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  138. ^ "DeSantis to expand 'Don't Say Gay' law to all grades". Associated Press. March 22, 2023.
  139. ^ Alfonseca, Kiara (April 19, 2023). "So-called 'Don't Say Gay' rules expanded through 12th grade in Florida". ABC 7 New York. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  140. ^ Izaguirre, Anthony; Farrington, Brendan (April 19, 2023). "Florida expands 'Don't Say Gay'; House OKs anti-LGBTQ bills". Associated Press. 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.
  141. ^ Durkee, Alison (March 28, 2022). "Disney Says Striking Down 'Don't Say Gay' Law Is Company's 'Goal' After DeSantis Signs Bill". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  142. ^ Durke, Alison (April 1, 2022). "Here's How Florida Republicans Could Punish Disney For 'Don't Say Gay' Opposition". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  143. ^ Lemongello, Steven; Swisher, Syler (April 22, 2022). "DeSantis signs bill eliminating Walt Disney World's Reedy Creek district; Fitch warns of bond downgrade". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  144. ^ "A prison at Disney World? DeSantis says he'll reassert control over special Florida district". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  145. ^ Bradner, Eric; Contorno, Steve (April 26, 2023). "Disney sues DeSantis and oversight board after vote to nullify agreement with special taxing district". CNN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  146. ^ Duman, Breck (August 15, 2023). "DeSantis calls on Disney to drop lawsuit against him, warns company is 'going to lose'". nypost.com. NYP Holdings. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  147. ^ Murdock, Sebastian (August 15, 2023). "Ron DeSantis Wants Disney To 'Drop The Lawsuit' Because He's 'Moved On'". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  148. ^ Contorno, Steve; Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (July 21, 2023). "DeSantis calls for state investment manager to consider action against Bud Light's parent company". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  149. ^ Sykes, Stefan; Breuninger, Kevin (July 21, 2023). "DeSantis orders probe into Bud Light's deal with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney". CNBC. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  150. ^ "Advocates say Florida governor's 'sanctuary bill' politically motivated". NBC News. Associated Press. June 16, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  151. ^ "Florida Governor Signs Bill Banning Sanctuary Policies". Huffington Post. June 14, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  152. ^ Koh, Elizabeth (June 14, 2019). "Gov. DeSantis signs 'sanctuary cities' ban into law. There aren't any in Florida". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  153. ^ Shoichet, Catherine E. "Florida becomes 12th state to ban sanctuary cities". FOX Carolina. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  154. ^ Ceballos, Ana (June 30, 2020). "DeSantis (quietly) signs requirement for electronic verification of immigration status". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  155. ^ Caina Calvan, Bobby (July 1, 2020). "Without fanfare, Florida governor signs E-Verify legislation". Associated Press. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  156. ^ Lemongello, Steven (June 30, 2020). "DeSantis quietly signs abortion consent, E-Verify immigration laws". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  157. ^ Kennedy, John (March 12, 2020). "Legislature deals Gov. Ron DeSantis a setback on E-Verify". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  158. ^ Saunders, Jim. "Gov. DeSantis signs controversial bill targeting local illegal immigration", Yahoo News (May 10, 2023).
  159. ^ Fineout, Gary (September 28, 2021). "DeSantis opens new fight with Biden over immigration". Politico PRO. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  160. ^ "Venezuelans slam DeSantis after migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  161. ^ Porterfield, Carlie (September 20, 2022). ""Venezuelan Migrants Sue DeSantis For Flying Them To Martha's Vineyard 'Under False Pretenses'"". Forbes. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  162. ^ Sandoval, Edgar; Jordan, Miriam; Mazzei, Patricia; Goodman, J. David (October 4, 2022). "The Story Behind DeSantis's Migrant Flights to Martha's Vineyard". The New York Times.
  163. ^ "DeSantis to send Florida National Guard soldiers to Texas for border security", Associated Press (May 16, 2023).
  164. ^ Sivco, Katie (October 6, 2022). "Biden praises DeSantis' response to Hurricane Ian". WESH.com.
  165. ^ Contorno, Steve (October 8, 2022). "Democrats were already struggling in Florida. Then came Hurricane Ian". CNN.
  166. ^ Finch, Allison (October 3, 2022). "Florida faces grim reality: Hurricane Ian is deadliest storm in state since 1935". AccuWeather. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  167. ^ "Ron DeSantis has handled Hurricane Ian effectively". MSN. October 4, 2022.
  168. ^ "Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency for all of Florida as Tropical Storm Ian threatens the state". FOX 35. Orlando, Florida. September 24, 2022. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  169. ^ Egan, Lauren (October 5, 2022). "Biden meets with DeSantis while surveying Hurricane Ian damage in Florida". NBC.
  170. ^ "Biden, DeSantis deliver remarks after surveying Florida storm damage". Washington Post. October 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
  171. ^ Fineout, Gary (October 10, 2022). "Biden praises DeSantis over storm recovery efforts". Politico. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  172. ^ Salahieh, Nouran; Andone, Dakin (October 3, 2022). "Death toll from Hurricane Ian surpasses 100 as the search for survivors continues in Florida". CNN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  173. ^ "First Lady Casey DeSantis Announces Mental Resiliency Tools in Response to Hurricane Ian: Family Support Line and Partnership with BetterHelp". FLGov.com. October 18, 2022.
  174. ^ a b "DeSantis appoints third Supreme Court justice". News Service of Florida. January 22, 2019 – via Florida Times-Union.
  175. ^ Ovalle, David (January 9, 2019). "Miami's Barbara Lagoa is the next Florida Supreme Court justice". The Miami Herald.
  176. ^ "Gov. DeSantis names Robert Luck to Florida Supreme Court". 10NEWS. January 14, 2019.
  177. ^ Mower, Lawrence. "DeSantis is reshaping Florida's courts — with the Federalist Society's help", Tampa Bay Times (November 29, 2019).
  178. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
  179. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints John D. Couriel to the Florida Supreme Court" (Press release). May 26, 2020.
  180. ^ Thompson v. DeSantis, SC20-985 (Fla. Aug. 27, 2020), https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/content/download/643604/7309482/file/sc20-985.pdf Archived August 31, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
  181. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Judge Jamie Grosshans to the Florida Supreme Court".
  182. ^ "Justice Alan Lawson Announces His Retirement from the Florida Supreme Court".
  183. ^ Frazier, Francine (August 5, 2022). "Gov. DeSantis again appoints Judge Renatha Francis to Florida Supreme Court". WJXT. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  184. ^ "Justice Francis takes her seat on the Supreme Court", The Florida Bar News, Vol. 49, No. 10 (October 2022). p. 1.
  185. ^ "Justice Ricky Polston resigns from Florida Supreme Court after 14 years". Miami Herald. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  186. ^ Anderson, Zac (May 23, 2023). "DeSantis continues shifting Florida Supreme Court rightward with new appointment". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  187. ^ Mahoney, Emily (July 6, 2022). "Elections, lawsuits may shape how DeSantis 'will work to expand pro-life protections'". Miami Herald.
  188. ^ Fineout, Gary (June 30, 2022). "Florida's new abortion law halted as DeSantis vows to fight on". Politico. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  189. ^ Call, James. "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Mississippi-style abortion ban into law". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  190. ^ Contorno, Steve (April 14, 2022). "DeSantis signs Florida's 15-week abortion ban into law". CNN. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  191. ^ Larson, Erik (June 30, 2022). "Florida Judge Says He Will Block New Abortion Restriction". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  192. ^ Davis, Wynne (April 14, 2022). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks". NPR.
  193. ^ Chu, Andrea (July 5, 2022). "State's appeal nullifies Judge's temporary block of Florida's 15-week abortion ban". WTSP. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  194. ^ Dixon, Matt (January 23, 2023). "Florida Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to 15 week abortion law". Politico. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  195. ^ a b Chen, David W.; Mazzei, Patricia (March 7, 2023). "Florida Republicans Propose 6-Week Abortion Ban". The New York Times.
  196. ^ Resneck, Jack Jr. (June 24, 2022). "Ruling an egregious allowance of government intrusion into medicine".
  197. ^ "ACOG Statement on the Decision in Dobbs V. Jackson". June 24, 2022.
  198. ^ Szilagyi, Moira (June 24, 2022). "AAP Statement on Supreme Court Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization".
  199. ^ Grall, Erin. "A bill to be entitled An act relating to pregnancy and parenting support". Florida State Senate.
  200. ^ Varn, Kathryn (April 14, 2023). "DeSantis signs six-week abortion ban into law in private late-night ceremony". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  201. ^ Etienne, Vanessa (April 14, 2023). "Rape, Incest Victims Must Show Proof to Get Exception to Florida's New Abortion Ban". People. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  202. ^ a b Bennett, George (February 20, 2018). "Ron DeSantis: Enlist retired military, cops to prevent school shootings". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  203. ^ Mahoney, Emily (August 29, 2018). "Who is Ron DeSantis, the Republican running for Florida governor?". The Miami Herald. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  204. ^ Williams, Jordan (November 11, 2020). "DeSantis proposing 'anti-mob' legislation to expand Florida's 'stand your ground' law". The Hill. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  205. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs HB 543 – Constitutional Carry". flgov.com.
  206. ^ Volz, Brianna (May 5, 2021). "'We're funding the police and then some:' Gov. Ron DeSantis promises $1,000 checks for Florida's first responders". WKMG. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  207. ^ "Ron DeSantis unveils $5,000 signing bonus to draw police officers to Florida". The Independent. September 8, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  208. ^ Cardona, Alexi (April 20, 2021). "We Read DeSantis' 'Anti-Riot' Bill So You Don't Have to — Here's What It Says". Miami New Times.
  209. ^ Farrington, Brendan (April 19, 2021). "DeSantis signs Florida's anti-riot bill, cites Chauvin trial". Associated Press. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  210. ^ Ceballos, Ana (September 10, 2021). "Federal judge blocks key portion of anti-riot law, targets DeSantis and three sheriffs". Miami Herald.
  211. ^ "'We're funding the police': Gov. DeSantis announces $1,000 bonus for first responders". WESH. May 5, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  212. ^ "Gov. DeSantis proposes reestablishing Florida State Guard civilian volunteer force". News4JAX. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  213. ^ Prazan, Phil (December 10, 2021). "Gov. DeSantis Wants a Florida State Guard. Here's How They Work in Other States". WTVJ. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  214. ^ Schmitz, Ali (September 21, 2018). "Andrew Gillum, Ron DeSantis: Environmental records differ on climate change, algae blooms". TCPalm (Digital). Gannett. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  215. ^ Man, Anthony (September 12, 2018). "Ron DeSantis sells himself as environmentalist with 12-point plan and Everglades tour". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  216. ^ a b Speck, Emilee (January 10, 2019). "DeSantis commits $2.5 billion to restore Everglades, fight blue-green algae". WKMG-TV.
  217. ^ "Political Roundtable: Gov. DeSantis' Actions So Far, Tampa Mayoral Race Gets Crowded & More". Wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu.
  218. ^ "DeSantis Orders More Electric Vehicle Charging Stations On Florida Highways". WUSF. July 11, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  219. ^ Brown, Haley (June 17, 2021). "Gov. DeSantis signs law preempting gas station regulations". Florida Politics. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  220. ^ Taft, Molly (June 26, 2021). "Ron Desantis Signs a Bill That Mandates Cities Keep Using Fossil Fuels". Gizmodo. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  221. ^ Sachs, Sam (June 22, 2021). "Local Florida governments can't restrict 'dirty energy' usage under new law signed by DeSantis". WFLA. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  222. ^ Montgomery, Ben (July 1, 2021). "DeSantis signs rare Florida bipartisan environmental protection law". Axios. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  223. ^ CBS Miami (April 11, 2019). "Gov. DeSantis Directs Action On Spanish-Language Ballots". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022.
  224. ^ Mower, Lawrence. "Ron DeSantis signs crack down on constitutional amendments, solidifying Republican control in Florida". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  225. ^ "Ballot Initiatives Measure Goes To Florida Governor Ron Desantis". June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  226. ^ Saunders, Jim (June 9, 2019). "Orlando Area News: Gov. DeSantis signs HB5, 'eviscerating' the democratic process in Florida". Orlando Weekly. News Service of Florida.
  227. ^ Calvan, Bobby (May 5, 2021). "Florida inquiry clears Bloomberg over felons voting case". Associated Press.
  228. ^ Timm, Jane C. (February 19, 2021). "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for restrictive new voting laws". NBC News. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  229. ^ Swisher, Skyler; Man, Anthony (February 19, 2021). "Gov. DeSantis called Florida a model for election integrity. Now he's pushing voting changes that could help his reelection chances". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  230. ^ Downey, Renzo (February 20, 2021). "Ron DeSantis, Blaise Ingoglia announce proposal for sweeping changes to Florida election laws". Florida Politics. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  231. ^ Lemongello, Steven (February 19, 2021). "DeSantis proposes election restrictions despite smooth 2020 vote in Florida". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  232. ^ Riccardi, Nicholas; Calvan, Bobby Caina (February 19, 2021). "Florida is a model for voting. The GOP wants change anyway". Associated Press.
  233. ^ Contorno, Steve (April 13, 2021). "DeSantis wants voters' signatures to match. Would his pass the test?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  234. ^ "DeSantis Florida redistricting map is unconstitutional and must be redrawn, judge says". NPR.
  235. ^ "Gov. DeSantis announces legislation to crack down on big tech, online censorship". WTXL-TV. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  236. ^ Rohrer, Gray (February 2, 2021). "DeSantis vows to punish Big Tech for targeting conservatives". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  237. ^ Ingram, David; Kamisar, Ben (April 30, 2021). "In nod to Trump, Florida is set to ban 'deplatforming' on social media". NBC News. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  238. ^ Fung, Brian (July 1, 2021). "Federal judge blocks Florida law targeting social media platforms". CNN Business. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  239. ^ Thebault, Reis; Iati, Marisa (June 7, 2021). "DeSantis applauds fired whistleblower's Twitter suspension, the latest in an ongoing feud". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  240. ^ Shackford, Scott (June 8, 2021). "Ron DeSantis Is Celebrating Twitter's Ban of Rebekah Jones. His Own Big Tech Law Could Force Them To Replatform Her". Reason.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  241. ^ Contorno, Steve (May 24, 2023). "The DeSantis-Musk alliance was a year in the making | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  242. ^ "Florida executes Donald Dillbeck; first inmate to die since 2019". Kiro 7. February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  243. ^ "Florida executes 'ninja killer' over 1989 murders". The Straits Times. Singapore. April 13, 2023.
  244. ^ "Third Florida inmate, Darryl Barwick, will be executed today barring last-minute reprieve". Pensacola News Journal. May 3, 2023.
  245. ^ Allen, Greg (November 1, 2022). "Florida is poised to change the way it imposes the death sentence in trials". NPR. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  246. ^ "CS/CS/SB 450: Death Penalty". Florida Senate. April 20, 2023.
  247. ^ Cohen, Miles (April 20, 2023). "Gov. DeSantis signs controversial death penalty legislation". ABC News.
  248. ^ Soule, Douglas (May 3, 2023). "DeSantis signs law allowing death penalty for child rape, defying US Supreme Court ruling". MSN.
  249. ^ Nava, Victor (May 2, 2023). "Florida's Ron DeSantis signs bill allowing death penalty for child rapists". New York Post.
  250. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Approval of Historic Gaming Compact with Seminole Tribe of Florida". Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  251. ^ "Seminole Tribe relaunches Florida online sports betting amid lawsuits". Orlando Sentinel. November 7, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  252. ^ Kelley, Zachary (December 4, 2023). "Ron DeSantis Wants Florida Sports Betting Lawsuit Dismissed". LegalSportsBetting.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  253. ^ Wilson, Sarah (January 11, 2019). "Florida clemency board pardons Groveland Four 70 years later". WFTV 9 ABC. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  254. ^ Davis, Zuri (January 11, 2019). "70 Years After They Were Wrongly Imprisoned, the Groveland Four Have Been Pardoned". Reason.com. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  255. ^ DeSantis replaces Scott Israel, and names Broward's first African-American sheriff DeSantis replaces Scott Israel, and names Broward's first African-American sheriff, Miami Herald, Julie K. Brown, Martin Vassolo, January 11, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  256. ^ "State of Florida Office of the Governor Executive Order 19–14" (PDF). flgov.com. January 11, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  257. ^ J. Dudley Goodlette (September 24, 2019). Report and Recommendation of Special Master Archived 2022-12-07 at the Wayback Machine The Florida Senate.
  258. ^ Forgey, Quint (June 4, 2020). "DeSantis: 'We want to get to yes' on hosting RNC in Florida". Politico. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  259. ^ Shabad, Rebecca; Gregorian, Dareh (June 4, 2020). "Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida can host Republican National Convention". NBC News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  260. ^ Garrison, Joey; King, Ledyard (June 13, 2020). "Faced with coronavirus, Republican and Democratic leaders overhaul convention plans". USA Today. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  261. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Mazzei, Patricia; Karni, Annie (July 23, 2020). "Trump Abruptly Cancels Republican Convention in Florida: 'It's Not the Right Time'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  262. ^ Oladipo, Gloria (May 9, 2023). "DeSantis signs bills banning Chinese citizens from buying land in Florida". The Guardian.
  263. ^ "Bill banning Chinese from owning land in Florida passes in the House". May 6, 2023.
  264. ^ Fineout, Gary. "DeSantis OKs transfer of convicted murderer to Italy as Biden meets with Italian PM". Politico.
  265. ^ "Governors Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom to face off in unusual debate today - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  266. ^ a b Lemongello, Steven (April 5, 2019). "DeSantis gets high marks for performance, marijuana policy".
  267. ^ a b c Dockery, Paula (January 31, 2020). "Why DeSantis' poll numbers are sky-high". South Florida Sun Sentinel.
  268. ^ Mahoney, Emily L. (June 21, 2019). "Florida voters support minimum wage hike".
  269. ^ Swisher, Skyler (September 4, 2019). "Governor faces leadership test". South Florida Sun Sentinel.
  270. ^ Call, James (August 29, 2020). "DeSantis not seen or heard at GOP convention".
  271. ^ Fins, Antonio (October 15, 2020). "FAU poll: Biden leads Trump, DeSantis plummets".
  272. ^ "It remains this simple: Masks help". Port Charlotte Sun. December 31, 2020.
  273. ^ Anderson, Zac (March 3, 2021). "Poll shows big rebound in DeSantis' approval rating".
  274. ^ "Orlando Sentinel: Dems". Orlando Sentinel. May 31, 2021.
  275. ^ "Majority Of Floridians Disapprove Of Governor DeSantis' Response To COVID-19". CBS News. August 27, 2021.
  276. ^ Florida's Republican Gov. DeSantis' Job-Approval Stands at More than 56%, While His COVID Job Performance Marks Nearly as High in New Saint Leo University Survey. Saint Leo University
  277. ^ Eady, Aurielle (February 24, 2022). "Latest UNF poll shows Ron DeSantis leading in 2022 race for Florida governor".
  278. ^ DeSantis Job Approval at 58.8 Percent, March 30, 2022
  279. ^ a b Cooke, Charles (April 4, 2023) DeSantis's Approval Rating in Florida Is Four Points Higher Than It Was Before His Reelection. National Review
  280. ^ Palmer, Ewan (November 1, 2023) Ron DeSantis' Popularity Compared to Other Governors Is Abysmal. Newsweek
  281. ^ Molina, Daniel (November 17, 2023). DeSantis' Job Approval Sinks in new Florida Poll. The Floridian
  282. ^ Balara, Victoria (June 6, 2024). "Fox News Poll: Trump holds 4-point edge in Florida rematch as majority says conviction won't matter to vote". Fox News.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Governorship_of_Ron_DeSantis&oldid=1258921395"