Ron DeSantis
Along with up-to-date political coverage, The Floridian takes the opportunity to post about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the legislation he signs into law, and the political maneuvering he does around the state and country. Read more here!
OCHOPEE—Florida Sen. Joe Gruters knows that Gov. Ron DeSantis won't pick him to be the state's next chief financial officer, but he says that doesn't matter. Gruters, 48, believes that President Donald Trump's support is his "golden ticket" to the cabinet position in 2026, even though DeSantis plans to fill the vacant role with somebody […]
OCHOPEE—Miles from civilization in the heart of Florida’s swampland, President Donald Trump joined forces Tuesday with Gov. Ron DeSantis for the grand opening of “Alligator Alcatraz,” a controversial Everglades detention camp. The Florida powerhouses kicked off the event with a tour of the new migrant detention facility before sitting down for a roundtable discussion. Hosted […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed that President Donald Trump will attend the official opening of the new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility on Tuesday, marking the biggest Florida-federal alignment on illegal immigration to date. Trump will fly to Ochopee to join DeSantis at Alligator Alcatraz, the state's controversial new migrant detention facility in the Everglades, the Florida […]
Florida's new Senate Democratic Leader, Lori Berman, sent a Friday letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis comparing the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center to a "makeship prison camp" that may violate the U.S. Constitution. Berman, hastily elected to lead Senate Democrats in the hours after Sen. Jason Pizzo suddenly abandoned the role and quit the party, referred […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida will partner with five out-of-state university systems to create a new college accreditation board, challenging higher education’s “woke cartels.” DeSantis’s comments came at a Florida Atlantic University press conference, where he revealed his plans for the new Commission for Public Higher Education. He claimed that this new accreditor […]
TAMPA – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, (R-FL), signed SB 1620 and SB 168, two bills designed to bolster Florida’s Mental Healthcare capabilities. Gov. DeSantis said in a statement these pieces of legislation aim to “support Floridians overcoming mental health challenges and substance use disorders” and to turn Florida into the leading nation in “delivering meaningful […]
Despite backlash surrounding Florida's emerging "Alligator Alcatraz" migrant detention facility in the Everglades, Gov. Ron DeSantis already has his sights set on another center for captured non-citizens: Camp Blanding, the training base for the Florida National Guard. "We'll probably do something similar up at Camp Blanding, which is where our National Guard headquarters to train," […]
TALLAHASSEE—Days after Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a new law allowing the death penalty for child sex traffickers, Attorney General James Uthmeier coordinated a historic effort to rescue 60 missing kids from abuse. Uthmeier spoke to The Floridian in a phone interview about the two-week-long “Operation Dragon Eye,” the largest child recovery mission in the history […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis drew a new line in the sand on which beach areas Floridians can enjoy, repealing a controversial law with a new bill signed on Tuesday. At a press conference in Santa Rosa Beach, DeSantis publicly signed a repeal of a 2018 law limiting public access on beaches in Walton County, a small […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis greeted roughly 160 Americans evacuated from Israel on Friday, revealing that the rescue efforts were likely the "most challenging" the state's emergency response team has ever dealt with. DeSantis spoke at an early morning press conference at the Tampa airport Friday morning, just hours after the second evacuation flight out of Cyprus […]
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier hopes to convert an old Everglades airport into the "Alligator Alcatraz,” a new detention facility for captured migrants in the state illegally. Uthmeier posted a one-minute video to his social media account on Thursday, pitching "Alligator Alcatraz" as the state's sixth migrant detention facility in partnership with the federal Immigration […]
TALLAHASSEE—The Florida Legislature sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a severe new bill on Wednesday allowing Florida prosecutors to sentence human traffickers to death if they've exploited a young child or someone with mental disabilities. DeSantis already pledged at a press conference last week to sign the bill, SB 1804, into law. The measure, which takes effect […]
TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the eighth death warrant of 2025, tying the Florida record for most executions carried out in a year if all goes according to plan. DeSantis set Michael Bernard Bell's execution date for July 15, just weeks after rapist and murderer Thomas Gudinas is set to die on June 24. DeSantis quietly […]
TALLAHASSEE—Gov. Ron DeSantis arranged for four planes to evacuate to Tampa 1,500 young Jewish-Americans taking shelter in Cyprus, prompted by the burgeoning—and bloodying—six-day airstrike war between Israel and Iran. The 1,500 participants of a Birthright Israel trip fled to Lanarca, Cyprus from Israel on a 13-hour journey aboard the Crown Iris cruise ship on Tuesday, […]
TALLAHASSEE—An independent watchdog group dedicated to saving Florida tax dollars identified $416 million in the newly passed state budget that they believe Gov. Ron DeSantis should heavily scrutinize—and perhaps veto. Florida TaxWatch released its annual "Budget Turkey" list on Tuesday, a day after the Legislature finalized a $115.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year. […]
TALLAHASSEE—An hour before midnight on the 105th day of session, the Florida Legislature approved a $115.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year, putting the much-anticipated kibosh on a drawn-out standoff between Republican leaders. The near-unanimous vote across both chambers Monday night after 11 p.m. saved the Florida government from a partial shutdown, which would […]
A top Florida Republican in contention to be the next Lieutenant Governor has flown to Israel to help evacuate trapped Americans, prompted by the barrage of bombs exchanged between Israel and Iran in a rapid escalation of Middle Eastern tensions. Sen. Jay Collins, a former Green Beret representing parts of Tampa, announced Sunday that he […]
TALLAHASSEE—In anticipation of President Donald Trump's new plan to "phase out" the nation's disaster response agency, Florida Senators are scrambling to close future gaps with a last-minute budget item pushing millions into the state's volunteer military force. Senate budget chair Ed Hooper, a Republican, told reporters on Friday that he's worried about the Federal Emergency […]
