Ron DeSantis

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[[File:Ron DeSantis 2020 (cropped).jpg|thumb|165px|Meet the man even his fellow Floridians call "DeathSantis."]]{{uspolitics}}
{{cquote|At one school, "the kids began crying and writing letters to the principal, saying, 'Please don't take my books, please don't do this.'"|||Florida children reacting to the [[censorship|gutting of school and classroom libraries]] in response to DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" law<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/31/florida-hide-books-stop-woke-manatee-county-duval-county-desantis/ Hide your books to avoid felony charges, Fla. schools tell teachers] by Hannah Natanson (31 January 2023) ''Washington Post''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Trump has the charisma of a mortician and the energy that makes [[Jeb Bush]] look like an Olympian.|||Donald Trump, Jr., accidentally confusing his own father with DeSantis<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/26/donald-trump-jr-mix-up-desantis ‘Trump has the charisma of a mortician’: Donald Jr confuses dad with DeSantis] by Martin Pengelly (26 May 2023 08.17 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>}}
'''Ronald Dion "Meatball"<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-real-reason-trump-is-calling-desantis-meatball-ron The Real Reason Trump Is Calling DeSantis ‘Meatball Ron’] by Matt Lewis (Updated Feb. 20, 2023 5:05PM ET; Published Feb. 14, 2023 4:44AM ET) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref> DeSantis''' {{lived|1978}} is an American [[far-right]] [[Homophobia|homophobe]], [[Transphobia|transphobe]], and [[Woke|woke-obsessed]] [[fascist]]<ref>[https://theberkshireedge.com/ron-desantis-a-fascist-for-our-time/ Ron DeSantis: A fascist for our time] The Berkshire Edge</ref> currently serving as the 46th Governor of [[Florida]] since 2019, having beaten progressive [[Democrat]] Andrew Gillum ''after'' [[dogwhistling]] about him [[Racism|being a monkey]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/us/politics/desantis-monkey-up-gillum.html "DeSantis Warns Florida Not to ‘Monkey This Up,’ and Many Hear a Racist Dog Whistle"] by Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 2018 August 29</ref>

First elected to public office in just his 30s, DeSantis' meteoric rise in politics makes him a leading [[Republican]] in the post-[[2021 U.S. coup attempt]] era, with many fearing that he could seriously become [[President of the United States]] one day. 

Among his weaknesses regarding a presidential run were his abysmal social skills.{{efn|No judging, but it probably makes some difference when one is campaigning in rural Iowa, or trying to negotiate key donations/endorsements.}}<ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-desantiss-etiquette.html All of Ron DeSantis’s Crimes Against Good Etiquette] by Margaret Hartmann (May 16, 2023) ''New York Magazine''.</ref> The {{wpl|Florida Man}} has a tendency to ravenously devour food "like a starving animal who has never eaten before" during meetings and get it everywhere. In one incident, [[Poe's law|he dug into some chocolate pudding with three of his fingers]].<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-republican-2024-presidential-campaign-trail-is-already-getting-gov-ron-desantis-proofed "The GOP Campaign Trail Is Already Getting DeSantis-Proofed"] by Jake Lahut and Zachary Petrizzo (March 16, 2023) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref><ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/desantis-eating-pudding-with-his-fingers-will-end-2024-bid.html "Ron DeSantis Eating Pudding With His Fingers Will End His 2024 Bid"] by Margaret Hartmann (March 16, 2023) ''New York Magazine''.</ref> Additionally, for a major public figure who regularly speaks to large crowds, his voice is hilariously high-pitched and nasally{{efn|"A little squeaky." according to actor Dana Carvey, who made political impressions professionally.<ref>[https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3910424-dana-carvey-says-its-too-early-for-him-to-break-out-a-desantis-impression-you-keep-your-powder-dry/ Dana Carvey says it’s ‘too early’ for him to break out a DeSantis impression: ‘You keep your powder dry’] by Judy Kurtz (03/21/23 12:02 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref>}} to the point it can be difficult to even listen past it.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/09/ron-desantis-the-making-and-remaking-of-a-maga-heir Ron DeSantis: The Making and Remaking (and Remaking) of a MAGA Heir] by Gabriel Sherman (September 27, 2022) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref>

On May 24 2023, DeSantis filed the paperwork to run for the 2024 [[GOP]] presidential nomination, thus officially confirming his campaign.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/24/politics/ron-desantis-fec-filing-2024/index.html "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis files to run for president in 2024"] by Steve Contorno and David Wright, CNN, 2023 May 24</ref> True to form for someone with a reputation for being uncomfortable with meeting actual voters, instead of a traditional campaign rally, DeSantis' first campaign event after the filing was an interview on [[Twitter]] with plutocrats [[Elon Musk]] and {{wpl|David O. Sacks||,}}{{efn|Symbolic of Musk's ownership of Twitter, whose layoffs of large numbers of staff corresponded with multiple service outages and glitches, the livestream for the DeSantis interview crashed and had to be relaunched on Sacks' account 1/2 hour later, with ultimately only 250,000 users turning in. Musk was holding the interview on "Twitter Spaces", a product half-assed onto Twitter infrastructure using resources from {{wpl|Periscope (service)|Periscope}}, which Twitter bought in 2015. A former Twitter employee described Twitter Spaces as a "prototype... a beta test that never ended" that wasn't intended to handle Twitter scale traffic.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/24/tech/twitter-desantis-meltdown/index.html "Glitches, echoes and ‘melting the servers’ crash DeSantis’ campaign launch on Twitter"] by Samantha Delouya, Clare Duffy and Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 2023 May 24</ref>}} followed by a huddle with donors at the luxurious {{wpl|Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts}} in the Brickell district of Miami, [[Florida]].<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-elon-musk-presidential-bid-on-twitter-2023-5 "DeSantis to kick off presidential campaign on Twitter Spaces with billionaire Elon Musk before hitting conservative media circuit and heading to early voting states"] by Kimberly Leonard and Grace Kay, Business Insider, 2023 May 24</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/us/politics/desantis-elon-musk-twitter.html "DeSantis Set to Announce 2024 Run on Twitter With Elon Musk"] By Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman, Ryan Mac and Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 2023 May 23</ref> During the primary, he lost significant ground to Trump. With a predictably poor performance in the Iowa caucuses, DeSantis soon dropped out and endorsed Trump.<ref>https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-planning-drop-presidential-bid-sunday-rcna134953</ref>

==Early career==
===Guantanamo Bay "Service"===
[[File:ISN 00441, Abdul Rahman Ahmed.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Former Guantanamo inmate Mansur al-Dayfi alleged that Ron DeSantis watched him being [[torture]]d.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ron-desantis-guantanamo-torture-prisoner-b2300753.html Former Guantanamo prisoner: Ron DeSantis watched me being tortured] by Richard Hall (17 March 2023) ''The Independent''.</ref> DeSantis went on to become an advocate for the prison's continuation.]]
After obtaining a law degree from Harvard University in 2005, DeSantis enlisted in the Navy as {{wpl|United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps|JAG}} officer (legal advisor to the command). He was deployed to [[Guantanamo Bay]] in 2006. During his time there, he advised his command to force-feed the inmates who were on a hunger strike ("Hey, you actually can force-feed."); force feeding is regarded as [[torture]] by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Despite this, the [[Pentagon]] also approved force-feeding of the inmates.<ref name=kranish>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/19/ron-desantis-guantanamo-bay-force-feeding/ DeSantis’s pivotal service at Guantánamo during a violent year] by Michael Kranish (March 19, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

According to former-inmate Mansur Sayfi, who wrote about his experience at Guantanamo, "a male nurse forced that huge tube into my nose. No numbing spray. No lubricant. Raw rubber and metal sliced the inside of my nose and throat. Pain shot through my sinuses and I thought my head would explode."<ref>''Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo'' by Mansoor Adayfi (2021) Hachette Books. ISBN 0306923866.</ref> Adayfi later recognized DeSantis as he rose to political power and said that DeSantis was one of several people who were smiling at him while he was being tortured.<ref name=kranish/>

During an interview with [[Fox News]] in 2014, DeSantis falsely claimed that the high cost of maintaining the prisoners at Guantanamo was because, "They get three special [[halal]] meals a day. They get round-the-clock medical care, they get the [[Quran]]s when they want it. So they’re treated far better than they would be treated almost anywhere else. And that’s costly."<ref name=kranish/> These are in fact things that [[Muslim]] prisoners at US SuperMax prisons are entitled to due to the [[First Amendment]] ([[Freedom of religion]]),<ref name=kranish/> thus indicating DeSantis' [[Islamophobia]].

===Vanity publishing===
{{main|Vanity publishing}}
Following his discharge from active duty in the Navy in 2010, DeSantis published his first book with a vanity press (the appropriately-named for someone with a squeaky voice "High-Pitched Hum Publishing") in 2011, ''Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama''.<ref name=vanity>''Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama'' by Ron DeSantis (2011) High-Pitched Hum Publishing. ISBN 1934666807.</ref> The book was suppressed, presumably by himself, just prior to his running for president in 2023. The book can be found at only 12 libraries,<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/title/824511319?oclcNum=824511319 Dreams from our founding fathers : first principles in the age of Obama] ''WorldCat''.</ref> but it was reviewed by ''[[The Washington Post]]''. The Post described the book as essentially a [[troll]] of [[Barack Obama]]'s 1995 memoir, ''Dreams From My Father''.<ref name=brockell>[[https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2023/05/21/ron-desantis-book-founding-fathers/ Ron DeSantis’s context-free history book vanished online. We got a copy.] by Gillian Brockell (May 21, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> The book is essentially a festival of context-free cherry picking:<ref name=brockell/>
{{cquote|It would be impossible (or at least brain-meltingly boring) to run down every single quote in DeSantis’s book and see whether he gave it proper context. But, for those The Post reviewed, it can safely be said that he did not.|||Gillian Brockell}}

===Congress===
DeSantis was a founding member of the House [[Freedom Caucus]], a block of [[far-right]] [[conservatives]], [[libertarians]], [[nationalist]]s, [[xenophobe]]s, and [[conspiracy theorists]], most of whom supported [[Donald Trump]]. While DeSantis chose to run for Senate in 2015, he withdrew from the race after [[Marco Rubio]] chose to keep his Senate seat once he lost the Republican [[2016 U.S. presidential election|primary for president in 2016]]. DeSantis thought better than to face an incumbent and instead ran for reelection to the House.

In 2015, [[John Boehner]], a well-known obstructionist who helped [[Mitch McConnell]] ensure that Barack Obama got none of his agenda through, found himself clashing with DeSantis' Freedom Caucus, who saw Boehner as somehow too [[liberal]]. Eventually, the Freedom Caucus, spearheaded by DeSantis and future White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (under Trump), and backed by [[Ted Cruz]], ousted Boehner in favor of [[Paul Ryan]], who himself became a Trump toady shortly after the Orange Man won the primary.

By 2018, DeSantis had greater ambitions. [[Rick Scott]] was term-limited as governor, leaving the seat wide open. DeSantis, widely seen as the hardliner, won the primary and faced off against Andrew Gillum, an [[African American]] [[progressive]] [[Democrat]] who supported Medicare For All. DeSantis would win by less than 1 percent of the vote.

==Racism==
[[File:DeSantis SI.jpg|thumb|right|325px|DeSantis at a law enforcement rally in Staten Island, [[New York]], 2022]]
During his original campaign for governor, and to a lesser degree at other times, DeSantis has done many racist things, most notably telling his supporters not to "monkey this up" (referring to the election), by letting his opponent win.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/29/ron-desantis-racism-monkey-up-andrew-gillum-florida-governor-election Ron DeSantis tells Florida voters not to 'monkey this up' by choosing Gillum] by Joanna Walters (29 Aug 2018 13.03 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> When even [[Fox News]] pointed out the [[bigot]]ed nature of his statement, DeSantis doubled down, whining about "[[socialism]]".<ref>[https://www.rollcall.com/2018/08/30/floridas-ron-desantis-doubles-down-on-monkey-this-up-comment/ Florida’s Ron DeSantis Doubles Down on ‘Monkey This Up’ Comment]</ref> He also has engaged in other racist activities, such as moderating a racist [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]]-affiliated [[Facebook]] group.<ref>[https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/eight-times-ron-desantis-did-racist-stuff-by-accident-10687534 Jerry Ianelli, "Eight Times Ron DeSantis "Accidentally" Did Racist Stuff"]</ref> Unsurprisingly, racially-motivated voter suppression played a significant role in DeSantis' election.<ref>[https://archive.thinkprogress.org/gillum-abrams-pledge-to-fight-voter-disenfranchisement-in-florida-and-georgia-387038777087/ Mark Hand, "Gillum, Abrams pledge to fight voter disenfranchisement in Florida and Georgia"]</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20210429231546if_/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/think-iowa-was-a-mess-black-voters-deal-with-similar-chaos-all-the-time/2020/02/05/fa6f51f2-4890-11ea-9164-d3154ad8a5cd_story.html Andrew Gillum, "Think Iowa was a mess? Black voters deal with similar chaos all the time."]</ref>

===Gerrymandering to eliminate Black districts===
In March 2022, DeSantis threatened to veto any redistricting bill that did not eliminate half of all black-held seats in Florida.<ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/11/gov-desantis-muscles-florida-lawmakers-reduce-black-held-districts/6754218001 Hinting veto, DeSantis pressures lawmakers to reduce Black-held congressional districts] by John Kennedy (February 18, 2022) ''Tallahassee Democrat''.</ref> Even though Florida has officially banned [[gerrymandering]] due to a voter-approved constitutional amendment in 2010, the legislature still draws their own seats, so there still is no independent redistricting in the state. This has caused several flareups between lawmakers and the Florida Supreme Court, who struck down an obviously-gerrymandered map in 2015 before DeSantis stacked the court with his cronies.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/2015/12/5/9851152/florida-gerrymandering-ruling Florida's Supreme Court has struck another blow against gerrymandering] by Andrew Prokop (Dec 5, 2015, 9:30am EST) ''Vox''.</ref> By mid-March 2022, the Florida Republican Party passed maps for the state house and state senate seats, which do not need the governor's signature, but their map for Congressional seats must be signed by the governor, and DeSantis instead made his own proposal which gave Republicans 20 seats and Democrats only 8 seats. Even the far more [[right-wing]] Florida House of Representatives think that's ridiculous and illegal, but DeSantis refused to budge, hoping to turn the issue over to the Florida Supreme Court, which is now stacked with his justices. This was the only time Florida Republicans have ever substantially opposed DeSantis, and he was quite annoyed.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGbhU3YAZYw Republican Infighting Causes Crisis in Florida Map] (Mar 13, 2022) ''YouTube''. A video explaining the split between DeSantis and his own state party.</ref>

In April 2022, the Florida legislature gave up. They granted DeSantis the power to make his own redistricting map, giving the governor the power to gerrymander Democrats ''and'' Black-majority seats out of existence. His map has 20 Republican seats and only 8 Democratic seats, a partisan power-grab that was only possible because he eliminated Black-majority districts. He claimed Black-majority districts are themselves gerrymandered districts, yet said nothing about the White-majority districts that he himself drew. This meant that [[Bullshit|he thinks protections for minority voters are unlawful]], implying that he thinks that the white power structure in a former [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[slave]] state should never be challenged whatsoever. This sets a huge precedent where state legislatures, even those held by the same party as the governor, can simply be [[bullied]] into subservience by the governor. His sky-high popularity among Republican voters matches that of Trump, which is why elected Florida Republicans have been unwilling to challenge him on gerrymandering. Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson wanted to run for Agriculture Commissioner, and Republican insiders admitted to reporters that Simpson didn't want to anger DeSantis because Simpson thinks he needed the governor's endorsement to win. DeSantis' move did three things
#It shored up more Republican seats for Congress.
#It obviously gave him more personal power.
#It allowed him to possibly water down or ultimately revoke a 2010 amendment to the Florida constitution, overwhelmingly approved by voters, that set guardrails on the redistricting process and constitutionally banned gerrymandering on the basis of race.
DeSantis wanted the 6-1 right-wing supermajority on the Florida Supreme Court to officially strike down all guardrails against gerrymandering in Florida.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/14/politics/desantis-florida-redistricting-what-matters Ron DeSantis is drawing Democrats out of the equation in Florida] by Paul LeBlanc (5:56 PM EDT, April 14, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/desantis-draws-congressional-map-dramatically-expanding-gops-edge-flor-rcna24317 DeSantis draws congressional map that would dramatically expand GOP’s edge in Florida] by Jane C. Timm & Marc Caputo (April 13, 2022, 8:06 PM PDT) ''NBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/13/florida-legislature-governor-ron-desantis-redrawing-electoral-maps Florida Governor DeSantis given power to gerrymander state’s electoral maps] by Sam Levine (13 Apr 2022 02.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/04/12/dangerous-and-unprecedented-florida-gop-gives-desantis-power-draw-congressional-map Dangerous and Unprecedented: Florida GOP Gives DeSantis Power to Draw Congressional Map] by Jake Johnson (Apr 12, 2022) ''Common Dreams''.</ref> However, on May 11, 2022, the map was struck down in court by a right-wing judge whom he had appointed.<ref>[https://jaxtrib.org/2022/05/11/judge-strikes-down-part-of-florida-congressional-redistricting-map Judge strikes down part of Florida congressional redistricting map] by Andrew Pantazi (May 11, 2022) ''The Tributary''.</ref> The Florida Supreme Court ruled 4-to-1 however locking in the gerrymandered map.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/02/florida-redistricting-map-court-decision-00036740 Florida Supreme Court locks in DeSantis-backed redistricting map] by Gary Fineout (06/02/2022) ''Politico''.</ref>

==Governorship==
[[File:2018 Florida gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|thumb|right|250px|2018 Florida voters were 0.4% away from sparing themselves this madness.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/florida/governor/ Florida Governor Election Results 2018]. ''Politico.''</ref>]]
{{cquote|[DeSantis] is a terrible governor who is failing his leadership course with flying colors. Driven only by politics and naked ambition, he pursues reckless policies that divide Floridians and may even put them in danger.|||Ruben Navarrette Jr.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/desperate-deranged-ron-desantis-devolves-into-dumb-troll Desperate, Deranged DeSantis Devolves Into Dumb Troll] by Ruben Navarrette Jr. (Nov. 05, 2021 9:37AM) ''The Daily Beast''.</ref>}}

Despite 2018 being a Democratic-wave election, with the House going blue for the first time since 2008, Florida did not follow suit. It elected Rick Scott as Senator over Bill Nelson and chose DeSantis as governor over Gillum. This would prove to be one of the most damaging and consequential elections for Florida since 2000 because of what would happen a year later.

===Environment===
{{main|Environmentalism}}
In one of the few things on which he agreed with Gillum, DeSantis, who does not take money from Big Sugar monopolies, called himself a "[[Theodore Roosevelt|Teddy Roosevelt]] conservationist," saying he supports banning [[hydraulic fracturing]], along with making inspections of septic tanks mandatory and stricter.<ref>[https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/09/21/heres-where-ron-desantis-andrew-gillum-stand-environment/1294868002/ Andrew Gillum, Ron DeSantis: Environmental records differ on climate change, algae blooms] by Ali Schmitz (Sept. 21, 2018) ''TCPalm''.</ref> One of the key difference between DeSantis' governorship and the governorship of [[Rick Scott]] was that DeSantis actually addressed some environmental concerns in the beginning.<ref>[https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article230104349.html "Is Ron DeSantis really Florida’s green governor? We’re about to find out."] by David Smiley and Adriana Brasileiro, Miami Herald, 2019 June 3</ref>

But DeSantis is still a Republican, so he signed a bill banning local governments in Florida from requiring gas stations to add [[electric car]] charging stations.<ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/436416-gov-ron-desantis-signs-law-preempting-gas-station-regulations/ Gov. DeSantis signs law preempting gas station regulations] by Haley Brown (June 17, 2021) ''Florida Politics''.</ref> He later signed a bill that banned local governments and cities from restricting dirty energy, essentially mandating that cities keep [[fossil fuels]] despite health and environmental hazards.<ref>[https://gizmodo.com/ron-desantis-signs-a-bill-that-mandates-cities-keep-usi-1847176182 Ron Desantis Signs a Bill That Mandates Cities Keep Using Fossil Fuels] by Molly Taft (June 26, 2021) ''Gizmodo''.</ref><ref>[https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/local-florida-governments-cant-restrict-dirty-energy-usage-under-new-law-signed-by-desantis/ Local Florida governments can’t restrict ‘dirty energy’ usage under new law signed by DeSantis] by Sam Sachs (June 26, 2021) ''WFLA''.</ref>

In his crusade against so-called "[[woke]] corporations," DeSantis announced that he wants to prohibit state investments that use “environmental, social and governance” ratings, which can include taking into account impacts of [[climate change]]. ESG guidelines include companies’ climate-change vulnerabilities, carbon emissions, product safety, supply-chain labor standards, privacy and data security, and executive compensation.<ref>[https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2022/07/27/gov-desantis-takes-aim-at-ideological-investing-wants-esg-prohibitions/ Gov. DeSantis takes aim at ‘ideological’ investing, wants ESG prohibitions] by Jim Turner (July 27, 2022 at 1:51 PM) ''News 4 Jax''.</ref>

In June 2023, he signed a bill to experiment with paving Florida's roads using mildly radioactive waste (phosphogypsum, which contains [[radium]]-226 that decays into [[radon]]). A fertilizer company, Mosaic, [[Lobbying|lobbied]] for the bill. Mosaic would of course be happy to sell the state the radioactive waste it needed.<ref>Max Chesnes (June 29, 2023). [https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2023/06/29/desantis-signs-controversial-radioactive-roads-bill-lobbied-by-fertilizer-giant-mosaic/ "DeSantis signs controversial 'radioactive roads' bill lobbied by fertilizer giant Mosaic"]. ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>Olafimihan Oshin (June 29, 2023). [https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/4075140-desantis-signs-bill-allowing-new-roads-to-be-built-with-mining-waste-linked-to-cancer/ "DeSantis signs bill allowing new roads to be built with mining waste linked to cancer"]. ''The Hill''.</ref> Quite a bit of concern has been raised about this due to [[radiophobia]], but substantial amounts of phosphogypsum have been used in roadbed and parking lot construction beginning before 1990.<ref name=usepa>[https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-07/documents/0000055v.pdf ''Potential Uses of Phosphogypsum and Associated Risks: Background Information Document''] (May 1992) ''United States Environmental Protection Agency''.</ref>{{rp|3-4 to 3-5}} Estimated cancer risks to workers applying or removing phosphogypsum road beds are low (in the 10<sup>-5</sup> to 10<sup>-6</sup>)<ref name=usepa/>{{rp|4-26 to 4-35}} as worker risks go (10<sup>-4</sup> is usually used as a cutoff for unacceptable worker risks in the US).<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cancer/policy.html Current Intelligence Bulletin 68: NIOSH Chemical Carcinogen Policy] (2016) ''The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention''.</ref> Driver risks would be expected to be far lower since the roadbeds are sealed when completed to reduce radon releases, and most drivers do not spend 8 hours/day on phosphogypsum-based roads. The consequences of ''not'' finding uses for phosphogypsum are substantial since phosphogypsum is often stored in enormous sealed "stacks" that can fail and release enormous amounts into the environment.<ref>[https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/imminent-failure-of-phosphogypsum-stack-in-tampa-bay-exposes-phosphate-industry-risks-2021-04-03/ Imminent Failure of Phosphogypsum Stack in Tampa Bay Exposes Phosphate Industry Risks: Catastrophic Wastewater Release Highlights Need for Federal Action] (April 3, 2021) ''Center for Biological Diversity''.</ref>

As DeSantis turned toward national politics, he largely sidelined much of his early (if sometimes confusing and hypocritical)<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/28/ron-desantis-florida-environment-00099085 "How Ron DeSantis shaped Florida’s environment"] by Bruce Ritchie, Politico, 2023 May 28</ref> pro-environment stances, and instead directed much of his entire focus on being "anti-[[woke]]".<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/28/ron-desantis-climate-crisis-campaign "DeSantis accused of ‘catastrophic’ climate approach after campaign launch"] by Oliver Milman, Guardian, 2023 May 28</ref> This failure to address environmental concerns especially hit homeowners hard. During DeSantis' term, Florida homeowners began suffering from a home insurance crisis. While DeSantis and many other Republicans regularly engaged in {{sl|climate change denialism}}, home insurance companies had been looking at the science and had long recognized that Florida was especially at risk from climate change, due to flooding because of rising sea levels and other factors, as well as increasingly powerful hurricanes fueled by warmer ocean waters.<ref>[https://www.bu.edu/rbfl/2023/05/17/floridas-climate-fueled-insurance-crisis/ "Florida’s Climate-Fueled Insurance Crisis"] by Jack Sanner, Review of Banking and Financial Law, Boston University School of Law, 2023 May 17</ref> Such naturally fueled rising insurance rates. While the home insurance market had been unstable in Florida since the 1990s, under DeSantis' governorship, the market grew even more volatile, with premiums doubling between 2019 and 2023, more than a dozen insurers becoming insolvent, and other insurers pulling out of Florida entirely.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/floridas-insurance-crisis-haunting-ron-desantis-campaign/story?id=101774432 "How Florida's insurance crisis is haunting Ron DeSantis' campaign"] by Laura Gersony, ABC News, 2023 July 31</ref> While DeSantis and the Florida legislature did take a few tepid steps to address minor insurance industry issues such as tort reform, DeSantis far preferred to waste legislative time talking about "[[woke]]" drag shows instead of articulating a comprehensive blueprint for addressing the home insurance crisis.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/07/13/another-insurer-is-leaving-florida-how-much-is-desantis-blame/ "More insurers leave Florida. How much is DeSantis to blame?"] by Jay Cridlin, Tampa Bay Times, 2023 July 13</ref>

===Healthcare===
Continuing the policy of [[Rick Scott]], DeSantis has refused federal money offered under the [[Affordable Care Act]] that could easily be used to expand [[Medicaid]] coverage for about a million poor Floridians. As of May 2023, this made Florida one of just ten states that continually reject the offer.<ref name="OSHealthAdvocates"/><ref>Gray Rohrer (March 17, 2021). [https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2021/03/17/florida-unlikely-to-expand-medicaid-for-800000-residents-despite-offer-of-more-federal-money/ "Florida unlikely to expand Medicaid for 800,000 residents, despite offer of more federal money"]. ''The Orlando Sentinel''.</ref><ref>Greg Allen (March 15, 2023). [https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1163617435/florida-is-1-of-11-states-declining-to-accept-federal-money-to-expand-medicaid "Florida is 1 of 11 states declining to accept federal money to expand Medicaid"]. ''Morning Edition''. NPR.</ref> Following the legal end of the COVID-19 federal public emergency, Congress's requirement that states don't boot certain people off of Medicaid expired. DeSantis could have acted to preserve healthcare coverage for said people, but failed to act.<ref>Pema Levy (April 17, 2023). [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/04/ron-desantis-medicaid-expansion/ "DeSantis Has Lots of Plans to Fight the Left—and None to Preserve Millions of Floridians’ Health Care"]. ''Mother Jones''.</ref> Actually, that's not quite true. He signed a bill expanding the ability of "insurance companies, nurses, pharmacists, hospitals, ambulances, and more" to deny patients treatment.<ref>Tori Otten (May 11, 2023). [https://newrepublic.com/post/172667/its-now-legal-florida-doctors-deny-health-care-anyone-feel-like "It's Now Legal in Florida for Doctors to Deny Health Care to Anyone If They Feel Like It"]. ''The New Republic''.</ref>

As a result of his inaction regarding Medicaid coverage, over 200,000 Floridians who were eligible for coverage lost theirs. Health advocates begged him to act, but by then, he was evidently too focused on his presidential campaign to notice.<ref name="OSHealthAdvocates">Caroline Catherman (May 23, 2023). [https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/05/23/health-advocacy-groups-desantis-medicaid-purge/ " Health advocacy groups ask Gov. DeSantis to pause Medicaid purge"]. ''The Orlando Sentinel''.</ref><ref>Jonathan Cohn (June 4, 2023). [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-floridians-losing-medicaid-coverage_n_647a5010e4b045ce2488aa46 "As Ron DeSantis Barnstorms New Hampshire, Thousands Of Floridians Lose Health Insurance"]. ''HuffPost''.</ref> ''The Los Angeles Times'' writes that Florida is one of the least-insured states in the country, and remarks that DeSantis could bring this status to the rest of the nation if his vision to "Make America Florida" came to fruition.<ref>Noah Bierman (May 22, 2023). [https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-05-22/florida-desantis-california-insurance-obamacare "DeSantis wants to 'make America Florida.' That could mean many more uninsured "]. ''The Los Angeles Times''.</ref>

===Stacking the Florida Supreme Court===
Due to Florida (surprisingly sensibly) prohibiting justices from serving past age 75 (originally 70, before DeSantis took power), all of the justices appointed by Lawton Chiles, the last Democratic governor,<ref group=note>Buddy MacKay, Chiles' lieutenant governor lost the election to [[Jeb Bush]] but Chiles unexpectedly died in office a month before Bush's inauguration. MacKay then became the governor of Florida for the remaining month of Chiles' term, instantaneously becoming a lame duck governorship.</ref> were essentially term-limited. DeSantis appointed Barbara Lagoa, Robert J. Luck, and Carlos G. Muñiz to the Florida Supreme Court, shifting the court's majority from liberal to conservative. Luck and Lagoa were appointed by Trump to the Court of Appeals, allowing DeSantis to then appoint Jamie Grosshans and John D. Curiel as their replacements. That is five different justices for DeSantis, in contrast to his predecessor Rick Scott's one.

===More guns===
{{main|Gun nut}}
Despite Floridians supporting gun control measures by wide margins (bans on assault rifles, background checks, and raising the minimum age of purchase from 18 to 21),<ref>[https://business.fau.edu/departments/economics/business-economics-polling/bepi-polls/bepi-polls-2018/florida-voters-want-background-checks-and-to-raise-age-on-gun-purchasers.php Florida Voters want Background Checks and to Raise Age on Gun Purchasers] (2018 Polls) ''Florida Atlantic University''.</ref><ref>[https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/departments/public-affairs/documents/news-items/spa-florida-policy-summer-survey-results-2022.pdf Florida Policy Survey] (July 12, 2022) ''University of South Florida''. Page 2.</ref> DeSantis signed a law that eliminated background checks and safety training for gun ownership.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/11/ron-desantis-florida-gun-control-permitless-carry  ‘People will die’: why is Ron DeSantis loosening gun laws that most Floridians support?] by Joan E Greve (11 Apr 2023 06.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

Knowing of the unpopularity of the bill, DeSantis unusually signed the bill in private in April 2023.<ref>[https://www.wptv.com/news/political/gov-ron-desantis-signs-permitless-carry-into-law-during-private-ceremony Gov. Ron DeSantis signs permitless carry into law during private ceremony] by  Scott Sutton (12:32 PM, Apr 03, 2023) ''WPTV''.</ref> DeSantis normally has signed bills in media-focused ceremonies with people — especially chidren — standing behind him as props. [[Hypocritically]], DeSantis wanted to ban guns from his own election night party in November 2022 but to not to be blamed for doing so.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/10/desantis-campaign-emails-gun-free-event/ DeSantis wanted to ban guns at event, but not to be blamed, emails show] by Beth Reinhard (February 10, 2023 at 12:26 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

In May 2023, the [[NAACP]] (along with several other civil rights groups) issued a "travel advisory" due to DeSantis' "anti-[[woke]]" education efforts and other systemic [[racism]], as well as the state's loose gun laws. The NAACP warned that as a result, "Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals".<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/naacp-warns-people-color-traveling-florida-rcna85478 "NAACP issues travel advisory for Florida over DeSantis' 'aggressive attempts to erase Black history'"] by Summer Concepcion, NBC News, 2023 May 21</ref><ref>[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/desantis-booed-at-vigil-for-jacksonville-shooting-victims "DeSantis booed at vigil for Jacksonville shooting victims"], PBS, 2023 August 29</ref> In early June 2023, DeSantis somewhat incoherently fired back at the NAACP by evoking a bit of the [[black brute]] stereotype, stating that "if you’re in Baltimore or Chicago, these kids have a better chance of getting shot than getting a first-class education".<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-fires-back-naacp-travel-advisory-education-shootings-rcna87311 "Ron DeSantis fires back at NAACP over travel advisory, education and shootings"] by Jonathan Allen, NBC News, 2023 June 1</ref> Underscoring the problems with both the state's laissez-faire gun policy and DeSantis' blatant racism, on August 26 2023, the {{wpl|2023 Jacksonville shooting}} occurred, where a racist white gunman (who, in 2017, was briefly detained for a mental health crisis)<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66633186 "Jacksonville gunman who shot three dead left racist messages - police"] by Antoinette Radford, BBC News, 2023 August 28</ref> killed three black people at a {{wpl|Dollar General}} store before killing himself.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/28/us/jacksonville-florida-shooting-what-we-know/index.html "A federal hate crime probe is underway after 3 people were killed in a racist rampage in Jacksonville, officials say. Here’s what we know"] by Nouran Salahieh, Sara Smart and Holly Yan, CNN, 2023 August 28</ref> Small wonder that when DeSantis showed up unannounced at a prayer vigil for the three victims, he was loudly booed.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/27/us/jacksonville-shooting-dollar-general.html "What to Know About the Jacksonville Shooting"] by Livia Albeck-Ripka, Anna Betts, Orlando Mayorquin, Nichole Manna and Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 2023 August 27</ref>

===Authoritarianism===
[[File:Florida National Guard welcomes new adjutant general 190406-Z-IC953-1003.jpg|thumb|right|325px|DeSantis rides around with the Florida National Guard in 2019.]]
{{main|Authoritarianism}}
Starting in 2020, DeSantis became increasingly [[autocratic]] and dangerously authoritarian, using his power as governor to crush as many people as possible to shore up support from his base and weaken the opposition as much as possible. He is one of many, many, ''many'' Republican governors who followed [[Donald Trump]]'s [[Authoritarianism of Donald Trump|authoritarianism]] with their own and is by far the most successful, more than Trump even.

====Punishing people for having different political beliefs====
In July 2022, DeSantis signed a law requiring students and faculty be asked their political beliefs. DeSantis suggested budget cuts could be "imminent" if universities and colleges are found to be 'indoctrinating' students with political beliefs he disagrees with.<ref>[https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/559881-florida-gov-signs-law-requiring-students-and-faculty-be/ Florida Gov signs law requiring students, faculty be asked their political beliefs] by Joseph Guzman | (June 23, 2021) ''The Hill''.</ref> The political survey has been derided for its lack of transparency, particularly its lack of details on its privacy protections; based on the bill's language, survey responses will not be anonymous, sparking worries among many professors and other university staff that they may be targeted, held back in their careers, or even fired for their beliefs.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/desantis-signs-bill-requiring-florida-students-professors-to-register-political-views-with-state/ DeSantis signs bill requiring survey of Florida students, professors on their political views] by Brett Bachman (Published June 23, 2021 8:02PM EDT;
Updated December 5, 2022 10:22AM EDT) ''Salon''.</ref>

====Criminalizing protesters====
On April 2021, DeSantis signed a law that "increases penalties for protesters who block roadways or deface public monuments"; creates a new [[crime]], "mob intimidation"; and requires that anyone arrested at a protest be "denied bail until their first court appearance, likely making for overnight jail stays." He bragged about the law, calling it the "strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement law in the country."<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2021/04/19/988791175/florida-adopts-nations-toughest-restrictions-on-protests Florida Adopts Nation's Toughest Restrictions On Protests] by Greg Allen (April 19, 20212:19 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

In the wake of the [[US Supreme Court]]'s decision to overturn ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', people began protesting outside the homes of [[Brett Kavanaugh]] and [[Samuel Alito]]. DeSantis didn't like that, so he signed a law that banned protests outside private homes, a transparent way to protect the powerful and prevent people from protesting near his own house.<ref>[https://www.axios.com/2022/05/16/florida-desantis-protests-roe-homes DeSantis signs law banning protests outside private homes] by Herb Scribner (May 16, 2022) ''Axios''.</ref>

=====Allowing protesters to be murdered=====
In November 2020, DeSantis proposed a bill that would allow gun-owning residents to use deadly force on individuals they believe are looting; basically state-sponsored murder of protesters and rioters for alleged property crime. It would also make blocking traffic during a protest a third-degree felony and impose criminal penalties for partaking in "violent or disorderly assemblies."<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/525453-desantis-proposing-anti-mob-legislation-to-expand-floridas-stand-your DeSantis proposing 'anti-mob' legislation to expand Florida's 'stand your ground' law] by Jordan Williams (11/11/20 9:13 AM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref> Worse, he has granted civil immunity to people who run over protesters, reasoning that it is like fleeing a mob.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/ron-desantis-anti-riot-bill Florida’s Trump-Loving Governor Just Made It OK to Hit Protesters With Your Car: Ron DeSantis apparently has a problem with the constitutionally enshrined right to assemble.] by Bess Levin (April 19, 2021) ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> To anyone who may think that they're living in a [[dystopia]], the [[First Amendment]] of the [[US Constitution]] theoretically still protects freedom of assembly.

====Anti-woke "education"====
[[File:State of state-1684.jpg|thumb|right|350px|DeSantis delivers his 2019 State of the State address.]]

{{cquote|[[1984|"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen]]," and the powers in charge of Florida's public university system have declared the State has unfettered authority to [[censorship|muzzle its professors]] in the name of "freedom." To confront certain viewpoints that offend the powers that be, the State of Florida passed the so-called "Stop W.O.K.E." Act in 2022—redubbed (in line with the State's doublespeak) the "Individual Freedom Act." The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints. Defendants argue that, under this Act, professors enjoy "academic freedom" so long as they express only those viewpoints of which the State approves. This is positively dystopian. It should go without saying that "[i]f [[liberty]] means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."|||Chief Judge {{wpl|Mark E. Walker||,}} November 18 2022, in an injunction temporarily blocking a portion of DeSantis's "anti-woke" legislation<ref>[https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/novoa-v-diaz-order-granting-motion-preliminary-injunction Novoa v. Diaz — Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Injunction], Case 4:22-cv-00324-MW-MAF, Filed 11/17/22 at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/17/florida-anti-woke-law-block-colleges-education-00069252 ‘Positively dystopian’: Florida judge blocks DeSantis’ anti-woke law for colleges] by Andrew Atterbury (2022 November 17) ''Politico''.</ref>}}

As part of his ongoing scheme to indoctrinate the next generation with [[reactionary]] [[bullshit]], DeSantis signed laws to restrict how schools teach topics linked to race and [[sexual orientation]]. The bill allows parents to sue teachers and "challenge instructional materials" if they were offended at having to treat [[trans people]] with basic human decency. [[Math]] textbooks have been "culled for traces of [[critical race theory]]", which makes as much sense as one might think it does. Schools for the first time will have to observe "Victims of Communism Day", during which high schoolers will be taught anti-communism lessons. Teachers and librarians have been worried that a parent will "complain if a student with two moms shares stories from home during class time." His administration told school districts to "ignore new guidance from the federal government intended to protect transgender students from discrimination." [[CNN]] reported that this was DeSantis jumping on an anti-teacher bandwagon that had been kickstarted by Virginia Governor {{wpl|Glenn Youngkin||,}} but as with everything else about DeSantis, he's even more extreme about it, namely by endorsing candidates who have vowed to support his education policy. A huge component of his strategy has been to tie himself to [[Moms for Liberty]], an [[astroturf]] far-right group that has mobilized far-right women around the country to "fight school boards over cultural touchstones", including curricula that they believe is "pushing a liberal agenda" or textbooks they say are "inappropriate for kids", with Orange County (home of Orlando) considering "limiting [[LGBTQ]] ally symbols like [[rainbow]] lanyards and "Safe Space" stickers."<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/13/politics/desantis-florida-schools-anti-woke-education-agenda/index.html Florida students return to schools reshaped by Gov. DeSantis' anti-'woke' education agenda] by Steve Contorno (9:02 AM EDT, Sat August 13, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/mad-moms-a-new-christian-nationalist-front-group-claims-to-champion-parental-involvement-in-public-education-critics-say-theres-a-more-nefarious-agenda-afoot/ Mad Moms: A New Christian Nationalist Front Group Claims To Champion Parental Involvement In Public Education. Critics Say There’s A More Nefarious Agenda Afoot] by Kathryn Joyce (Mar 29, 2023) ''Americans United for the Separation of Church and State''.</ref>

Instructors who are simply teaching facts about American [[history]], and its many unpleasant actions, are being [[Red-baiting|accused of Marxism]]. The Florida legislature is considering bills that "aim to prevent students from feeling discomfort, guilt or anguish about race", basically weaponizing white guilt to stop any discussions about race. Perhaps the worrying thing is this isn't a bunch of well-connected plutocrats trying to set up private schools that teach Ayn Rand, but a bunch of normal parents who think their kids are being taught lies and falsehoods about how awful their country really is, and they're making inroads throughout the state (and country) while opportunists like DeSantis reap the benefits. Thankfully, educators and activists pushed and pushed harshly enough to force Florida schools to teach historical events such as the {{wpl|Rosewood massacre|Rosewood}} and {{wpl|Ocoee massacre|Ocoee massacres}} written into the standards and onto state exams, and even the State Board of Education rule banning critical race theory "reiterates state law requiring instruction about slavery, the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction]], and the [[civil rights movement]]."<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2022/01/18/pinellas-teacher-accused-of-marxist-lessons-says-his-focus-is-us-history/?itm_source=parsely-api Pinellas teacher accused of Marxist lessons says his focus is U.S. history: Educators must stand firm amid anti-CRT politics that question their motives, Dunedin High teacher Brandt Robinson says.] by Jeffrey S. Solochek (Jan. 18, 2022) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref>

On [[African-American|Black]] history, DeSantis can be seen as a tangential advocate of the century old Southern [[pseudohistorical]] effort to engage in [[denialism]] over the importance of [[slavery]] and [[racism]] in American history, in a similar manner to previous whitewashing efforts by [[Lost Cause of the South]] architects like {{wpl|United Daughters of the Confederacy||.}}<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/made-by-history/2023/01/25/ap-african-american-history-florida/ "Florida’s rejection of an AP course is the latest salvo in a very old war"] by Bethany Ball, Washington Post, 2023 January 25</ref> While not as explicitly [[white supremacist]] as the UDC, DeSantis shares the same goal of whitewashing history by minimizing the impact of slavery and violent white supremacy in the history of the South. Reportedly during his teaching stint at {{wpl|Darlington School||,}} DeSantis minimized the importance of slavery as the top cause for the [[American Civil War]], instead describing the war as being about "two competing economic systems".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/05/us/desantis-high-school-teacher-georgia.html "Pranks, Parties and Politics: Ron DeSantis’s Year as a Schoolteacher"] by Frances Robles, New York Times, 2022 November 5</ref> DeSantis has also downplayed the role of slavery in the founding of the United States in a series of pseudohistorical comments in September 2022 that simultaneously also minimized pre-Revolutionary abolitionist efforts.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2023/03/04/how-gov-desantis-whitewashes-american-history-column/ "How Gov. DeSantis whitewashes American history"] by William F. Felice, Tampa Bay Times, 2023 March 6</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/historians-trash-ron-desantis-understanding-us-history-slavery-1746001 "Historians Trash DeSantis' Understanding of U.S. History—'Beyond Ignorance'"] by James Bickerton, Newsweek, 2022 September 24</ref> In January 2023, DeSantis successfully pressured the {{wpl|Advanced Placement}} board to strip out any mention of contemporary [[social justice]] movements, such as [[Black Lives Matter]] and writers and scholars associated with [[critical race theory]], in their African American studies course.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3839583-college-board-slammed-over-changes-to-african-american-studies-course/ "College Board slammed over changes to African American studies course"] by Cheyanne M. Daniels, Hill, 2023 February 1</ref> 

In July 2023, the Florida Board of Education approved a new African American studies curriculum standard with similar sorts of whitewashing. Among the lowlights were requirements that encouraged teachers to note that "slaves developed skills, which in some instance, could be applied for their personal benefit"; and that when learning about white supremacist [[terrorism]] in the [[Jim Crow]] era, students should be taught about "acts of violence perpetrated against ''and by'' African Americans", essentially attempting to advocate a [[balance fallacy]] on the subject.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/florida-african-american-studies-lgbtq-curriculum-change "Ron DeSantis's Florida Board of Education: Hey, What About the “Personal Benefit” of Being a Slave?"] by Eric Lutz, Vanity Fair, 2022 July 20</ref> Beyond the very problematic quotes, the alternate standards<ref>[https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20653/urlt/6-4.pdf "Florida’s State Academic Standards – Social Studies, 2023"], Florida Department of Education</ref> were criticized by historians and other commentators as a whitewashing attempt that erased the brutality of slavery in favor of an upbeat heroes-without-villains narrative.<ref>[https://weeklysift.com/2023/07/24/the-desantis-approved-version-of-american-racial-history/ "The DeSantis-approved version of American racial history"] by Doug Muder, Weekly Sift, 2023 July 24</ref><ref>[https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/columns/2023/07/26/helping-desantis-cast-slavery-as-upbeat-history-for-florida-students/70455652007/ "Helping DeSantis ease white-student discomfort: Top-10 advantages of slavery to slaves"] by Frank Cerabino, Palm Beach Post, 2023 July 26</ref> In order to present this positive narrative, the document contained many omissions and misdirections. For instance, [[whataboutism]] on United States slavery was advanced via a large section focusing on slavery around the globe.<ref>[https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-22-2023 "Letters from an American" blog], Heather Cox Richardson, 2023 July 23</ref> In contrast, much of the violent white supremacy of the [[Reconstruction]] and [[Jim Crow]] eras were considerably minimized, favoring a narrative during those periods that instead promoted famous [[African-Americans]].<ref name="taldesantisblackhistory">[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/education/2023/07/24/floridas-new-black-history-curriculum-slavery-kamala-harris-ron-desantis/70455510007/ "'Factual?' 'Lies?' What to know about Florida schools' new Black history standards"] by C.A. Bridges, Tallahassee Democrat / USA Today Network, 2023 July 24</ref> Names of famous abolitionists were included, but names of prominent segregationists and pro-slavery advocates were not.<ref name="taldesantisblackhistory"/> Florida's resistance to civil rights, such as the Florida Legislature passing a resolution against [[Brown v. Board of Education]], were not mentioned.<ref name="taldesantisblackhistory"/> Recent civil rights movements such as [[Black Lives Matter]] also were not mentioned.<ref name="taldesantisblackhistory"/> Political figures in the document were incredibly skewed towards [[conservative]] politicians.<ref>[https://kevinmkruse.substack.com/p/standard-issue?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2 "Standard Issue"] by Kevin M. Kruse, Campaign Trails blog, 2023 July 22</ref> ''Talking Points Memo'' founder {{wpl|Josh Marshall}} thought that, using this curriculum, it would be difficult for a student to know why the civil rights advances in the 1960s were necessary at all.<ref>[https://archive.ph/VHmdc "Lots of discussion of Floridas new African-American history curriculum, especially that line about slavery helping slaves develop skills which they might be able to use for their own benefit. Is that like representative? How is the curriculum as a whole? Well, I’ve read …"] by Josh Marshall, @joshtpm, Twitter, 2023 July 22, archived on 2023 July 26</ref> The overall document was seen as very consistent with previous Lost Cause attempts to whitewash away the built in white supremacy and the horrors of slavery in historical Southern culture.<ref>[https://www.nj.com/opinion/2023/07/crime-against-humanity-desantis-sees-the-upside-editorial.html "Crime against humanity? DeSantis sees the upside"] by the New Jersey Star Ledger Editorial board, 2023 July 26</ref><ref>[https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2023/Items/Jul26-2.html "Ron DeSantis... and the Lost Cause"], Electoral-Vote.com, 2023 July 26</ref>

Also in July 2023, [[PragerU]] announced that Florida became the first state to be allowed to use "PragerU Kids" material, with its clear [[conservative]] and [[nationalism]] bent, as "supplemental curriculum" in schools.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/right-wing-prageru-says-florida-is-first-state-to-permit-its-curriculum-in-schools "PragerU Says Florida Teachers Approved to Use Its Class ‘Curriculum’"] by Josh Fiallo, Daily Beast, 2023 July 24</ref>

All of this considerably affected Florida professor morale. In a 2024 survey from the {{wpl|American Association of University Professors||,}} nearly 40% of Florida professors had looked for jobs in other states — the highest share after [[Louisiana]]. More than any other state, the reasons Florida professors were seeking jobs elsewhere included a lack of academic freedom and the state's political climate. Half of the faculty also complained about DeSantis-initiated changes to [[DEI]] policies. 90% of respondents saw negative impact on recruiting talent to Florida universities (the highest among any state in the survey), and Florida professors were by far the least likely to recommend Florida institutions to out-of-state graduate students and faculty compared to other states in the survey.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2024/09/18/more-florida-faculty-still-looking-leave-state-survey-shows/ "More Florida faculty still looking to leave the state, survey shows"] by Ian Hodgson and Divya Kumar, Tampa Bay Times, 2024 September 18</ref>

====Limiting ballot initiatives and amendment referendums====
In Florida, despite often electing Republicans, voters typically vote in favor of progressive ballot initiatives, like restoring voting rights to non-violent felons. DeSantis, unhappy with popular [[democracy]], signed a bill that would make it harder to launch successful ballot initiatives. This happened right as Floridians were trying to put [[medical marijuana]] legalization, increases to the [[minimum wage]], and expansion of [[Medicaid]] on the ballot.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/06/07/ron-desantis-signs-crack-down-on-constitutional-amendments-solidifying-republican-control-in-florida Ron DeSantis signs crack down on constitutional amendments, solidifying Republican control in Florida] by Lawrence Mower (Published June 7, 2019; Updated June 8, 2019) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/gov-desantis-signs-hb5-eviscerating-the-democratic-process-in-florida/Content?oid=25447588 Gov. DeSantis signs HB5, 'eviscerating' the democratic process in Florida] by Jim Saunders (Jun 9, 2019 at 3:19 pm) ''Orlando Weekly''.</ref>

====Circumventing felons' voting rights====
When Floridians restored voting rights to non-violent felons, DeSantis signed a law that required felons to pay court fees and fines, which was not on the ballot initiative at all. This was done specifically to stop as many felons from voting as possible, as many do not have the money to pay for those fees.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/06/28/ron-desantis-signs-amendment-4-bill-limiting-felon-voting Ron DeSantis signs Amendment 4 bill, limiting felon voting] by Lawrence Mower (June 28, 2019) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/felon-voting-rights-ron-desantis-florida-govenor-signs-bill-restricting-felon-voting-rights Florida governor signs bill requiring felons to pay court fees and fines to be eligible to vote] (June 28, 2019 / 9:28 PM) ''CBS''.</ref> This "pay-to-vote" system was partially blocked by a district judge, who imposed a permanent injunction pending further judicial review.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/7/2/20677955/amendment-4-florida-felon-voting-rights-injunction-lawsuits-fines-fees A controversial Florida law stops some former felons from voting. A judge just blocked part of it] by P.R. Lockhart (Oct 19, 2019, 2:53pm EDT) ''Vox''.</ref> DeSantis, in a great moment of [[doublespeak]], said that allowing more people the right to vote would "corrupt" elections in Florida.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2020/06/19/desantis-urges-federal-court-to-put-felon-voting-rights-ruling-on-hold DeSantis urges federal court to put felon voting rights ruling on hold] by Dara Kam (June 19, 2020) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref> But the Eleventh Circuit reversed and vacated the injunction, with the circuit's chief judge using a law-and-order argument in favor of DeSantis. The Eleventh Circuit ruled 6-4 in favor of DeSantis, and two of the six judges were Luck and Lagoa, who had gotten their start as Florida Justices appointed by DeSantis.<ref>[https://harvardlawreview.org/2021/04/jones-v-governor-of-florida ''Jones v. Governor of Florida'': Eleventh Circuit Upholds Statute Limiting Constitutional Amendment on Felon Reenfranchisement.] ''Harvard Law Review'' 134:2291-2298.</ref> If you took away those two, the circuit likely would have ruled against him.

====Attacking abortion rights====
DeSantis signed bills on the same day requiring parental consent for a minor to get an [[abortion]] and another that mandates governments and some businesses use E-Verify to check the immigration status of their workers. This puts more control in parents' hands over their [[children]] and allows for the government and businesses to learn if workers are undocumented immigrants, which would potentially put their lives in danger of [[ICE]]. These are exemplary of how vital the Florida Supreme Court is to people's lives: they originally struck down a similar abortion consent bill in 1989 when they had a centrist-to-liberal majority at the time.<ref>[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-abortion-everify-laws-20200630-zdqe7wuimjd43g4udnbgrlrjiq-story.html DeSantis quietly signs abortion consent, E-Verify immigration laws] by Steven Lemongello (June 30, 2020) ''Orlando Sentinel''.</ref>

In April 2022, DeSantis signed a 15-week abortion ban without exemptions for [[rape]], [[incest]] or [[human trafficking]], the most restrictive in Florida's history. The only exceptions allowed are when a pregnancy is "serious risk" to the birthing parent or a "fatal fetal abnormality" is detected if two physicians confirm the diagnosis in writing.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/14/politics/desantis-signs-abortion-ban-florida/index.html DeSantis signs Florida's 15-week abortion ban into law] by Steve Contorno (April 14, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/1084485963/florida-abortion-law-15-weeks Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill banning abortions after 15 weeks] by Wynne Davis (April 14, 202212:25 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref><ref>[https://www.wesh.com/article/desantis-signs-15-week-abortion-ban/39726431 DeSantis signs 15-week abortion ban into law] by Marlei Martinez (4:13 PM EDT Apr 14, 2022) ''WESH''.</ref>

A year later, DeSantis signed a 6-week abortion ban. This time, it contained exceptions (until the 15-week point). However, the rape and incest exceptions only apply if a [[police]] report or restraining order exists.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ban-approved-c9c53311a0b2426adc4b8d0b463edad1 DeSantis signs Florida GOP's 6-week abortion ban into law] by Anthony Izaguirre (April 14, 2023) ''The Associated Press''.</ref><ref>[https://people.com/health/rape-incest-victims-must-show-proof-to-get-exception-to-floridas-new-abortion-ban Rape, Incest Victims Must Show Proof to Get Exception to Florida's New Abortion Ban] by Vanessa Etienne (April 14, 2023) ''People''.</ref> Advocates for rape victims were critical of this. Most rape cases are not reported to the police at all (even without a nine-week-long window).<ref>[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-florida-abortion-bill-rape-exception-20230309-xwyvkk5tm5aa3gdslvqrvkdtou-story.html Rape victims must show proof to get an exception under Florida’s 6-week abortion ban] by Skyler Swisher (March 10, 2023) ''The Orlando Sentinel''.</ref>

====Anti-immigration====
{{main|Undocumented immigration}}
Despite the Florida economy being heavily dependant on immigrant labor, with nearly a quarter of workers having been born overseas, DeSantis decided to make [[demonization]] of immigrants part of his gubernatorial record.<ref name=luscombe>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/14/ron-desantis-immigration-laws-florida ‘He feels unstoppable’: DeSantis plans to export his chilling immigration policies to the nation: Florida’s new catalog of hardline legislation may not grab headlines but signals demonization of immigrants is a top priority as governor prepares for White House run] by Richard Luscombe (14 Apr 2023 06.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> 

In September 2022, DeSantis duped mostly-Venezuelan asylum seekers in [[Texas]] to board two airplanes that he sponsored and flew them to Martha's Vineyard, [[Massachusetts]].<ref>[https://www.masslive.com/politics/2023/02/fla-gov-desantis-moves-to-get-marthas-vineyard-migrant-lawsuit-dismissed.html Fla. Gov. DeSantis moves to get Martha’s Vineyard migrant lawsuit dismissed] by Chris Van Buskirk (Feb. 28, 2023) ''MassLive''.</ref> The transportation company that DeSantis used to make the flights, Vertol Systems, was heavily connected to Florida Republican politicians and donors, including the DeSantis-appointed "public safety tsar" {{wpl|Larry Keefe}} who was reportedly in charge of managing these stunts. Evading Florida public records laws, when Keefe communicated with the CEO of Vertol Systems, he reportedly used encrypted messaging applications and a private email address, using an alias taken from the {{wpl|The Silence of the Lambs (novel)|Silence of the Lambs}} novel.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/28/records-desantis-adviser-used-private-email-to-coordinate-migrant-flights-00075677 "Newly released records show top DeSantis adviser used private email and alias to coordinate migrant flights"] by Matt Dixon, Politico, 2022 January 28</ref> The Martha's Vineyard flight alone cost Florida taxpayers $615,000. A second migrant flight that was scheduled to forcibly relocate a group of Venezuelan asylum-seekers to [[Joe Biden]]'s summer home in the same month was cancelled mid-way, leaving migrants stranded in {{wpl|San Antonio, Texas||.}} This botched stunt cost Florida taxpayers $950,000.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/23/ron-desantis-migrant-flights-vertol-systems-inc "Aviation company used for migrant flights contributed to DeSantis allies"] by Gloria Oladipo, Guardian, 2022 September 23</ref><ref>[https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article266089771.html "Operatives linked to DeSantis promised to fly migrants to Delaware — but left them stranded"] by Sarah Blaskey and Nicholas Nehamas, Miami Herald, 2023 February 22</ref>

In duping the Venezuelan asylum seekers and flying them to Martha's Vineyard, felony level crimes may have been committed. On June 5, 2023, the sheriff's department of {{wpl|Bexar County, Texas}} recommended that the Bexar County district attorney bring up criminal charges of unlawful restraint in relation to the stunt, which since some of the migrants were younger than 17 included potential felony level charges.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/06/05/desantis-migrant-flights-criminal-charges-texas-sheriff/ "Texas sheriff recommends criminal charges over DeSantis migrant flights"] by Sarah Blaskey, Tampa Bay Times / Miami Herald, 2023 June 5</ref> This news appeared around the same time of a report that two more planes tied to Vertol Systems had forcibly relocated some more Venezuelan migrants, this time in {{wpl|Sacramento, California||.}}<ref name="cnnmigrantstunt">[https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/us/california-migrants-private-plane-monday/index.html "2nd plane carrying more than a dozen migrants lands in California capital"] by Isabel Rosales and Jacqueline Hurtado, CNN, 2023 June 6</ref> [[California]] governor {{wpl|Gavin Newsom}} (as well as the attorney general of the state {{wpl|Rob Bonta}}) slammed DeSantis for the stunt, with Bonta tweeting that "state-sanctioned kidnapping is immoral".<ref name="cnnmigrantstunt"/> In a separate tweet, Newsom included a screenshot of some California legal codes on kidnapping, and claimed that the state of California would investigate whether this stunt violated any laws.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65813360 "California investigating whether Florida sent migrant flights"] by Max Matza and Sam Cabral, BBC News, 2023 June 6</ref>

DeSantis claimed the accepting immigrants was a burden that states should share<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/16/migrants-marthas-vineyard-desantis-biden-democrats-criticism DeSantis criticized for sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard: ‘It’s un-American’] by Richard Luscombe and Nina Lakhani (16 Sep 2022 16.51 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>&nbsp;— perhaps the quarter of the Florida workforce that was born overseas should leave the state and relieve it of its 'burden'? In 2019, DeSantis signed a law banning sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants from federal deportation — the law has not gone into effect as it is still in the courts as of May 2023.<ref name=luscombe/> Following DeSantis reeelction as governor in 2022, he has signed or advocated for a wide range of anti-immigrant legislation:<ref name=luscombe/>
*Expanding the undocumented immigrant removal program
*Eliminating lower in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants (in opposition to his own lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nuñez and his Repubican predecessor as governor Rick Scott)
*Requiring hospitals to report immigration status
*Felony criminalization of anyone harboring an undocumented immigrants

By June 2023, DeSantis' immigration policies not only worried migrants, they worried businesses that relied on undocumented labor, such as agriculture. According to the Florida Policy Institute, the state's most labor-intensive industries might "lose 10 percent of their workforce and the wages they contribute along with them."<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2023/05/30/1177657218/florida-anti-immigration-law-1718-desantis "Why Florida's new immigration law is troubling businesses and workers alike"] by Vanessa Romo, NPR, 2023 May 30</ref>{{efn|This is assuming that the anti-immigration policies actually are enforced, of course. According to the [[Cato Institute]], states that previously passed strict anti-immigration employment enforcement laws, such as [[Arizona]] and [[Arkansas]], often ended up in practice largely ignoring the regulations.<ref>[https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa775_1.pdf "Checking E-Verify: The Costs and Consequences of a National Worker Screening Mandate"] by Alex Nowrasteh and Jim Harper, CATO Institute Policy Analysis, 2015 July 7</ref>}} Immigration advocates warned that the laws might spark a migrant worker exodus. <ref>[https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2023-05-30/floridas-immigration-law-south-florida-migrant-worker-exodus "Will Florida's immigration law spark a South Florida migrant worker exodus?"] by Tim Padgett, WUSF, 2023 May 30</ref> Even state Republican representatives at an event in {{wpl|Hialeah, Florida}}, citing farmers that were "mad as hell" about "losing employees", clumsily had to beg for immigrants to stay in the state in spite of DeSantis' anti-immigrant policies.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/173247/florida-republicans-admit-made-big-mistake-anti-immigrant-law "Florida Republicans Admit They Made a Big Mistake With Anti-Immigrant Law"] by Prem Thakker, New Republic, 2023 June 5</ref> Multiple civil rights organizations, such as the [[NAACP]], {{wpl|LULAC||,}} and the [[Human Rights Campaign]], issued "travel advisories" collectively recommending that minorities (not just immigrants and Latin Americans, but [[African-Americans]] and [[LGBTQ]] individuals as well) reconsider traveling to Florida in light of DeSantis' policies and the subsequent hostile climate to minorities in the state.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2023/05/22/1177455149/civil-rights-groups-warn-tourists-about-traveling-to-florida "Civil rights groups warn tourists about traveling to Florida"] by the Associated Press / NPR, 2023 May 22</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/24/us/florida-travel-advisory-human-rights-campaign/index.html "The nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group joins others in warning people about visiting Florida"] by Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 2023 May 24</ref> On June 1 2023, immigrant activists organized a "day without immigrants" protest to rally against DeSantis' anti-immigrant legislation.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/desantis-florida-immigrants-hispanic-f46df7e23db4701f39ddb9c2aab2b929 "Opponents hold ‘day without immigrants’ in Florida to protest new restrictions"] by Daniel Kozin, AP News, 2023 June 2</ref>

=====Alligator Alcatraz=====
In June 2025, DeSantis invoked a 2003 immigration law and used its corresponding "emergency powers" to take control of abandoned airport and turn it into an immigration detention center, literally calling it "Alligator Alcatraz."<ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/06/24/desantis-seizes-airstrip-for-alligator-alcatraz/84332981007/ "DeSantis uses emergency powers to seize ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ from Miami-Dade County," Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat]</ref> <ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyrnrnxy7yo "The virtually abandoned Florida airport being turned into 'Alligator Alcatraz'," BBC]</ref> <ref>[https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/08/alligator-alcatraz-official-name-florida-immigrant-detention/84502452007/ "Is Alligator Alcatraz the official name of the Florida immigrant detention center?" C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida via Palm Beach Post]</ref> Proposed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and championed by Governor DeSantis, the camp is located in the Everglades west of Miami between "alligator- and python-infested waters." <ref>[https://abc7.com/post/what-is-alligator-alcatraz-florida-ag-james-uthmeier-proposes-migrant-detention-center-everglades/16848113/ "Florida AG proposes 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Everglades," Bill Hutchinson, ABS News]</ref> DeSantis claimed this was done specifically to serve as a “force multiplier” in the administration’s "increasing efforts to detain and deport undocumented migrants." <ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/us/what-is-alligator-alcatraz-florida "What to know about Florida’s new controversial migrant detention facility," CNN]</ref> It was officially opened in July 3, 2025. Florida lawmakers showed up to inspect the detention center, but they have consistently been denied access to the camp.<ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/03/florida-democrats-denied-access-to-alligator-alcatraz-detention-center/84460561007/ "Florida Democratic lawmakers denied access to Alligator Alcatraz 2 days after Trump visit," J. Kyle Foster and Ana Goñi-Lessan, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida]</ref> In response to the camp's opening, Florida Republicans announced gator-themed T-shirts, hats and can koozies in a fundraising notice sent to supporters, according to Scripps reporter Forrest Saunders. The items are prominently featured at the party's online store.<ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/27/alligator-alcatraz-florida-prison-pythons-ice/84384286007/ "Alligator Alcatraz T-shirts, hats being sold by Florida GOP. What to know about new merch," Tallahassee Democrat]</ref>

Surprising absolutely no one, inmates and investigators reported "inhumane conditions" at Alligator Alcatraz, including lack of access to water, inadequate food, and denial of religious rights. <ref>[https://cbs12.com/news/local/allegations-of-poor-conditions-at-alligator-alcatraz-prompt-inquiries-to-florida-officials-south-florida-news-miami-dade-county-florida-department-of-emergency-management-july-8-2025 "Allegations of poor conditions at Alligator Alcatraz prompt inquiries to Florida officials," CBS News]</ref> Multiple critics have called it a concentration camp with no air conditioning in an area where temperatures top 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Republicans are so brazen about their [[fascism]] that they claimed the "risks" of ''not'' detaining immigrants “overwhelm any incidental environmental harm.” <ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/197508/alligator-alcatraz-trump-concentration-camp "The Grand Opening of an American Concentration Camp," Melissa Gira Grant, New Republic]</ref> <ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/immigration-alligator-alcatraz-concentration-camp-rcna216874 "Don’t call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ Call it a concentration camp," MSNBC]</ref> Many fear that it will soon be little more than a death camp due to its precarious position in a hurricane-heavy area. Several reporters have taken to calling it an "Alligator [[Auschwitz]]." <ref>[https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/sadism-alligator-auschwitz/ "The Abominable Sadism of
Alligator Auschwitz," Joan Walsh, The Nation]</ref> There are even rumors of inmates already dying within a week of the camp opening, with one protester alleging that her husband called to say "a man had died, was wrapped in a sheet from head to toe, and taken away." <ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/07/08/miami-mayor-presses-feds-state-for-access-to-alligator-alcatraz/84504336007/ "Miami-Dade County mayor presses for access to Alligator Alcatraz," Tallahassee Democrat]</ref>

By August 2025, hundreds of detainees had been disappeared. We don't know if they were deported, we don't know where they've been deported to, and their whereabouts could not be determined by Florida based news groups. Data obtained by the ''Miami Herald'' show the vast majority of detainees didn’t have final orders of removal from a judge before entering the facility. Even detainees who were released from Alligator Alcatraz went missing. This all began because the facility’s population had declined dramatically by late August, falling below 400 people due to an August 21 court ruling that briefly halted operations at the site. An appeals court overturned that earlier ruling, allowing the facility to resume operations. But it was this brief period of inactivity that allowed the facility's operators to seemingly disappear hundreds of people. <ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2025/09/15/alligator-alcatraz-detainees-location-deported-immigrant-detention/ "Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site," ''Tampa Bay Times'']</ref>

====Limiting democracy, allowing voter purges, and deputizing voter intimidation====
In 2022, DeSantis voiced support for a bill that limited ballot harvesting, banned [[Instant Runoff Voting|ranked-choice voting]], and created a state law enforcement office to "ensure election integrity". This new Office of Election Crimes and Security would have the goal of "investigating allegations of election law violations" or election "irregularities" in Florida.<ref>[https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-election-security-bill-would-create-special-officers-to-investigate-violations Florida election security bill would create special officers to investigate violations] by Sam Sachs (Feb 28, 2022) ''WFLA''.</ref> DeSantis wanted even more restrictions on voting to ensure that absolutely nobody could beat him when he ran for reelection in 2022.<ref>[https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/11/03/desantis-wants-felony-penalties-for-ballot-harvesting-and-more-hurdles-for-voters DeSantis wants felony penalties for ‘ballot harvesting’ and more hurdles for voters] by Michael Moline (November 3, 2021 4:16 pm) ''Florida Phoenix''.</ref> His Election Police Force aren’t sworn officers of the law, but they're still endowed with authority to do voter intimidation of anybody who may vote against the governor, critics warned.<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2022/03/florida-election-police-force Florida Approves the Country’s First Election Police Force] by Inae Oh (March 10, 2022) ''Mother Jones''.</ref>

On April 2022, DeSantis signed a bill that officially created an Election Crimes and Security Office, which meant that his election police force became activated effective immediately, months before the 2022 midterm elections. The bill also bans [[Ranked choice voting]] statewide, including in cities and counties. It stiffens penalties for ballot harvesting, which means pro-voting rights organizations can collect people's filled-out ballots and mail them in; one can now go to jail for get-out-the-vote efforts. It also requires election supervisors to purge any voters who they deem to be inactive from the rolls.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/04/25/desantis-signs-controversial-voting-bill-creates-election-crimes-office DeSantis signs controversial voting bill, creates election crimes office] by Kirby Wilson (April 25, 202) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref>

Because DeSantis refused to identify exactly what "election irregularities" are, beyond the obvious "you're not White" overtones, many experts have feared that Florida's new election police will end up deterring voters, election administration officials, and third-party organizations that help voters navigate elections.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/2022/5/3/23048665/florida-election-police-voting-rights Florida’s new election police unit is the scariest voter suppression effort yet: DeSantis’s law will sniff out problems that don’t exist.] by Fabiola Cineas (May 3, 2022, 6:00am EDT) ''Vox''.</ref>

Despite heavily-armed police arresting non-violent voters,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/12/florida-police-man-arrest-voter-fraud-body-camera Man arrested at gunpoint in DeSantis voter fraud crackdown, video shows: In August, armed officers descended on homes of two men accused of illegally voting] by Sam Levine (12 Jan 2023 05.00 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref> the first round of prosecutions from this law "largely flopped, resulting in dropped charges, a number of dismissals, one plea agreement that resulted in no punishment and only one partial conviction."<ref name=saleh>[https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2023-03-20/desantis-election-police-have-largely-flopped-in-florida-voter-prosecutions-a-new-law-aims-to-change-that DeSantis’ election police have largely flopped in Florida voter prosecutions. A new law aims to change that] by Maryam Saleh & Ese Olumhense (March 20, 2023 at 11:23 AM EDT) ''WLRN''.</ref> The law also resulted in judicial scrutiny over the highly-politicized prosecutions; not to be outdone by the judiciary, DeSantis had a new law passed to try to circumvent the scrutiny.<ref name=saleh/>

DeSantis' brazen efforts to intimidate and harass voters has inspired Republicans to try it on a national scale. It was revealed through leaked recordings that the Republican Party plans to place party operatives and lawyers as poll workers and build a "hotline" to "friendly district attorneys" who would immediately prosecute against law-abiding citizens who are accused of [[voter fraud]]. This is a "precinct strategy" meant to intimidate voters in swing states such as Michigan and Florida.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/01/gop-contest-elections-tapes-00035758 "It’s going to be an army: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections," Politico]</ref> This was not the first time that such [[Voter fraud#As a proxy for racism|racist voter intimidation]] has a more-or-less continuous history in the United States, dating back to the end of [[Reconstruction]] in [[The South]].<ref>''Mississippi: The Closed Society'' by James W. Silver (2012) University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781617033124.</ref>{{rp|16}}<ref>"Voter Fraud" by Carol Anderson. In: ''Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past'', edited by Kevin M. Kruse & Julian E. Zelizer (2022) Basic Books. {{isbn|1541601394}}. Pages 299-311.</ref>

====Arresting whistleblowers====
{{main|Whistleblower}}
Rebekah Jones, a former data scientist in the Florida Department of Health, revealed that DeSantis was covering up [[COVID]] [[death]]s in the state. DeSantis fired Jones after she refused to manipulate data to make DeSantis look good, allowing her to launch a COVID database of her own.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2020/06/14/876584284/fired-florida-data-scientist-launches-a-coronavirus-dashboard-of-her-own Fired Florida Data Scientist Launches A Coronavirus Dashboard Of Her Own] by Laurel Wamsley (June 14, 20209:36 AM ET) ''NPR''.</ref> DeSantis ordered law enforcement to raid her home, take her hardware, and draw their weapons on her, which was caught on camera.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2020/12/08/944200394/florida-agents-raid-home-of-rebekah-jones-former-state-data-scientist Florida Agents Raid Home Of Rebekah Jones, Former State Data Scientist] by Bill Chappell (December 8, 202012:08 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref>

====Firing his critics====
[[File:Ron DeSantis (51326399157).jpg|thumb|right|315px|DeSantis trying to do an action pose at the 2021 Turning Point USA conference]]
State Attorney Andrew Warren, a twice-elected Democrat in a county that voted for Gillum in 2018, pledged not to criminalize those seeking abortions or those seeking reproductive health,<ref>[https://fairandjustprosecution.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/FJP-Trans-Criminalization-Joint-Statement.pdf Joint Statement From Elected Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Leaders Condemning the Criminalization of Transgender People and Gender-Affirming Healthcare] (June 2021) ''Fair and Just Prosecution''.</ref> which is legally within his authority as prosecutor. But as he was waiting for a grand jury to make their decision on two [[rape]] and murder cases, Warren received an email from the governor's office saying that DeSantis had suspended him and commandeered his car. DeSantis was so angry at someone opposing him that he defied the will of the voters, ignored all precedent, and ousted a democratically-elected prosecutor for doing his job within the confines of the law. DeSantis accused Warren of being a 'woke' prosecutor more interested in [[social justice]] than in enforcing the law, which is laughable on its face. DeSantis called progressive prosecutors a "pathogen" spreading across the country, because they have the temerity to reduce incarceration rates and decrease the profits of the [[private prison]] industry in favor of humanitarian solutions to crime. Warren had also declined to press charges against 67 people who had been arrested for unlawful assembly&nbsp;— angering local law enforcement officials who always saw the pro-reform attorney as a threat to their power. Warren had also criticized DeSantis for the anti-riot law that penalized 2020-era protesters and spoke out against DeSantis ordering the state government to deny Medicaid coverage for transgender-related surgeries and medication.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/14/florida-desantis-warren-prosecutor-suspension A progressive prosecutor clashed with DeSantis. Now he’s out of a job: The ouster has alarmed many in Florida, who say DeSantis usurped the will of the voters by removing a local elected official who disagreed with him politically] by Lori Rozsa (August 14, 2022) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/warren-says-florida-anti-riot-bill-tears-a-couple-corners-off-the-constitution Warren says Florida anti-riot bill ‘tears a couple corners off the Constitution] by Athina Morris (Mar 10, 2021) ''WFLA''.</ref><ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2021/11/16/tallahassee-8-other-cities-suing-state-over-hb-1-anti-riot-bill/8636987002 Tallahassee and 8 other cities file lawsuit challenging HB 1 'anti-riot' bill] by Karl Etters (Nov. 16, 2021) ''Tallahassee Democrat''.</ref><ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2020/06/15/hillsborough-declines-to-prosecute-67-arrested-in-protests Hillsborough declines to prosecute 67 arrested in protests] by Dan Sullivan (June 15, 2020) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref>

In August 2023, DeSantis fired Orlando-area state attorney Monique Worrell for not aligning with his views.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/09/politics/ron-desantis-monique-worrell-orlando-attorney/index.html DeSantis suspends Orlando-area state attorney in second sacking of democratically elected prosecutor]. ''CNN''. 10 August 2023.</ref> Florida Attorney General {{wpl|Ashley Moody}} praised him for the move and called it "[[bullshit|democracy in action]]".<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-ag-praised-desantis-for-suspending-an-elected-state-attorney-2023-8 Florida's attorney general says DeSantis suspending an elected state attorney is 'democracy in action']. ''Business Insider''. 10 August 2023.</ref>

====Punishing sports teams for opposing gun violence====
DeSantis vetoed state money for the Tampa Bay Rays' new training facility after the team tweeted about gun violence. He claimed taxpayer money shouldn't be used to fund private sports stadiums, but Republican insiders said DeSantis had not made up his mind about the money until they made that tweet opposing gun violence. I.e., saying one doesn't want gun violence means that the governor will strip you of your government money.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jun/03/ron-desantis-blocks-funds-tampa-bay-rays-gun-safety "Ron DeSantis blocks funds for Tampa Bay Rays after team’s gun safety tweets] (3 Jun 2022 17.13 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/03/politics/ron-desantis-tampa-bay-rays-gun-violence/index.html DeSantis blocks state money for Tampa Bay Rays training facility after team tweets against gun violence] by Steve Contorno (12:55 PM EDT, June 3, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref>

====Criminalizing and terrorizing the LGBT community====
{{cquote|As Floridians prepare for [[doublespeak|Freedom Summer]], Florida's bridges will follow suit, illuminating in red, white, and blue from Memorial Day through Labor Day! Thanks to the leadership of @GovRonDeSantis, Florida [[bullshit|continues to be the freest state in the nation.]]|||Florida secretary Jared W. Perdue in May 2024, tweeting [[doublespeak]] about DeSantis' order that, in effect, blocked cities from using [[rainbow]] lighting on bridges for {{wpl|Pride Month||.}}<ref>[https://www.them.us/story/florida-bridges-rainbow-pride-month-ron-desantis "Florida Bans Rainbow Lights on Bridges During Pride Month, Declares “Freedom Summer”"] by Samantha Riedel, Them, 2024 May 23</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/21/florida-bridges-rainbow-lights-pride/ "DeSantis’s ‘Freedom Summer’ means no rainbow lights for Florida bridges"] by Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 2024 May 23</ref>}}

In 2021, DeSantis signed a bill banning [[transgender]] women and girls from sports, using tired and longstanding transphobic [[rationalization]]s for his [[bigotry]].<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/01/desantis-transgender-sports-bill-491495 DeSantis signs controversial bill banning transgender women and girls from sports] by Andrew Atterbury (06/01/2021 01:57 PM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/desantis-signs-bill-banning-transgender-athletes-from-playing-on-certain-teams-into-law DeSantis signs bill banning transgender athletes from playing on certain teams into law] by Emily McCain (Jun 01, 2021) ''ABC, WFTS''.</ref>

DeSantis ordered the state government to deny Medicaid-related transgender surgeries and medications. That means Floridians seeking gender-affirming care will not only be denied those services, but will also effectively de-transition lower-income trans Floridians, whose mental health will almost certainly decline and critics warn may even lead to a rise in [[suicide]]s for trans Floridians. The Florida Surgeon General, appointed by DeSantis, also issued a memo speaking out against social transition&nbsp;— a non-medical process in "which a person changes their clothing, name or pronouns to better align with their [[gender identity]]."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/11/florida-transgender-medicaid Florida to bar Medicaid coverage for those seeking gender-affirming care] by Anne Branigin & Annie Gowen (August 11, 2022 at 7:10 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Perhaps most infamously, DeSantis voiced support for the "Don't Say Gay" Bill, which would ban curricula concerning LGBTQ issues in Florida classrooms below the 4<sup>th</sup> grade.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis Florida's governor signs controversial law opponents dubbed 'Don't Say Gay'] by Jaclyn Diaz (28 March 2022) ''NPR''.</ref> It would limit what classrooms can teach about [[sexual orientation]] and gender identity, allow parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in these topics, and erase essentially all LGBT issues from the minds of children and teenagers, which critics say would lead to more suicides among LGBT people.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dont-gay-bill-passes-florida-senate/story?id=83301889 Don't Say Gay bill passes Florida Senate] by Kiara Alfonseca (March 8, 2022, 10:13 AM) ''ABC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/07/politics/ron-desantis-florida-classrooms-sexual-orientation-gender-identity Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signals support for 'Don't Say Gay' bill] by Steve Contorno (3:14 PM EST, Mon February 7, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref> Perhaps most concerningly, the bill requires schools to out LGBTQ students to their parents. Florida students staged walkouts in protest of the bill.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2022/03/03/tampa-bay-students-walk-out-in-protest-of-floridas-dont-say-gay-bill Tampa Bay students walk out in protest of Florida’s ‘don’t say gay’ bill] by Jeffrey S. Solochek & Marlene Sokol (March 4, 2022) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/03/students-across-florida-walkout-classes-protest-dont-say-gay-bill Students across Florida walkout of classes in protest of “Don’t say gay” bill] by Daniel Villarreal (March 4, 2022) ''LGBTQ Nation''.</ref> The relevant amendment was later withdrawn due to public backlash.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/new-dont-say-gay-bill-amendment-forces-staff-to-out-students-2022-2 A Florida legislator withdrew his amendment to the 'Don't Say Gay' bill that would require school districts to out students within 6 weeks] by Madison Hall (Feb 22, 2022, 7:41 AM PST) ''Business Insider''.</ref>

Needless to say, LGBTQ issues are a significant part of certain scholarly curriculum, so DeSantis' [[homophobic]] stance affected Florida's educational quality. In May 2023, the College Board, having enough of DeSantis' [[bullshit]] after capitulating to his demands for African American studies, refused to bend to a similar effort to strip gender identity and sexual orientation from {{wpl|Advance Placement}} (AP) [[Psychology]] courses.<ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/education/4051993-college-board-says-it-wont-alter-ap-courses-to-comply-with-floridas-laws/ "College Board says it won’t alter AP courses to comply with Florida’s laws"] by Lexi Lonas, Hill, 2023 June 15</ref> In August, the College Board affirmed this stance, advising Florida superintendents to nix their AP Psychology classes, as gender and sexual orientation material are an important part of the psychology field. The College Board also warned that any psychology class without this material could not be called "AP / Advanced Placement" and could not be used for college credit.<ref>[https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/statement-ap-psychology-and-florida "Statement on AP Psychology and Florida"], College Board News Room, 2023 August 3</ref> This stance was fully backed by the {{wpl|American Psychological Association||,}} whose CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. stated in June 2023 that "understanding human sexuality is fundamental to psychology, and an advanced placement course that excludes the decades of science studying sexual orientation and gender identity would deprive students of knowledge they will need to succeed in their studies, in high school and beyond".<ref>[https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/06/sexual-orientation-gender-identity-florida-high-school "APA supports College Board’s decision on AP psychology in Florida"], American Psychological Association press release, 2023 June 15</ref> 

In late April 2022, DeSantis ordered the Florida Health Department to issue "guidelines" telling doctors to medically detransition ''all transgender youth'' and ban them from social transition treatment, including "name, pronoun, and clothing changes." The Florida Health Department also released a memo proclaiming that “social [[gender transition]]” should NOT be an option for youth, including "name, pronoun, and clothing changes."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230130192802/https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1517141090133893120 Here is the memo from the Florida Department of Health saying that “social gender transition” should NOT be an option for youth, including “name, pronoun, and clothing changes.”] by Brian Tyler Cohen (1:59 PM · Apr 21, 2022) ''Twitter'' (archived from January 30, 2023).</ref><ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/florida-department-health-pushes-back-federal-guidance-trans/story?id=84193565 Florida Department of Health pushes back on federal guidance on trans youth care] by Kiara Alfonseca (April 20, 2022, 1:27 PM) ''ABC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/20/florida-releases-memo-clashing-with-hhs-advice-on-transgender-kids-00026593 Florida releases guidance clashing with HHS advice on transgender kids] by Arek Sarkissian (04/20/2022 02:43 PM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/20/health/florida-gender-affirming-care-health-department-guidance/index.html Florida health department advises against gender-affirming care for youth] by Alta Spells & Jen Christensen (10:32 PM EDT, Wed April 20, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref>

In June 2022, DeSantis told the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to ban transition-related care for transgender minors right at the start of Pride Month. This has been derided as cruelty for its own sake. To justify his decision, DeSantis alleged that these treatments are "under-researched and ineffective", which is a lie.<ref>[https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2022/06/02/florida-could-end-medicaid-coverage-transgender-care DeSantis asks medical board to ban transgender healthcare] by Selene San Felice (Jun 2, 2022) ''Axios''.</ref> The Agency had been stacked with anti-LGBT Catholic Medical Association members however, and was more than happy to agree with him.<ref>[https://genderanalysis.net/2022/08/catholic-medical-association-members-wrote-a-majority-of-florida-medicaids-anti-trans-expert-reports-last-year-cma-declared-a-faith-based-commitment-against-approving-of-any-transition-care/ Catholic Medical Association members wrote a majority of Florida Medicaid’s anti-trans expert reports. Last year, CMA declared a faith-based commitment against approving of any transition care.] by Zinnia Jones (August 25, 2022) ''Gender Analysis''.</ref><ref>Chrissy Stroop (August 18, 2022). [https://religiondispatches.org/media-fail-to-acknowledge-that-2024-hopeful-ron-desantis-is-as-catholic-as-biden/ "Media Fail to Acknowledge That 2024 Hopeful Ron DeSantis is as Catholic as Biden"]. ''Religion Dispatches''.</ref> In January 2023, DeSantis requested information on transgender university students, including "the number and ages of their students who sought gender dysphoria treatment". A deadline for the information was set for February 10.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-colleges-and-universities-race-ethnicity-florida-education-97d0b8aef2fc3a60733c8bd4080cc07b DeSantis seeks details on transgender university students] By Brendan Farrington (January 18, 2023) ''Associated Press''.</ref><ref>[https://www.insider.com/ron-desantis-trans-college-students-medical-records-florida-medical-care-2023-2 Ron DeSantis requested the information of trans students who sought care at Florida's public universities. Now students are planning a statewide walkout.] by Annalise Mabe (Feb 22, 2023, 9:02 AM PST) ''Insider''.</ref>

====Dismantling all local autonomy====
DeSantis pushed for a bill designed to protect [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] monuments; permit the state to overrule local governments' decisions in reducing funding for [[police]]; waive sovereign immunity for municipalities, thereby allowing local authorities to be sued for "inadequate law enforcement"; and block people injured while participating in protests from receiving damages. This would severely hamper black protesters from exercising their [[First Amendment]] rights, critics say.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2021/01/12/capitol-riot-anti-protest-blm-laws/ "In Wake of Capitol Riot, GOP Legislatures “Rebrand” Old Anti-BLM Protest Laws," The Intercept]</ref>

Using his spat with [[Disney]] over LGBT rights, DeSantis issued a proclamation expanding Florida lawmakers' special session and basically telling them to abolish ''all'' independent special districts created before November 1968, including the Disney-owned Reedy Creek, ''NASCAR's'' independent district in North Florida, and ''every'' [[Native American]] independent district. That is 133 independent special districts that are about to lose their autonomy completely.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220506122807/https://twitter.com/ashleylcarter1/status/1516415069269151749 Here's the proclamation Gov. DeSantis issued this morning, expanding the special session to also include legislation relating to independent special districts in Florida:] by Ashley Carter (6:55 AM - 19 Apr 2022) ''Twitter'' (archived from May 6, 2022).</ref> Many critics decried the move, saying DeSantis is punishing locally-powerful monopoly for daring to criticize him. Democrats warned that DeSantis may be destroying Florida's [[economy]] in the future because there's nothing stopping Disney from leaving Orlando and setting up shop instead in, say, Atlanta, Georgia.<ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/517578-randy-fine-reedy-creek-dissolution-bill-is-what-happens-when-you-kick-the-bees-nest Reedy Creek dissolution bill is what happens when you ‘kick the bees’ nest," Florida Politics] by Randy Fine (April 19, 2022) ''Florida Politics''.</ref><ref>[https://www.clickorlando.com/news/politics/2022/04/19/florida-gov-desantis-targets-disney-worlds-reedy-creek-district-in-special-session DeSantis goes after Disney’s Reedy Creek Improvement District] by Brenda Argueta (Published: April 19, 2022, 10:31 AM; Updated: April 20, 2022, 2:33 PM) ''Click Orlando''.</ref>
If Florida loses Disney the rest of the country may be inclined to cut the state off and just let it sink into the sea.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/21/florida-climate-crisis-sea-level-habitat-loss Will Florida be lost forever to the climate crisis? From sea level rise to habitat loss, the effects of the climate crisis are on the verge of making south Florida uninhabitable] by Richard Luscombe (21 Apr 2020 06.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

====Punishing corporations for criticizing him====
[[File:Walt Disney with Company at Press Conference.jpg|thumb|right|350px|"Florida Welcomes [[Walt Disney]]"? Not anymore!]]
When Disney, which literally owns a city in Florida, criticized DeSantis for his signing of the "Don't Say Gay" bill, DeSantis and his Republican loyalists publicly threatened to strip Disney of self-government power over Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was established to allow Disney to govern property that would eventually become Disney World.<ref>[https://www.wesh.com/article/desantis-disney/39614027 Florida lawmakers consider stripping Disney of self-government power] by Marlei Martinez (12:21 PM EDT Apr 2, 2022) ''WESH''.,</ref> DeSantis signed the district dissolution bill on April 23, 2022, apparently not caring that the literal billions of dollars that Reedy Creek accrues would then be shifted as a financial burden to the citizens of Orange County; he signed a ''de facto'' [[tax]] hike on average Americans.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2022/04/22/1094316591/disney-world-desantis-florida-counties-taxes DeSantis wanted to punish Disney. Repealing its tax status may hurt taxpayers instead] by Bill Chappell (April 22, 20224:07 PM ET) ''NPR''.</ref><ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-disney-florida-feud_n_62630182e4b0ea625c071f4b Disney Government Dissolution Bill Signed By Florida Governor] (Apr 22, 2022) ''AP'' via ''Huffington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61192982 Florida's governor signs law revoking Disney powers] (22 April 2022) ''BBC''.</ref> The bill also revoked Disney's special tax exemptions.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/desantis-signs-bill-revoking-disneys-special-self-governing-status-flo-rcna25652 DeSantis signs bill revoking Disney’s special self-governing status in Florida] by Zoë Richards (April 22, 2022) ''NBC News''.</ref>

=====…and then losing to the Mouse=====
Slowly, it dawned on the Florida legislature that this "abolish Reedy Creek special status" plan, scheduled to be enacted on June 1 2023, would actually have some serious financial impact. So, in February 2023, seeking to avoid these repercussions, the Florida Legislature held a special session, during which state lawmakers decided to allow Disney to keep the special tax district and other perks, including the ability to issue tax-exempt bonds. Ron DeSantis, however, refused to let go of his idea of punishing Disney for being too "woke". So, state lawmakers also decided that Mr. DeSantis, not Disney, would be the ones to appoint the five members of the board for Disney’s taxing district, which was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Shortly afterwards, DeSantis announced the five members of the board, all of whom were either DeSantis political donors or [[culture war]] extremists like Bridget Ziegler, a co-founder of the double-speaking pro-[[censorship|book-banning]] [[Moms for Liberty]].<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/27/desantis-appoints-political-backers-to-new-disney-oversight-board-00084564 "DeSantis appoints political backers to new Disney oversight board"] by Matt Dixon (2023 February 27) ''Politico''.</ref> Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a statement that Disney was "ready to work within this new framework." This was widely seen as a victory for DeSantis.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/article/disney-florida-desantis.html What We Know About the DeSantis-Disney Rift] By Jesus Jiménez and Giulia Heyward (2023 February 27) ''The New York Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/desantis-disney-taxes_n_63fce4a7e4b0ecabbaa0a0f9 DeSantis Repeals $1.2 Billion Tax Hike He Imposed During Last Year’s Disney Fight] by S.V. Date (2023 Febuary 27) ''Huffington Post''.</ref>

Before board power transferred from Disney-friendly members to DeSantis's stooges in March 2023, however, the board showed what they meant by "working within this new framework", in a move widely seen as a victory for Disney, and DeSantis getting out-maneuvered by The Mouse. During the pre-transfer period, the board quietly passed several long-lasting development agreements between Disney and the board that essentially stripped the board of a huge amount of its powers, transferring these powers to Disney itself and locking the new board out of the decision making process. In a sign of maximum legal trolling, at least one of these agreements used a {{wpl|Royal lives clause|"royal lives clause"}} in order to establish near-permanency, declaring that the arrangement was valid until either Disney is no longer interested in the property, or until "21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of [[King Charles III]], king of England".{{sic}}<ref>[https://wdwnt.com/2023/03/declaration-of-restrictive-covenants-in-effect-until-21-years-after-the-death-of-the-last-surviving-descendant-of-king-charles-iii/ King Charles III’s Descendants & Fanciful Characters — How Disney May Subvert Governor DeSantis’ ‘Oversight District’] by JessH (March 29, 2023) ''WDW News Today''.</ref> Upon taking power, one DeSantis stooge (who, in a sign of the political theater hack nature of these stooges, clearly hadn't been monitoring the previous board meetings, whose activities were hardly secret under Florida's open access laws) complained that the board was stripped "for practical purposes, the majority of its ability to do anything beyond maintain the roads and maintain basic infrastructure."<ref>[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-disney-new-reedy-creek-board-powerless-20230329-qalagcs4wjfe3iwkpzjsz2v4qm-story.html DeSantis’ Reedy Creek board says Disney stripped its power] by Skyler Swisher (2023 March 29) ''Orlando Sentinel''.</ref><ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/599374-ron-desantis-just-got-out-negotiated-by-mickey-mouse-donald-trump-super-pac-chief-says/ ‘Ron DeSantis just got out-negotiated by Mickey Mouse,’ Donald Trump super PAC chief says] by Gabrielle Russon (2023 March 29) ''Florida Politics''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65120369 Disney sidesteps DeSantis board with royal clause] by Max Matza (2023 March 30) ''BBC News''.</ref><ref>[https://www.disneytouristblog.com/new-reedy-creek-board-lawyers-up-for-battle-with-disney-world/ New Reedy Creek Board Lawyers Up for Battle with Disney World] by Tom Bricker (2023 March 30) ''Disney Tourist Blog''.</ref>

Being a petulant obstinate [[bully]],<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/06/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-recap-ron-desantis John Oliver on Ron DeSantis: ‘A petty autocrat and a bully’] (6 Mar 2023 12.06 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref> however, DeSantis chose to continue to fight Disney via a series of bills and/or proposals that directly targeted aspects of Disney, such as their monorail system,<ref>[https://www.kget.com/news/politics/changes-to-florida-transportation-bill-could-target-disneys-monorail-system Changes to Florida transportation bill could target Disney’s monorail system] by Rachel Tucker (2023 April 254) ''KGET''.</ref> extra taxes on Disney hotels, and extra tolls on the roads leading to the park.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/06/desantis-disney-hotel-taxes-toll-rodes-00090959 ‘Buckle up': DeSantis escalates Disney dispute, eyes hotel taxes and road tolls] by Gary Fineout (2023 April 6) ''Politico''.</ref> DeSantis' board of stooges also attempted to nullify the arrangements that stripped them of power in March.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-appointed-board-nullifies-controversial-disney-agreement-rcna81224 Ron DeSantis-appointed board nullifies controversial Disney agreement] by Matt Dixon (2023 April 26) ''NBC News''.</ref> In response, having exhausted all patience in dealing with a (by then) year-long temper tantrum over some tepid token opposition to a single bill, on April 27 2023, Disney sued DeSantis over violating multiple [[United States Constitution|Constitutional]] rights: the [[First Amendment]]'s right to [[free speech]], the [[Fourteenth Amendment#The Due Process Clause|due process clause]], the [[Fifth Amendment|takings clause]], and the {{wpl|Contract Clause||.}}<ref>[https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rzFKoY7UCCM4/v0 Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US Inc. v. Ronald D. DeSantis et al.] Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, Case 4:23-cv-00163-MW-MAF, 2023 April 26.</ref> 

In mid-May 2023, Disney cancelled a roughly one-billion dollar office complex scheduled to be built in Orlando, Florida, which would have included a relocation of as many as 2000 employees from [[California]] to Florida. This included much of {{wpl|Walt Disney Imagineering||,}} a group of R&D engineers and architects responsible for the creation and design of Disney parks worldwide. Although other factors played into the cancellation of this project, "changing business conditions", which notably included DeSantis' feud, played a significant role in the decision.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/business/disney-ron-desantis-florida.html Disney Pulls Plug on $1 Billion Development in Florida] by Brooks Barnes (2023 May 18) ''The New York Times''</ref> In Disney's quarterly investor call in May 2023, Disney CEO {{wpl|Bob Iger}} hinted that should the feud continue, further investment was possibly at risk.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-wonders-about-continued-investment-floridas-walt-disney-world-resort-2023-05-10/ Disney CEO questions continued Florida investment in clash with DeSantis] by Dawn Chmielewski & Lisa Richwine (2023 May 10) ''Reuters''.</ref>

This feud unsettled some [[GOP]] members who were concerned about DeSantis prioritizing the [[culture war|culture wars]] over the needs of business, to the point of punishing one of the top businesses in the state (and one of the most significant draws of Florida tourism) just because this business made a statement he didn't like. Among the people who criticized DeSantis' actions were [[Mike Pence]], [[Chris Christie]] (who actually declared that DeSantis was not a [[conservative]] based on his actions towards Disney),<ref>[https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/19/23730119/ron-desantis-disney-florida-investment-2024-election DeSantis’s feud with Disney is costing Florida — and possibly his 2024 campaign] by Nicole Narea (2023 May 19) ''Vox''.</ref> and both of Florida's senators at the time ([[Rick Scott]] and [[Marco Rubio]]).<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/floridas-gop-senators-issue-warnings-ron-desantis-1801594 Florida's GOP Senators Issue Warnings to Ron DeSantis] by Thomas Kika (2023 May 20) ''Newsweek''.</ref>

====Restricting education====
Citing the [[racist]] [[manufactroversy]] over [[critical race theory]], DeSantis banned 28 math textbooks, which is a very powerful brain drain against Floridian students, some of whom need those math textbooks to actually graduate or be proper workers in their fields (like [[engineering]]).<ref>[https://www.rawstory.com/desantis-critical-race-theory Florida bans 28 math textbooks in panic over Critical Race Theory] by Bob Brigham (April 15, 2022, 6:13 PM ET) ''RawStory''.</ref>

DeSantis signed a bill limiting tenure at public universities, [[framing]] it as a way to stop faculty staffers and teachers from being "too political", which ultimately means he's just trying to term-limit all [[progressive]] teachers and faculty so they can be replaced with right-wing teachers who can bring up a new generation of conservative [[extremism]].<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2022/04/19/desantis-signs-bill-limiting-tenure-at-florida-public-universities DeSantis signs bill limiting tenure at Florida public universities: He takes aim at faculty, saying they develop an “intellectual orthodoxy” if left unchecked.] by Divya Kumar (April 19, 2022) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>''Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future'' by Jason Stanley (2024) One Signal Publishers / Atria. ISBN 9781668056912.</ref>{{rp|19-20}}

In alliance with [[Hillsdale College]], DeSantis  has created state-funded, [[Christian nationalist]]-oriented training for public school teachers.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/06/28/some-teachers-alarmed-by-florida-civics-training-approach-on-religion-slavery/ Some teachers alarmed by Florida civics training approach on religion, slavery: Among other topics, trainers told civics teachers the nation’s founders did not desire a strict separation between church and state.] by Ana Ceballos & Sommer Brugal (Published June 28, 2022; Updated July 1, 2022) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref>

====Parental rights and wrongs====
Lest anyone think that DeSantis is simply in favor of expanding parental rights, he is not. He is only in favor of parental rights within his own narrow views for straight, ultraconservative parents. He expressed anger at children going to a "Drag the Kids to Pride" in [[Texas]], and suggested that [[Child Protective Services|child protective statutes]] could be used against parents who allow their children to attend similar events in Florida.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/13/ron-desantis-weaponize-child-protective-services-over-drag-shows/ Ron DeSantis’s drag show comments foretell a vile trend] by Alyssa Rosenberg (June 13, 2022 at 6:24 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

Due to these "rights", even the plays of [[William Shakespeare]] could be considered ''verboten'' under DeSantis' rules due to certain bits of raunchiness here and there. One school district, playing it safe, chose to work with only excerpts of plays in their English classes, compared to the past where two complete plays were assigned in their entirety.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/08/07/hillsborough-schools-cut-back-shakespeare-citing-new-florida-rules/ "Hillsborough schools cut back on Shakespeare, citing new Florida rules"] by Marlene Sokol, Tampa Bay Times, 2023 August 7</ref>

====Consolidating power away from the state legislature====
By early 2021, the Florida Republican Party was fully beholden to DeSantis, whose entire 2021 agenda was rubber-stamped by his party, including a bill that bans so-called vaccine passports, a bill that punishes Big Tech companies for "[[censoring]]" Republican voices, and anti-riot measures that are really just anti-protest bills.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/04/30/florida-republicans-give-desantis-wins-for-2022-and-beyond-1379153 Ron’s regime: Florida Republicans give DeSantis what he wants] by Matt Dixon (04/30/2021 06:00 AM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/30/winners-losers-2021-florida-legislative-session/7401032002 It's over. Who won? Who lost? A look back at the 2021 Florida legislative session] by James Call (April 30, 2021) ''USA Today'' via ''Tallahassee News''.</ref> This culminated in December 2021, when 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 has been inactive since 1947. It would allow for training and equipment of up to 200 members.<ref>[https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/gov-desantis-seeks-to-reinstate-florida-state-guard Gov. DeSantis seeks to reinstate Florida State Guard] by Emily McCain (Dec 02, 2021) ''ABC, WFTS''.</ref><ref>[https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2021/12/02/gov-desantis-proposes-reestablishing-florida-state-guard-civilian-volunteer-force Gov. DeSantis proposes reestablishing Florida State Guard civilian volunteer force] (Published: December 2, 2021 at 1:42 PM; Updated: December 3, 2021 at 9:33 AM) ''News4Jax''.</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/gov-desantis-wants-a-florida-state-guard-heres-how-they-work-in-other-states/2638574 Gov. DeSantis Wants a Florida State Guard. Here's How They Work in Other States] by Phil Prazan (December 10, 2021) ''NBC 6 South Florida''.</ref> He passed a bill that banned [[deplatform]]ing xenophobic voices and could fine [[Facebook]], [[Twitter]] and [[YouTube]] for such deplatforming, which experts say is unconstitutional.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/nod-donald-trump-florida-set-ban-big-tech-deplatforming-rcna784 In nod to Trump, Florida is set to ban 'deplatforming' by tech companies] by David Ingram & Ben Kamisar (April 30, 2021) ''NBC News''.</ref> This is deeply [[ironic]] and [[hypocritical]], because he ''applauded'' Twitter for suspending (and thereby deplatforming) Rebekah Jones, a whistleblower and public critic of DeSantis' COVID policies.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/07/rebekah-jones-twitter-desantis DeSantis applauds fired whistleblower’s Twitter suspension, the latest in an ongoing feud] by Reis Thebault & Marisa Iati (June 7, 2021 at 10:39 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

===Silence on Nazis and antisemitism===
DeSantis' authoritarian anti-minority policies have, naturally, attracted extremist [[white supremacists]] to the state of Florida. Under his governorship, Florida saw a sharp rise in antisemitic acts, including harassment, vandalism, and assault. Florida also attracted [[neo-Nazi]] [[troll]] groups like the [[Goyim Defense League]] (GDL), who engaged in shitpost "stunts", such as performing Nazi salutes on Florida freeway overpasses and holding placards in front of Disney tourists asking if they have thanked [[Hitler]] today.<ref name="rsnazi">[https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/neo-nazis-thriving-florida-ron-desantis-1234824505/ "Neo-Nazis Gloat as Florida Becomes a Magnet for Hate"] by Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone, 2023 September 14</ref> Such stunts were even too much for most ''Republican'' politicians, and were thoroughly denounced on social media by folks as noxious as [[Rick Scott]]. <ref name="rsnazi"/> Nonetheless, although DeSantis has occasionally taken some action against the neo-Nazi trolls, such as signing a piece of legislature targeting the GDL stunts in April 2023,<ref>[https://www.flgov.com/2023/04/28/governor-ron-desantis-signs-enhanced-anti-antisemitism-and-anti-bds-legislation-in-israel/ "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation in Israel Further Combatting Antisemitism"], Ron DeSantis Staff, FLGov.com, 2023 April 28</ref> his team has largely been silent about these extremists, refusing to condemn them on social media and elsewhere. In one instance, DeSantis' team even tweeted out a [[false flag]] conspiracy theory instead.<ref name="rsnazi"/>

[[Ironically]], DeSantis claims himself to be a staunch defender of [[Israel]]. During his term, he made several ceremonial trips to Israel.<ref name="rsnazi"/> Also during the {{wpl|2023 Israel–Hamas war||,}} true to his authoritarian style, in a move that according DeSantis was totally not [[cancel culture]], he attempted to ban the pro-[[Palestine]] group {{wpl|Students for Justice in Palestine}} from all Florida college campuses, alleging [[antisemitism]] and a link with [[Hamas]]. (This ban was criticized by many, including Republican presidential candidate rivals like [[Vivek Ramaswamy]], for being a "shameful political ploy" and a violation of [[free speech]].)<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/25/florida-governor-ron-desantis-bans-pro-palestine-student-organisation "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bans pro-Palestine student organisation"], Al-Jazeera, 2023 October 25</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/29/ron-desantis-florida-colleges-pro-palestinian-groups-ban "Ron DeSantis defends call to ban pro-Palestinian groups from Florida colleges"] by Edward Helmore, Guradian, 2023 October 29</ref>

The contrast between his supposed "defense of Israel" and the inability to publicly condemn Nazi trolls was too much for one Republican state representative, {{wpl|Randy Fine||,}} who in October 2023 switched his endorsement from DeSantis to [[Donald Trump]] due to the governor's silence.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/28/us/politics/desantis-israel-antisemitism.html "Vocal on Israel, DeSantis Is Challenged on His Silence on Neo-Nazis in Florida"] by Nicholas Nehamas and Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 2023 October 28</ref> 

In addition, Jewish critics of DeSantis have noted that DeSantis' anti-"[[woke]]" education policies that prohibit teaching about race, gender and sexuality also inhibit teaching about the [[Holocaust]].<ref>[https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-jewish-voters-should-know-about-gop-presidential-hopeful-ron-desantis/ "What Jewish voters should know about GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis"] by Ron Kampeas, Times of Israel, 2023 May 24</ref>

On November 19 2023, DeSantis received criticism for, on the [[CNN]] program ''State of the Union'', refusing to condemn a tweet from [[Elon Musk]] supporting an antisemitic [[white genocide]] conspiracy theory. DeSantis first claimed ignorance. When shown the offensive tweet, DeSantis half-defended Musk, claiming that he had "never seen (Musk) indulge in (antisemitism)", and that the tweet was "surprising", but he did not want to "sit there and pass judgment on the fly." When questioned by host {{wpl|Jake Tapper}} whether antisemitism on the right concerned him, DeSantis responded by insisting that antisemitism comes from major universities on the left, whereas on the right, it was relegated to "fringe voices". (Never mind that Musk is ''hardly'' "fringe".)<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/11/ron-desantis-elon-musk-antisemitic-tweet "Ron DeSantis Says He’s Never Personally Witnessed Elon Musk Attacking Jews When Asked About X Post Attacking Jews"] by Bess Levin, Vanity Fair, 2023 November 20</ref><ref>[https://apnews.com/article/desantis-musk-post-antisemitism-refuse-to-condemn-cd7b637e160af4a2a81a8df7065a1baa "DeSantis won’t condemn Musk for endorsing an antisemitic post. ‘I did not see the comment,’ he says"] by Will Weissert, AP News, 2023 November 19</ref>

===Coronavirus response: Why he's called DeathSantis===
[[File:President Trump Meets with the Governor of Florida (49830919747).jpg|thumb|right|400px|DeSantis having to use big pictures to explain Florida's COVID situation to Trump.]]

Floridians, never known for liking their leaders, made a point to call him "Governor DeathSantis" or "DeSatan" due to ''over 88,000 people'' dying on his watch during COVID-19 pandemic as of May 19, 2023.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230519100329/http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/comm/_partners/covid19_report_archive/covid19-data/covid19_data_latest.pdf COVID-19 Weekly Situation Report: State Overview] (archived from May 19, 2023).</ref><ref>[https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/florida-lawyer-fundraising-to-put-a-ron-deathsantis-billboard-outside-of-the-governors-mansion/Content?oid=27685346 Florida lawyer fundraising to put a Ron 'DeathSantis' billboard outside of the governor's mansion] by Colin Wolf (Jul 28, 2020 at 3:13 pm) ''Orlando Weekly''.</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/deathsantis-sign-creators-say-florida-governor-letting-coronavirus-flourish-1519454 'DeathSantis' Sign Creators Say Florida Governor Is Letting Coronavirus flourish] by Jocelyn Grzeszczak (7/21/20 at 2:14 PM EDT) ''Newsweek''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220114184006/https://twitter.com/dwuhlfelderlaw/status/1282266550884589568 Ron DeSatan is trying to kill his constituents] by Daniel Uhlfelder (3:52 AM - 12 Jul 2020) ''Twitter'' (archived from January 14, 2022).</ref> 

DeSantis gained national infamy for royally screwing up his state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, notably by banning [[Face masks|mask]] fines and taking action against local jurisdictions enforcing mask mandates.<ref>[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/florida-governor-lifts-all-restaurant-restrictions-bans-mask-fines-as-covid-19-spreads Florida governor lifts all restaurant restrictions, bans mask fines as COVID-19 spreads] (Sep 25, 2020 1:39 PM EDT) ''PBS''.</ref><ref>[https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/coronavirus/2021/03/18/coronavirus-desantis-lays-groundwork-overturn-local-mask-mandates/4748407001 Coronavirus: DeSantis lays groundwork to overturn local mask mandates, chides 'lockdown' states: A group of doctors Gov. Ron DeSantis convened for a discussion Thursday scoffed at the idea that mask mandates, school shutdowns and contact tracing did any good.] by Jane Musgrave (March 18, 2021) ''The Palm Beach Post''.</ref><ref>[https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/03/12/mask-mandates-desantis-and-florida-gop-lawmakers-take-aim-local-rules/6936589002 Gov. DeSantis looks ready to limit mask-wearing emergency orders by local governments] by John Kennedy (March 12, 2021) ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune''.</ref> Despite his state's worse-than-average death toll, DeSantis is fond of claiming his response has been a massive success, a claim echoed by many conservatives, while ranting against [[Evidence-based medicine|evidence-based restrictive measures]] taken to combat it.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/us/desantis-covid-florida-invs Putting 'politics in front of lives': DeSantis faces criticism over Florida's Covid-19 response] by Casey Tolan et al. (6:26 AM EST, Fri December 18, 2020) ''CNN''.</ref><ref>[https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-03-19/florida-desantis-covid-awful Dear news media, Fla. Gov. DeSantis’ COVID record isn’t a success, but a failure] by Michael Hiltzik (March 19, 2021 11:10 AM PT) ''Los Angeles Times''.</ref> To be just a tad more generous, the state did have a below average age standardized mortality rate than most other states during the pandemic, suggested in a study by The Lancet.<ref> [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00461-0/fulltext 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] by Thomas J Bollyky, JDa,† ∙ Emma Castro, MSb,† ∙ Aleksandr Y Aravkin, PhDb,c,d ∙ Kayleigh Bhangdia, MSb ∙ Jeremy Dalos, MScb ∙ Erin N Hulland, MPHb,e ∙ Samantha Kiernan, BAa ∙ Amy Lastuka, PhDb ∙ Theresa A McHugh, PhDb ∙ Samuel M Ostroff, PhDb,f ∙ Peng Zheng, PhDb,d ∙ Hamza Tariq Chaudhry, MSca,k ∙ Elle Ruggiero, BAa ∙ Isabella Turilli, BSa ∙ Prof Christopher Adolph, PhDg,h ∙ Joanne O Amlag, MPHb ∙ Bree Bang-Jensen, PhDj ∙ Ryan M Barber, BSb ∙ Austin Carter, MPHb ∙ Cassidy Chang, MSb ∙ Rebecca M Cogen, BAb ∙ James K Collins, BSb ∙ Xiaochen Dai, PhDb,d ∙ William James Dangel, MEdb ∙ Carolyn Dapper, MAb ∙ Amanda Deen, MPHb ∙ Alexandra Eastus, MSb,l ∙ Megan Erickson, MAb ∙ Tatiana Fedosseeva, MScb ∙ Abraham D Flaxman, PhDb,d ∙ Nancy Fullman, MPHb ∙ John R Giles, PhDb ∙ Gaorui Guo, MPHb ∙ Prof Simon I Hay, FMedScib,d ∙ Jiawei He, MScb ∙ Monika Helak, BAm ∙ Bethany M Huntley, BAb ∙ Vincent C Iannucci, BAb ∙ Kasey E Kinzel, MSPHb ∙ Kate E LeGrand, MPHb ∙ Beatrice Magistro, PhDn ∙ Ali H Mokdad, PhDb,d ∙ Hasan Nassereldine, MDb ∙ Yaz Ozten, MSb ∙ Maja Pasovic, MEdb ∙ David M Pigott, PhDb,d ∙ Robert C Reiner, Jr, PhDb,d ∙ Grace Reinke, MAb ∙ Austin E Schumacher, PhDb ∙ Elizabeth Serieux, PhDb ∙ Emma E Spurlock, MPHo,p ∙ Christopher E Troeger, MPHb ∙ Anh Truc Vo, BScb ∙ Prof Theo Vos, PhDb,d ∙ Rebecca Walcott, MPHi ∙ Shafagh Yazdani, MScb ∙ Prof Christopher J L Murray, DPhilb,d ∙ Joseph L Dieleman, PhDb,d , April 22, 2023, ''The Lancet''</ref> 

On March 2, 2022, he scolded students for wearing face masks at a press conference. Some removed their masks, others didn't, and DeSantis was called a bully for his Trumpian behavior.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/02/desantis-bully-masks-students-00013348 DeSantis called a ‘bully’ after he scolds students for wearing masks] by Andrew Atterbury (03/02/2022 04:51 PM EST) ''Politico''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/please-take-them-off-florida-s-desantis-scolds-masked-students-1.1731550 Please Take Them Off: Florida’s DeSantis Scolds Masked Students] by Nathan Crooks (Mar 2, 2022) ''BNN Bloomberg''.</ref> He appointed [[anti-vaxxer]] Joseph Ladapo, a vocal supporter of his COVID-19 policies, as Florida's surgeon general. Ladapo has a history of promoting unproven treatments against COVID-19, opposes COVID-19 vaccine requirements, has questioned the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, and has associated with [[America's Frontline Doctors]], a pro-Trump healthcare group known for promoting falsehoods about the pandemic.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joseph-ladapo-florida-surgeon-general-covid-19-vaccine-desantis Florida's new surgeon general opposes mandates, calls COVID-19 vaccines "nothing special"] by Li Cohen (September 23, 2021 / 7:38 AM) ''CBS News''.</ref><ref>[https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/573289-desantiss-new-surgeon-general-opposes-vaccine-mandates "DeSantis's new surgeon general opposes vaccine mandates] by Lexi Lonas (09/21/21 6:04 PM ET) ''The Hill''.</ref> Yes, a doctor who is okay with people dying is now surgeon general of Florida.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2021/09/29/how-a-doctor-who-questioned-vaccine-safety-became-desantis-surgeon-general-pick-1391488 How a doctor who questioned vaccine safety became DeSantis’ surgeon general pick] by Arek Sarkissian (09/29/2021 03:09 PM EDT; Updated: 10/01/2021 04:48 PM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref>

Stubbornly refusing to listen to health experts, DeSantis instead banned vaccine passports while claiming that the government banning a health and life-saving policy is "small government" or something.<ref>[https://www.flgov.com/2021/05/03/governor-ron-desantis-signs-landmark-legislation-to-ban-vaccine-passports-and-stem-government-overreach Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Landmark Legislation to Ban Vaccine Passports and Stem Government Overreach] (May 3, 2021) ''Florida Governor Ron DeSantis''.</ref> But in August 2021, Judge John Cooper ruled that DeSantis could not ban mask mandates in schools.<ref>[https://archive.ph/yQv7w Florida Judge Defies DeSantis Appeal, Allowing School Mask Rules] by Johnathan Levin (September 8, 2021) ''Bloomberg'' (archived from 9 Sep 2021 04:56:30 UTC).</ref> DeSantis immediately appealed, causing Cooper's ruling to be automatically suspended while the appeal was considered, but Cooper overruled that suspension on September 8, 2021, lifting DeSantis's ban, reasoning that unvaccinated children needed to be protected.<ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/27/us/florida-school-mask-ban-governor-desantis/index.html Judge rules against Florida Gov. DeSantis' ban on mask mandates in schools] by Leyla Santiago & Sara Weisfeldt (4:20 PM EDT, August 27, 2021) ''CNN''.</ref>

DeSantis also made an executive order allowing parents to not mask their students, stating that if the State Board of Education determines that "a district school board is unwilling or unable to comply with the law", the State Board therefore may "withhold the transfer of state funds, discretionary grant funds, discretionary [[lottery]] funds", or any "other funds specified as eligible for this purpose" by the legislature until the school district "complies with the law or state board rule and declare the school district ineligible for competitive grants." This is DeSantis threatening to starve schools of resources unless they obey him.<ref>[https://www.flgov.com/2021/07/30/governor-desantis-issues-an-executive-order-ensuring-parents-freedom-to-choose Governor DeSantis Issues an Executive Order Ensuring Parents’ Freedom to Choose] ''Florida Governor Ron DeSantis''.</ref> Instead of vaccines, DeSantis promoted an antibody COVID treatment by Regeneron, which was a major investment of DeSantis's largest political donor.<ref>[https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2021/08/18/florida-gov-ron-desantis-promotes-regeneron-covid-19-antibody-treatment-connected-to-donor/8169958002/ Florida Gov. DeSantis promotes Regeneron, a COVID-19 treatment connected to one of his largest donors] by Zac Anderson et al. (Published: 3:08 p.m. ET Aug. 18, 2021; Updated 4:25 p.m. ET Aug. 22, 2021) ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune''.</ref>

In September 2020, ignoring all advice to the contrary, DeSantis prohibited local governments from imposing fines or shutting down businesses for violations of mask mandates. The order also allowed restaurants to immediately reopen at full capacity and restricted local governments from ordering restaurants to operate at less than half-capacity.<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-florida-business-ron-desantis-donald-trump-e64376aba8306681b53d52956d15bcd7 Florida reopens state’s economy despite ongoing pandemic] by Bobby Caina Calvan (September 25, 2020) ''AP''.</ref> A Florida-based newspaper found that DeSantis not only ignored [[scientists]] and health experts, not only invited only people who agreed with him regarding the pandemic, but also deliberately misled the public on COVID multiple times.<ref>[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-coronavirus-florida-desantis-spin-ss-prem-20201203-tyjmgkos6bd7vo7vnripqliany-htmlstory.html Secrecy and spin: How Florida’s governor misled the public on the COVID-19 pandemic] by Cindy Krischer Goodman et al. (December 3, 2020 at 10:53 p.m.; Updated February 11, 2021 at 7:46 p.m.) ''South Florida Sun Sentinel''.</ref> DeSantis set up vaccination sites in wealthy communities affiliated with donors to his own political campaigns, showing that he absolutely knows vaccines are necessary to survive the pandemic yet plays favorites with those whose lives he actually prioritizes.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/01/florida-gov-desantis-accused-of-favoritism-in-distributing-covid-vaccine.html Florida Gov. DeSantis accused of favoritism in distributing Covid vaccine, Congress urged to investigate] by Will Feuer (Mar 1 2021) ''CNBC''.</ref> He later threatened to withhold COVID-19 vaccines from counties that criticized the manner in which vaccines were distributed, while continuing to distribute vaccines to people who supported his campaign.<ref>[https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/florida-governor-threatens-to-withhold-vaccine-from-area-that-criticized-him Shameful and inhumane: DeSantis threatens to withhold vaccine amid criticism: Pop-up vaccination site serves "whitest demographic, the richest demographic."] by Beth Mole (2/18/2021, 12:15 PM) ''Ars Technica''.</ref><ref>[https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-ron-desantis-vaccine-politics-20210217-cgew27q23fhknh7rpr3h4sf5dy-story.html ‘I wouldn’t be complaining.’ Gov. DeSantis threatens to pull coronavirus vaccine from communities that criticize distribution] by Richard Tribou (February 19, 2021) ''South Florida Sun Sentinel''.</ref>

On May 3, 2021, DeSantis signed an executive order officially rescinding the state of emergency and all COVID-19-related public health orders. This order superseded all local public health orders and prohibited municipalities from enacting any further public health order related to COVID-19.<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/03/florida-governor-desantis-suspends-all-remaining-covid-restrictions.html Florida Gov. DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions: ‘We are no longer in a state of emergency] by Amanda Macias (May 3 2021) ''CNBC''.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/05/03/desantis-signs-bill-banning-vaccine-passports-suspends-local-pandemic-restrictions DeSantis signs bill banning vaccine ‘passports,’ suspends local pandemic restrictions: DeSantis said ending local orders was the “evidence-based thing to do.”] by Lawrence Mower & Allison Ross (Published May 3, 2021; Updated May 4, 2021) ''Tampa Bay Times''.</ref><ref>[https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2021/05/03/desantis-suspends-covid-orders-and-signs-bill-limit-emergency-powers/4921768001 Florida Gov. DeSantis invalidates COVID rules statewide: No need to police people 'at this point'] by James Call (Published 11:26 a.m. ET May 3, 2021; Updated 5:02 p.m. ET May 5, 2021) ''Tallahassee Democrat''.</ref> While DeSantis had received the initial vaccine doses himself, he had been intentionally oblique about whether he had received any booster shots; ''[[stopped clock|even Trump]]'' has called him out for being an idiot and a coward over refusing to just say whether he got his shots and for not encouraging others to do so.<ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/485834-gutless-ron-desantis-booster-status-under-new-scrutiny-after-donald-trump-interview/ ‘Gutless’? Ron DeSantis’ booster status under new scrutiny after Donald Trump interview] by A.G. Gancarski (January 12, 2022) ''Florida Politics''.</ref>

In 2022 for political purposes, DeSantis completely reversed his views on COVID vaccine efficacy, falsely disparaging vaccines and "convening [[Pseudoskepticism|skeptics]] to buck guidance from the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/17/desantis-vaccine-reversal/ DeSantis reverses himself on coronavirus vaccines, moves to right of Trump: In a potential wedge issue for the 2024 primary, DeSantis is attacking the life-saving covid shots he once praised and promoted] by Isaac Arnsdorf (December 17, 2022 at 4:19 p.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

===Skepticism of artificial intelligence and transhumanism===
DeSantis has had a rare point of agreement with Senator [[Bernie Sanders]] in terms of their skepticism towards Big Tech companies amidst the "[[artificial intelligence]]"/[[large language model]] boom. The resource-intensive data centers these technologies rely on, which drive up electricity prices, have become one point of such conversation. Despite his disdain for local autonomy elsewhere, DeSantis proposes that localities should have the right to ban the construction of these facilities in their communities.<ref>Spencer Kimball (January 1, 2026). [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/01/ai-data-centers-bernie-sanders-ron-desantis-electricity-prices.html "Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis speak out against data center boom. It's a bad sign for AI industry"]. ''CNBC''.</ref>

Deriding the products themselves that these AI firms have produced as "mindless slop", DeSantis stated, "Let's not try to act like some type of fake videos or fake songs are going to deliver us to some kind of utopia."<ref name="AtterburyAIskeptic">Andrew Atterbury (December 27, 2025). [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/27/we-have-to-reject-that-with-every-fiber-of-our-being-desantis-emerges-as-a-chief-ai-skeptic-00704333 "'We have to reject that with every fiber of our being': DeSantis emerges as a chief AI skeptic"]. ''Politico''.</ref> DeSantis proposes that these technologies should be better regulated.<ref name="AtterburyAIskeptic"/> Befitting his Catholicism, he challenges the ideological [[transhumanism]] among some of the tech billionaires, like so:

{{cquote|The idea of this transhumanist strain, that somehow this is going to supplant humans and this other stuff, we have to reject that with every fiber of our being. We as individual human beings are the ones that were [[United States Declaration of Independence|endowed by God with certain inalienable rights]]. That's what our country was founded upon — they did not endow machines or these computers for this.|||<ref name="AtterburyAIskeptic"/>}}

==How he became the "Smarter Trump"==
[[File:Ron DeSantis (52289908832).jpg|thumb|right|325px|DeSantis in [[Arizona]] during the 2022 primary season.]]
The reason he stands out so much is because he's smarter than the average Trump thug, being able to bounce between power bases easily: he was once a [[Tea Party]] goon while in the [[Freedom Caucus]] before jumping on the Trump bandwagon, then going on the anti-vax and anti-mask chariot during COVID. When he goes on an "anti-woke" tirade, that's him oppressing sexual and gender minorities while painting those same disadvantaged minorities as part of the elite. It's not supposed to make sense&nbsp;— it's supposed to rile his base up so that he can crush any and all opposition to capital, and increasingly, all criticisms of his rule. He doesn't piss off as many people as Trump because he knows how to frame his extremism as if it's [[rational]]: instead of actively going after trans kids, he instead frames it as if parents of trans kids are "groomers", which is simply untrue but it ''sounds'' better to the average suburbanite compared to Trump, who actively incites violence against everyone he hates. 

As another example, when he was running for president, Trump was asked a question about the [[minimum wage]]. Trump did not say that the minimum wage shouldn't increase. He said wages are ''too high'' and that wages should be ''lower''.<ref>[https://www.vox.com/2015/11/10/9710014/donald-trump-wages-too-high Donald Trump, a literal billionaire, just said on national TV that wages are too high] by Dylan Matthews (Nov 10, 2015, 9:40pm EST) ''Vox''.</ref> But DeSantis doesn't do that. Instead, he says that it is "not the time" to raise wages, he says it shouldn't be a state constitutional amendment, he recites the usual GOP party line of wages "hurting businesses", and he says that there are problems with raising wages regardless of how one feels about it. This tactic which muddies the waters and tries to put the onus on supporters of wage increases.<ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/380065-gov-ron-desantis-urges-floridians-to-shoot-down-15-minimum-wage-amendment Gov. Ron DeSantis urges Floridians to shoot down $15 minimum wage amendment] by Jason Delgad (November 2, 2020) ''Florida Politics''.</ref> But just like Trump, DeSantis is transparently corrupt, nakedly [[bias]]ed in favor of the rich, and openly boorish towards anyone who criticizes him; he just talks more like a politician so so as to skate by the media much more easily.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHHmeT7c1Bw Ron DeSantis' Corruption Scandal EXPOSED] (May 4, 2022) ''YouTube''. A video explaining his corruption and showing his quote on the minimum wage.</ref> This however was not enough to stop Florida from increasing its minimum wage from $8 to $10 an hour in late 2021, with $15 an hour being the target a few years later.<ref>[https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2021/09/27/floridas-minimum-wage-increases-thursday-despite-opposition/5884291001 Florida's minimum wage increases on Thursday despite opposition] by Jim Turner (Sept. 27, 2021) ''Pensacola News Journal''.</ref>

Everything he's done as Governor boils down to him being an attention whore. He jumps into every single major [[culture war]] topic of the day, like a YouTuber or streamer chasing trends, so he can stay relevant to the news cycle and remind people he still exists. He wants to flex his power as governor, he wants to be the next strongman, and he wants to model his "imperial governorship" for a future imperial presidency; he provides a model for authoritarians to use government to punish critics far more competently than Trump. He can't be away from the bright lights forever, otherwise he becomes forgotten and irrelevant, so he has to be crueler and crueler with every new thing he does to stay in the spotlight. He needs to stand out next to all the other far-right troglodytes.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/22/politics/governor-desantis-imperial-governorship-analysis Ron DeSantis flexes the raw power of his imperial governorship] by Maeve Reston (2:19 AM EDT, April 22, 2022) ''CNN''.</ref> His salvo against Disney, for instance, is not about changing the company. He wants the clout, the talking point that he took on the most powerful American pop culture monopoly in history. He doesn't care if it will actually increases taxes on Floridians. He doesn't care if it actually fails. He wants to be known as the governor who fought Disney. He needs that notch on his belt. It always goes back to what he wants for himself, and no one else.<ref>[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/desantis-disney-florida-legislature.html Ron DeSantis vs. the Mouse] by Jim Newell ( April 22, 2022 • 11:01 AM) ''Slate''.</ref><ref>[https://www.vox.com/23036009/disney-culture-war-desantis-florida-dont-say-gay How Disney found itself in the middle of a culture war] by Alex Abad-Santos (Apr 22, 2022, 6:00am EDT) ''Vox''.</ref>

==2024 presidential campaign==
DeSantis kicked off his campaign with Elon Musk on the newly-launched "Twitter Spaces" — it was marked by a high level of technical difficulties, known by wags as the "DeSaster".<ref name=rubin>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/28/desantis-announcement-musk-twitter-technical-issues/ Technical issues weren’t Ron DeSantis’s biggest problem] by Jennifer Rubin (May 28, 2023 at 7:45 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Beyond the #DeSaster, content-wise, DeSantis failed to critique his likely opponent in the primary election (Trump), or even the likely opponent in the general election ([[Joe Biden]]).<ref name=rubin/> Instead, DeSantis focused on things that ordinary people do not care about, and did not explain what the acronyms mean or why they should care about the subjects: [[Bitcoin]], [[DEI]] (diversity, equity and inclusion) and ESG (environmental, social and governance investing).<ref name=rubin/>

He was publicly mocked by presidents [[Joe Biden]], who tweeted out "This link works", with a link to his donation page<ref>https://archive.ph/20230525080427/https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1661496322980028423</ref>, and his big competitor [[Donald Trump]], who posted on his own social media, [[Social media platforms#Truth Social|Truth Social]], a satirical video of a fake Twitter Spaces event, with figures such as [[International Jewish conspiracy|(((]][[George Soros]][[International Jewish conspiracy|)))]], [[Klaus Schwab]], [[Dick Cheney]], [[Adolf Hitler]], and [[Satan|the Devil]] in attendance.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/politics/desantis-twitter-trump-reaction.html</ref>

===Climate change denialism===
[[File:C-Change Conversations presentation in April 2023 in Florida (Sea level rise by temp increase).jpg|thumb|right|365px|Florida ''will'' sink into the sea — it's only a question of how much.]]
Shortly after his own DeSaster, DeSantis spoke on [[Fox News]], claiming that Hurricane Ian in 2022 was not related to [[climate change]] (climate scientists on the other hand had reported that it had 10% more rainfall due to climate change), and DeSantis made the statement, "This [hurricane frequency] is something that is a fact of life in the Sunshine state. I’ve always rejected the politicization of the weather." DeSantis was intentionally or ignorantly conflating weather (short-term events) with climate (long-term weather behavior)<ref name=milman>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/28/ron-desantis-climate-crisis-campaign DeSantis accused of ‘catastrophic’ climate approach after campaign launch: Republican ‘trying to out-Trump Trump’ on climate, expert says, as governor says he rejects the ‘politicization of the weather’] by Oliver Milman (28 May 2023 06.00 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> For this statement, climate scientist Michael Mann accused DeSantis of [[psychological projection]], stating:<ref name=milman/>
{{cquote|It is Ron DeSantis who is engaged in the ‘politicization of the weather’ by denying basic, established science&nbsp;– the intensification of tropical storms with human-caused warming of the oceans.}}
DeSantis' direct engagement with climate change denialism is not surprising given {{sl|Environment|his previous anti-environmental actions}}.

===Nonsensical politicization===
In August 2023, DeSantis rejected participating in a $350 million rebate program from the {{wpl|Inflation Reduction Act}} to help Floridians improve the energy efficiency of their homes.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/30/desantis-refuses-biden-climate-ira-money-00113397 "DeSantis tells Biden: Keep your IRA money"] by Jennifer Haberkorn, Politico, 2023 August 30</ref> While DeSantis offered no explanation for the veto, the move was seen by many as logically nonsensical and a sign that DeSantis was clearly "choosing political ambition over the people of Florida", as one resident put it.<ref>[https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/08/16/floridians-stung-by-desantis-veto-that-cost-346m-in-energy-saving-programs/ "Floridians stung by DeSantis veto that cost $346M in energy-saving programs"] by Jeffrey Schweers, Orlando Sentinel, 2023 August 16</ref>

On August 30, 2023, {{wpl|Hurricane Idalia}} slammed into the {{wpl|Big Bend (Florida)|"Big Bend" region}} of Florida, causing considerable damage. As is customary for significant natural disasters, [[Joe Biden]] flew in to survey some of the damage and announce relief efforts. However, DeSantis chose to snub bipartisan custom and did not appear with Biden. ([[Rick Scott]] joined Biden instead.)<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/02/biden-desantis-hurricane-00113833 "After DeSantis no-show, Scott stands next to Biden in Florida"] by Myah Ward and Adam Cancryn, Politico, 2023 September 2</ref> Though DeSantis bizarrely cited logistics, most people clearly saw the reasoning for the snub as purely political. It is possible that DeSantis remembered the criticism from extremist Republicans for being "too friendly with the enemy" in 2012 when [[Barack Obama]] met with then-New Jersey governor [[Chris Christie]] after [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/us/politics/biden-florida-idalia-desantis.html "In Florida, Even a Hurricane Can’t Sweep Away Presidential Politics"] by Michael D. Shear and Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 2023 September 2</ref>

===Obsession with wokeness===
Despite only 1% of Americans saying "[[woke|wokeness]]" is the most important issue facing the country in an April 2023 poll,<ref>[https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/04/Fox_April-21-24-2023_National_Topline_April-26-Release.pdf Fox News / Beacon Research / Shaw Research poll,] conducted April 21-24 2023</ref> and the majority of Americans seeing the term "woke" as a positive,<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/08/gop-war-woke-most-americans-see-term-positive-ipsos-poll/11417394002/ "A GOP war on 'woke'? Most Americans view the term as a positive, USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds"] by Susan Page, USA Today, 2023 March 8</ref> DeSantis made "anti-woke" ''the'' central theme of his 2024 presidential campaign. As used by DeSantis (and many other populist [[conservatives]]), "woke" is a generic [[snarl word]] which has no clear definition.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/05/desantis-florida-woke-critical-race-theory/ "What does ‘woke’ mean? Whatever Ron DeSantis wants."] by Philip Bump, Washington Post, 2022 December 5</ref> Such vapidness hasn't stopped DeSantis from frequently and repeatedly using the word ''a lot'' in his campaign speeches. In a part of one speech from June 2023, DeSantis managed to say "woke" seven times in 26 seconds.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/173242/ron-desantis-says-woke-out-of-touch-remarks "Ron DeSantis Says Woke Seven Times in 26 Seconds in Wildly Out of Touch Remarks"] by Prem Thakker, New Republic, 2023 June 5</ref> At another speech given at the [[Moms for Liberty]] conference in the same month, DeSantis outdid his previous "woke" speedrun by saying "woke" six times in 19 seconds.<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/video-ron-desantis-saying-woke-six-times-19-seconds-goes-viral-1810299 "Video of Ron DeSantis Saying 'Woke' Six Times in 19 Seconds Goes Viral"] by James Bickerton, Newsweek, 2023 July 1</ref>

Because of this "anti-woke" emphasis, DeSantis will happily wade into any [[culture war]] controversy involving "woke", no matter how silly or irrelevant it may be. Ordinary politicians, for instance, would probably view the {{wpl|2023 Bud Light boycott||,}} where certain [[transphobic]] types got mad that parent company {{wpl|AB Inbev}} briefly partnered with a [[transgender]] [[TikTok]] influencer{{efn|Dylan Mulvaney — whose polled favorability turned out to be higher than DeSantis's.<ref>Ewan Palmer (July 14, 2023). [https://www.newsweek.com/dylan-mulvaney-poll-ron-desantis-favorable-1812409 "Dylan Mulvaney Has Higher Favorability Rating Than Ron DeSantis, Polls Show"]. ''Newsweek''.</ref>}} to market their Bud Light [[beer]], as a trivial matter of little importance to a national presidential campaign. Not DeSantis — in July 2023, he made a point to publicly announce that the state of Florida was looking into suing AB InBev for this triviality, calling it an association with "radical social ideologies".<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/politics/desantis-letter-bud-light-company/index.html "DeSantis calls for state investment manager to consider action against Bud Light’s parent company"] by Steve Contorno and Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 2023 July 21</ref> In an interview from Fox News when he was asked about why he should be elected, DeSantis stated that he will "destroy wokeism & leftism".<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/30/ron-desantis-fox-news-interview-destroy-leftism</ref> DeSantis has clamped down heavily on leftist and liberal dissidents and protesters since his time in office.

===Bizarre extreme homophobia and flirtations with the manosphere===
In June 30 2023, just before a spokesman for a super PAC backing DeSantis acknowledged that he was "way behind" in national polling,<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/04/politics/ron-desantis-donald-trump-steve-cortes/index.html "DeSantis super PAC spokesman acknowledges campaign is ‘way behind’ Trump"] by Kit Maher and Jeff Zeleny, CNN, 2023 July 4</ref> the DeSantis campaign decided to try a new tactic to prop up his flailing campaign: proudly claiming that he was more [[homophobic]] and [[transphobic]] than [[Donald Trump]] (whose record on [[LGBTQ+]] issues is anything but sympathetic).<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/07/ron-desantis-doubles-down-homophobic-video "Ron DeSantis Doubles Down on Homophobic Video as “Totally Fair Game”"] by Caleb Ecarma, Vanity Fair, 2023 July 6</ref> To support this new tactic, the "DeSantis War Room" Twitter account accused Trump of celebrating {{wpl|Pride Month}} "more than any other Republican". To punctuate this claim, the tweet also included a video produced by a DeSantis campaign aide (which was posted on a Twitter account called "Proud Elephant" in an attempt to make the video appear as if it was generated independently.)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230705124512/https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1674899610379116546 "To wrap up “Pride Month,” let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…",] DeSantis War Room (@DeSantisWarRoom), Twitter, 2023 June 30, archived on 2023 July 5</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/23/us/politics/desantis-campaign-reboot.html "The Sputtering DeSantis Campaign Looks for a Restart"] by Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 23 July 2023</ref> The video juxtaposed clips of Trump verbally showing support for LGBTQ+ people with clips celebrating the shocked newspaper headlines generated from some of DeSantis' most egregious anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.<ref>[https://www.businessinsider.com/desantis-campaign-homophobic-transphobic-ad-backlash-2023-7 "A video shared by DeSantis' campaign showing his disdain for Pride is another piece of his 'extremely homophobic' campaign, law instructor says"] by Hannah Getahun, Business Insider, 2023 July 8</ref>

The extremely blatant homophobia in the video was naturally criticized by [[progressives]], but it also attracted criticism from [[conservatives]] as well, particularly LGBTQ+ conservatives, who surprisingly exist despite American conservatism consistently going against their own interests. The [[Log Cabin Republicans]] called the advertisement "divisive and desperate". {{wpl|Caitlyn Jenner}} accused DeSantis' campaign of using "horribly divisive tactics" and wrote that "DeSantis has hit a new low".<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/desantis-trump-lgbtq-transgender-homophobia-republicans-campaign-d6ec4cd13c8859ea7fbc352706373952 "An anti-Trump video shared by the DeSantis campaign is ‘homophobic,’ says a conservative LGBT group"] by Jill Colvin, AP News, 2023 July 1</ref> The video also reportedly directly led to internal drama within the {{wpl|Gays Against Groomers}} group.<ref>[https://www.advocate.com/politics/gays-against-groomers-desantis-video "Gays Against Groomers Takes Hit in Membership in Wake of DeSantis’s Homophobia"] by Christopher Wiggins, The Advocate, 2023 July 6</ref> 

The video was also seen by some commentators as one of "the weirdest ad(s) in american political history".<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/174074/ron-desantis-just-posted-one-weirdest-vile-ads-political-history "Is This the Weirdest Ad in American Political History?"] by Prem Thakker, New Republic, 2023 July 3</ref> This is because, aside from the headlines and Trump clips, the video was punctuated with depictions of obscure, bizarre [[memes]] from the [[manosphere]]- which only edgy fourteen-year-old boys even get. (Yep, that's right, ''people who cannot even vote.'') Some of the memes included were "[[Manosphere glossary#Chad|gigachad"]] and other "Chad" memes; serial killer cum [[Cannibalism|cannibal]] Patrick Bateman from ''{{wpl|American Psycho (film)|American Psycho|;}}'' corrupt fraudster Jordan Belfort from ''{{wpl|The Wolf of Wall Street (2013 film)|The Wolf of Wall Street|;}}'' [[gang]]ster Thomas Shelby from ''{{wpl|Peaky Blinders (TV series)|Peaky Blinders|,}}'' and Achilles from ''{{wpl|Troy (film)|Troy|.}}'' All of these memes reflect fictional characters that the manosphere saw as examples of either "[[Manosphere glossary#Alpha|alpha]]" or "[[Manosphere glossary#Sigma|sigma]]" men.<ref name="politicobizarre">[https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/07/08/ron-desantis-memes-lgbtq-ad-00105238 "We Investigated the Deepest, Darkest Corners of the Internet to Understand Ron DeSantis’ Bizarre New Video"] by Ian Ward, Politico, 2023 July 8</ref>{{efn|Never mind that Achilles has been depicted as homosexual in certain parts of Greek literature. ({{wpl|Achilles and Patroclus}})<ref name="politicobizarre"/><ref>[https://pharos.vassarspaces.net/2023/07/13/ron-desantis-achilles-brad-pitt-transphobia-anti-lgbtq/ A Homeric Warrior Against LGBTQ Rights] (July 13, 2023) ''Pharos''.</ref> It also remains unclear why DeSantis and the manosphere actually thinks that adoration of a ''fictional serial killer'' (Bateman) actually reflects well on their culture.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/article/174120/ron-desantis-embrace-american-psycho-patrick-bateman "Ron DeSantis’s Ghoulish Embrace of American Psycho Patrick Bateman"] by Robert Schlesinger, New Republic, 2023 July 6</ref>}} Perhaps with a touch of [[Haggard's Law]], the extremely homophobic video also depicted several shots of male [[bodybuilding|bodybuilders]] flexing their bulging muscles; this confusing contradiction, which gave the video a bit of a homoerotic vibe, was noted and criticized by (among others) [[Pete Buttigieg]].<ref name="politicobizarre"/><ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ron-desantis-ad-video-trans-lgbtq-rcna92392 "Ron DeSantis boosts a video that all but calls for eliminating trans people"] by Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC, 2023 July 3</ref>

===Tweeting videos with neo-Nazi imagery===
In late July 2023, more headlines were made when a Twitter account called "Ron DeSantis Fancams" tweeted a video with yet even more obscure online imagery from the [[alt-right]]. The video initially featured a "doomer" (a variation of the [[Alt-right glossary#NPC|Wojak]] [[meme]])<ref>[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doomer Know Your Meme, "Doomer"]</ref> looking unhappy as he saw headlines of [[Donald Trump]]'s various policy failures as well as his initial promotion of the [[COVID-19 vaccine]]. The "doomer" then became happier when DeSantis appeared on the screen and a montage of clips played that included military motifs as well as headlines highlighting DeSantis' anti-[[LGBTQ+]], anti-education, and anti-immigration policies. Finally and most controversially, the video ended with DeSantis' face, flanked by marching military personnel, superimposed on a "[[sonnenrad]]" symbol (an ancient pagan European symbol that unfortunately was appropriated by [[Nazis]], and subsequently has been used by [[neo-Nazi]] groups).<ref>[https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/sonnenrad "Sonnenrad",]Anti-Defamation League hate symbol reference page</ref><ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-nazi-symbol-campaign-sonnenrad-1814801 "Outrage as DeSantis Staffer 'Retweets' Nazi Symbol Video: 'Disgusting'"] by Ewan Palmer, Newsweek, 2023 July 24</ref><ref>[https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/25/ron-desantis-campaign-neo-nazi-sonnenrad-florida-flag/70455283007/ "A video retweeted by a DeSantis staffer stirred new controversy. Was there a Nazi symbol?"] by Edward Bunch III, Pensacola News Journal, 2023 July 25</ref>{{efn|Ironically, the clip used a cover of the Kate Bush song ''{{wpl|Running Up That Hill||.}}'' The lyrics of this song imagine a scenario where a man and a woman make "a deal with God" to exchange places. Naturally, some [[transgender]] individuals have interpreted this as an allegory for their experience.<ref>[https://www.axios.com/2023/07/25/desantis-campaign-video-nazi-symbol-sonnenrad "DeSantis team fires aide who secretly made video with Nazi symbol"] by Alex Thompson, Axios, 2023 July 25</ref><ref>[https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/kate-bush-running-up-that-hill-stranger-things-fandom "Thanks to 'Stranger Things' and Queer Fans, It's Kate Bush Summer"] by Kurt Suchman, Thrilllist, 2022 July 1</ref>}} 

Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that a DeSantis campaign staff member was involved in the creation of this video. The creator was identified as Nate Hochman, a former staff writer at [[National Review]]<ref>[https://www.nationalreview.com/author/nate-hochman/ Nate Hochman,] National Review profile</ref> who was hired as a speechwriter for DeSantis in March 2023.<ref name="bulwarkhochman">[https://www.thebulwark.com/desantis-finds-his-voice-a-natcon-culture-warrior-who-praised-a-prominent-white-nationalist/ "DeSantis Finds His Voice: A NatCon Culture Warrior Who Praised a Prominent White Nationalist"] by Tim Miller, The Bulwark, 2023 March 24</ref> Hochman had previously raised some eyebrows when in August 2022, the conservative political journal {{wpl|The Dispatch}} noted that he participated in a [[Twitter]] Spaces conversation with [[neo-Nazi]] [[Nick Fuentes]] in December 2021, where Hochman agreed with such statements as "women are goofy... they should have no authority over men" and "50 percent of American whites are, like, shitlibs now".<ref name="bulwarkhochman"/><ref>[https://thedispatch.com/article/the-new-right-finds-a-home-at-the/ "The New Right Finds a Home at the Intersection of Populism and Elitism"] by Alec Dent, Dispatch, 2022 August 5</ref> As part of a general downsizing of the troubled DeSantis campaign, Hochman was fired from the campaign on July 25 2023.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-fires-staffer-retweeted-video-nazi-imagery-rcna96285 "Ron DeSantis fires staffer who retweeted video with Nazi imagery"] by Allan Smith and Katherine Doyle, NBC News, 2023 July 25</ref>

Given the connection to the DeSantis campaign, some critics saw this as definitive proof that DeSantis at best looked the other way at his [[fascist]] supporters, and at worst outright embraced fascism itself.<ref>[https://newrepublic.com/post/174555/desantis-staffer-reportedly-shares-video-desantis-giant-nazi-symbol "Mask Off: DeSantis Staffer Reportedly Shares Video of DeSantis and Giant Nazi Symbol"] by Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, New Republic, 2023 July 24</ref>

===The end===
After months of internal drama (such as the above) and a mediocre second place in the Iowa caucus (winning far, far less delegates than [[Donald Trump]]), on January 21 2024, DeSantis suspended his 2024 Republican primary campaign, and endorsed Trump.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/ron-desantis-planning-drop-presidential-bid-sunday-rcna134953 "Ron DeSantis suspends his presidential bid and endorses Trump"] by Alec Hernández, Matt Dixon, Dasha Burns and Jonathan Allen, NBC News, 2024 January 21</ref>

==Possible homosexuality==
In June 2023, former NASA administrator {{wpl|Jim Bridenstine}} claimed (while speaking on stage to a sizable crowd at a DeSantis 2024 event) that he and DeSantis used to have showers during meetings in his basement. [[Haggard's Law]] as usual.<ref>[https://www.comicsands.com/bridenstine-desantis-daily-shower-together-2661270049.html "Former GOP Rep. Says He Used To 'Shower' Daily With DeSantis 'In The Basement'—And We Have Questions"], Alan Herrera, ''Comic Sands'' 13 June 2023</ref>

==Stopped clock==
DeSantis has passed a law preventing antisemitic acts from occurring across Florida, although unfortunately this also applies to any legitimate criticisms of Israel.<ref>[https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article286099031.html Florida bill defining antisemitism passes unanimously in Senate, moves to DeSantis] Miami Herald</ref> Another law he signed off on made it easier for the wrongfully convicted to be compensated for their imprisonment.<ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/745284-gov-desantis-signs-clean-hands-repeal-to-ease-compensation-for-the-wrongly-imprisoned/ Gov. DeSantis signs ‘clean hands’ repeal to ease compensation for the wrongly imprisoned], Florida Politics</ref>

He attempted to penalize Andrew Tate upon his coming to the United States, stating, “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct.”<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/andrew-tate-tristan-back-desantis-trump-maga-76aeb91a9654aa99ad0ff354334bb149/ After the Tate brothers return to the US, DeSantis says they are not welcome Here’s what to know]  AP News</ref>

He’s also come out against [[Kristi Noem]] after she revealed in her book that she killed her dog Cricket, even going as far as releasing an ad taking shots at Noem, a bipartisan effort which he undertook alongside other republicans and even democrats.<ref>[https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/05/01/puppy-killing-kristi-noem-may-have-brought-us-together/ Puppy-killing Kristi Noem may have brought us together] South Dakota Searchlight</ref>

==He was the future, once==
[[File:2022 Florida gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|thumb|right|250px|DeSantis' landslide reelection in 2022, essentially solidifying Florida as a red state.]]

Unlike Andrew Gillum, who stepped away from public life after losing, DeSantis forced himself into the spotlight ever since 2020, taking full advantage of the Republican Party's far-right shift to set himself up as an aspiring wannabe strongman. In a world where everyone fears the emergence of a so-called Smarter Trump, DeSantis is usually named as exactly that — an heir apparent to American [[fascism]] who uses every measure possible to green-light murder against protesters and pushing for even more LGBT kids to commit suicide.

Perhaps that's why DeSantis later distanced himself from Trump. Come 2022, DeSantis became one of many Republican presidential hopefuls who prodded or outright criticized Trump's record, particularly once the true weight of Trump's COVID inaction and apologia for [[Vladimir Putin|dictators who oppose the United States]] really started setting in.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/15/2024-republicans-trump-shadow-00017212 "ovid, Russia and crime: GOP presidential hopefuls take swipes at Trump’s record] by Alex Isenstadt (03/15/2022 04:31 AM EDT) ''Politico''.</ref>

His relative youth compared to Trump means DeSantis will always be seen as a potential future presidential hopeful until he retires from politics or suffers a defeat so humiliating that he simply can't move forward anymore. But what makes him at least ''perceived'' as a smarter Trump is that he seamlessly combines the [[elite]]s with the [[populist]]s within the party. DeSantis is not some pretender or a faker, he's a true believer, having "developed [[reactionary]] suspicions of democracy" years before Trump ever made noises about running for president. In fact, DeSantis once [[Irony|wrote a book warning of the dangers of a megalomaniacal president who threatened to destroy the foundations of the republic]]… except he was talking about Obama, not Trump (nor himself).<ref name=vanity/><ref name=brockell/><ref>[https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-desantis-trumpism.html Is Ron DeSantis the Future of Trumpism?] by Johnathan Chait (Mar. 29, 2022) ''New York Magazine''.</ref>

He won’t be eligible to run in the 2026 gubernatorial election due to term limits, but he will be able to run again for a hypothetical third term in 2030.<ref>[http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=constitution&submenu=3&tab=statutes#A04S05 Constitution Of the State of Florida: As revised in 1968 and subsequently amended] ''The Florida Legislature ''.</ref>

==Fall From Grace: From DeFuture to DeFailure==
Which makes this next segment even funnier. His autocratic style of leadership, which was so helpful to him early in his governorship, is now a genuine liability ever since his humiliating defeat in the 2024 primaries. Florida Republicans no longer fear him, no longer respect him, and no longer see him as a threat to their careers. Here stands a man isolated from the national political stage, feuding with his once blindingly loyal Florida legislature who now regard him as damaged goods. Their subservience gave way to "open dissent" and "bitter hostility," which now means DeSantis "lost the ability to push things through." His agenda has halted. <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/20/ron-desantis-florida-governor-fall "Ron DeSantis’s fall from grace: ‘He’s completely crashed to the ground," The Guardian]</ref> He regularly trashes his own party and legislature in public, <ref>[https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/gop-infighting-in-tallahassee-gets-heated/3593755/ "GOP infighting in Tallahassee gets heated," Hatzel Vela, NBC Miami]</ref> he frequently loses his temper at members of his own party, he accuses them of conducting smear campaigns against him, he's accused by his own party of lying about them and lying to them, <ref>[https://floridapolitics.com/archives/732753-bad-blood-daniel-perez-rips-ron-desantis-temper-tantrums-and-lies/ "Bad blood: Daniel Perez rips Ron DeSantis’ ‘temper tantrums’ and ‘lies’," Florida Politics]</ref> he bristles at even the mildest criticisms according to the Speaker of the Florida House,<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-republican-revolt-florida-everglades-funding-2063210 "Ron DeSantis Faces Republican Revolt in Florida," Newsweek]</ref> and he's so intransigent that they can't even agree to pass a goddamn budget in the Florida Legislature because he's demanding even deeper tax cuts and public spending cuts that even the Florida Senate thinks goes too far. The Florida Senate refused to confirm some of his nominees due to their ties to a corruption scandal (and he refused to withdraw their nominations),<ref>[https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/04/21/don-gaetz-senate-wont-confirm-two-of-desantiss-top-health-care-secretaries/ "Don Gaetz: Senate won’t confirm two of DeSantis’s top health care secretaries," Florida Phoenix]</ref> both Florida chambers are ignoring many of his directives, some bills that reverse some of his policies are being considered, and they refused to pass one of his signature bills, and in response, he's hilariously and hysterically accusing the Florida Republicans of being leftists. <ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/florida-republicans-aren-t-putting-up-with-ron-desantis-temper-tantrums-anymore-opinion/ar-AA1Ebyhf "Florida Republicans aren't putting up with Ron DeSantis' temper tantrums anymore," Florida Phoenix, archived via MSN]</ref> 

That signature bill, by the way? It would have made it a state crime for the undocumented to cross the "sacred border" of Florida, "even though some will have legally sought asylum and most are not, by any stretch of the imagination, criminals." If a cop was not enforcing this law, that bill would've given DeSantis the power to arrest that cop. They chose to not even consider his bill then drafted their own anti-immigration bill that is still hateful but slightly less extreme, and he threatened to veto their bill if it passed the Senate. <ref>[https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/03/tallahassees-going-looney-tunes-over-immigration/ "Tallahassee’s going Looney Tunes over immigration," Diane Roberts, Florida Phoenux]</ref> DeSantis even threatened to unleash the "financial power" of the Florida Freedom Fund, a political committee he used last year "to help defeat proposed constitutional amendments on recreational marijuana and abortion rights." He plans to back his preferred candidates in the 2026 primaries and maintain his hold on the state for as long as humanely possible.<ref>[https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-01-31/desantis-immigration-standoff-gop-primaries "Amid immigration standoff, DeSantis vows to unleash 'financial power' in GOP primaries," WLRN]</ref>

Here's another example of his lame-duck status. DeSantis is so obsessed with being anti-woke that he signed a bill banning children from attending drag shows. The courts struck down his bill, then struck down his appeal. He even tried to get the U.S. Supreme Court to undo the district court’s injunction, but they said no. <ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/ron-desantis-anti-drag-law-florida-loses-rcna206587 "Ron DeSantis’ anti-drag law in Florida loses in court (yes, again)," Rachel Maddow, MSNBC]</ref> As per Florida law, governors have very broad ability to appoint whoever they want as state university presidents, so DeSantis installed a bunch of his allies who are thereafter tasked with purging any and all "ideological" (read: leftist) education. One such ally turned out to be Jeanette Nunez, DeSantis' former lieutenant governor, who became interim president at her alma mater, FIU. The Florida Legislature advanced a bill that would strip the State University System’s Board of Governors (BOG) and State Board of Education of their power to approve university and college presidents, "leaving it up to the institutions’ trustees and search committees." The bill would also prohibit Board of Governors members from sitting on search committees and reverse "heightened secrecy" that the Legislature and DeSantis imposed for presidential searches in 2022, "reopening records about presidential searches under Florida’s public records laws." The bill would also "impose term limits on State Board of Education members (two four-year terms), college trustees (eight consecutive years), university trustees (10 consecutive years), and Board of Governors members (one seven-year term)" and require them to disclose their financial records. All these measures would fully block DeSantis and future governors from stacking universities with their minions. <ref>[https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/03/12/desantis-installs-allies-at-state-universities-in-purge-of-ideological-concepts/ "DeSantis installs allies at state universities in purge of ‘ideological concepts’," Florida Phoenix]</ref>  Here's yet another example. DeSantis actively cooperated with ICE, arresting over a thousand people believed to be undocumented immigrants.<ref>[https://www.newsweek.com/florida-ice-operations-hundreds-arrested-local-law-enforcement-2067015 "Weeklong ICE Operation in Florida Leads to 1,100 Arrests," Newsweek]</ref> A Miami-based judge blocked the enforcement of a new state law that makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants to enter Florida after illegally crossing into the United States. DeSantis was so livid that he accused the judge of having "no authority" to undermine him. But the judge refused to back down and essentially told DeSantis to stew on it. <ref>[https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article306256101.html "Top Florida officials ramp up criticism of judge who blocked state immigration arrests," Miami Herald]</ref> The Florida Legislature's decision to ignore DeSantis on immigration added salt to the governor's wound in January 2025. <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/27/desantis-immigration-proposal-florida-republicans "Florida Republicans deliver humiliating rebuke to DeSantis’s immigration plan," The Guardian]</ref>

===Corruption scandal===
It gets worse once you see what's going on with Casey DeSantis, his wife and First Lady. First some context: Casey is very interested in running for governor in 2026. She is already an unofficial political advisor to her husband and her husband resolutely endorses her. If she runs and wins, then he gets to be First Gentleman and would most likely retain some form of political influence in his wife's hypothetical future administration. But things hit a snag. Casey founded a charity wing in 2021, ostensibly designed to improve welfare for citizens. But that charity wing failed to file tax documents as required by law. For some more context we direct you to Centene, a company that provides managed care to seniors on Medicaid, was charged with overbilling taxpayers for medications. Centene paid a $67 million settlement with the state of Florida. But investigators found that $10 million of the settlement was paid directly to a non-profit group, Hope Florida. That's a charity founded by Gov. DeSantis' wife, Casey, to "help people move off government assistance into community-based programs." Hope Florida transferred the $10 million to two "dark money" political groups — groups that aren't required to disclose their donors. The two groups sent $8.5 million to a political committee that was campaigning against an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. It was a group controlled by James Utheimer, who was DeSantis' chief of staff at the time. In other words, money that was stolen from seniors, reimbursed by the state, was then partially redirected by the governor who funded a group that successfully stopped weed from being legal in the state. Even Republican lawmakers denounced this as illegal. Trump's endorsement of Byron Donalds over Casey DeSantis is widely viewed in Florida as a rebuke to DeSantis, who has made enemies of his allies like it's a national sport.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/18/florida-first-lady-casey-desantis-governor-charity-scandal "How a scandal could knock the wind out of the Florida first lady’s political sails," The Guardian]</ref> <ref>[https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-04-24/a-developing-political-scandal-in-florida-has-gov-ron-desantis-on-the-defensive "Developing Political Scandal in Florida has Ron DeSantis on the Defensive," WUSF]</ref> In response Florida Republicans launched an inquiry into the DeSantis administration’s spending habits.<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-house-probes-desantis-administration-spending-amid-budget-tensions/ "Florida House probes DeSantis administration spending amid budget tensions," CBS News]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Vivek Ramaswamy]]
*[[Nikki Haley]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==External links==
*[https://transdatalibrary.org/person/ron-desantis/ Trans Data Library on Ron DeSantis]

==References==
{{reflist|3|70%}}

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