Ron DeSantis Biography
Ron DeSantis (Ronald Dion DeSantis) is an American attorney, former Naval officer, and politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. He is a Republican, he represented Florida’s 6th congressional district in Congress from 2013 to 2018. After his graduation from Yale University and Harvard Law School, he served as an officer and attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy (JAG).
He was also a candidate in Florida’s 2016 U.S. Senate election but withdrew when incumbent Senator Marco Rubio announced that he would seek reelection. He opted to run for re-election the U.S. House seat where he was re-elected in November 2016.
Ron DeSantis Age
Ron DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Ron DeSantis is 40 years old as of 2018.
Ron DeSantis Net worth
Ron DeSantis has invested in top industries such as steel productions which earns him around $800, Television shows, Movies and Music which earns him $8000, he has top assets in the USAA Bank Account of $75,000 and US steel which earns him $8,000. His net worth coverage has a clear appearance to all that he learns from all his investments. But his estimated net worth is still under review.
Ron DeSantis Family
Ron DeSantis was born in Jacksonville, Florida United States to Karen (Rogers) and Ronald DeSantis.
Ron DeSantis Education
Ron DeSantis graduated in 1997 from Dunedin High School in Dunedin, Florida. Ron DeSantis attended Yale University, graduating with a B.A. in history in 2001. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 2005.
Ron DeSantis Wife
Ron DeSantis is married to Casey DeSantis the former news and conversation television show host and First Lady of Florida. His wife Casey co-hosted the show First Coast Living with former Jacksonville Jaguars mascot Curtis Dvorak. She won a local Emmy for her primetime special “Real Life CSI”.
Ron DeSantis Children
Ron DeSantis and her wife Casey DeSantis were blessed with two kids Madison DeSantis” (born in 2016) and a son “Mason Joseph DeSantis” (born in 2018).
Ron DeSantis Military service
Ron DeSantis received his Reserve Naval officer’s commission and assignment to Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) in 2004 at the U.S. Naval Reserve Center in Dallas, Texas while still a student at Harvard Law School. He completed U.S. Naval Justice School in 2005. Later that year, he received orders from Trial Service Office Command South East at the Naval Station Mayport, Florida, as a JAG prosecutor.
In 2006, he was promoted from Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) to Lieutenant (LT). He worked for the Joint Task Force-Guantanamo Commander (JTF-GTMO), working directly with detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Joint Detention Facility. In 2007, he reported to the Naval Special Warfare Command Group in Coronado, California, where he was assigned to SEAL Team One and deployed to Iraq with the troop surge as the Legal Advisor to the SEAL Commander, Special Operations Task Force-West in Fallujah.
He returned to the United States in April 2008, at the time when he was reassigned to the Naval Region of Southeast Legal Service. He was then appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice to serve as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida. He was assigned as a Trial Defense Counsel until his honorable discharge from active duty in February 2010. He concurrently accepted a Reserve commission as a Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General Corps, in the US Navy Reserve. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Ron DeSantis Writer|Writing
Ron DeSantis authored a book entitled Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama, which was published in 2011. His writing has appeared in National Review, The Washington Times, The American Spectator, Human Events, and American Thinker.
Ron DeSantis Committee assignments
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
- Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice
- Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the Census
- Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs
- Republican Study Committee
Ron DeSantis Legislation
On January 29, 2014, DeSantis was introduced into the House in the Faithful Execution of the Law Act of 2014 (H.R. 3973; 113th Congress), a bill that would directed to the United States Department of Justice to report to the United States Congress whenever any federal agency refrains from enforcing laws or regulations for any reason. In the report, the government would have to explain why it had decided not to enforce that law.
He spoke in favor of the bill, arguing that “President Obama has not only failed to uphold several of our nation’s laws, but he has vowed to continue to do so in order to enact his unpopular agenda. … The American people deserve to know exactly which laws the Obama administration is refusing to enforce and why.” In 2013, he signed a pledge that was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any global warming legislation that would raise taxes. On August 24, 2017, he added a rider to the proposed fiscal 2018 spending bill package that would end up funding the Muller investigation.
The amendment would counter a bipartisan bill authored by two Democratic and two Republican U.S. Senators that was meant to limit the president’s power to fire the special counsel. The DeSantis amendment would potentially cut off funding for the investigation by November 2017. It was also a response to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s statement that the DOJ, “doesn’t conduct fishing expeditions. He stated that on May 17, 2017, DOJ order “didn’t identify a crime to be investigated and practically invites a fishing expedition.”
He was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, a group of congressional conservatives.
Ron DeSantis 2016 U.S. Senate candidacy
On May 6, 2015, he announced that he was running for the United States Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, who initially did not file to run for re-election due to his bid for the U.S. presidency. He was endorsed by the fiscally conservative Club for Growth.
Ron DeSantis Governor of Florida
Election
On January 2018, DeSantis announced his candidacy for Governor of Florida to succeed term-limited Republican incumbent Rick Scott. President Donald Trump stated in December 2017 that he would support DeSantis should he run for Governor. During the Republican primary, DeSantis emphasized his support for Trump by running an ad where DeSantis taught his children how to “build the wall” and say “Make America Great Again” and by pressing one of his children in a tiny red “Make America Great Again” jumper.
He asked if he could name an issue where he disagreed with Trump, but he did not identify a single issue. On July 30, 2018, Jonathan Martin of The New York Times wrote that the support DeSantis’s primary campaign had received demonstrated both Trump’s kingmaking capacity in a Republican-trending state but also a “broader nationalization of conservative politics” wherein “a willingness to hurl rhetorical lightning bolts at the left, the media and special counsel Robert S. Mueller can override local credentials, local endorsements, and preparedness for a state-based job.”
On August 28, 2018, he won the Republican primary. His Democratic opponent in the general election was Andrew Gillum. The race was “widely seen as a toss-up.” On September 2018, he announced state Rep. Jeanette Núñez as his running mate. He resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 10, 2018, to focus on his gubernatorial candidacy. That same month, he was criticized for not having a fully formed policy platform for his gubernatorial campaign. He canceled a planned interview with the Tampa Bay Times to have additional time to put together a platform before an in-depth policy interview.
He was endorsed by the Florida Police Chiefs Association in his 2018 campaign and during the campaign, some sheriffs endorsed him while other sheriffs backed Gillum. DeSantis profiled the oath of office with the Florida Secretary of State and became Governor at midnight, January 8, 2019. The official swearing-in ceremony was held at noon that day. On January 11, 2019, he posthumously pardoned the Groveland Four, four black men falsely convicted of rape in 1949. That same day, DeSantis officially suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for his response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
In his first two weeks in office, he appointed Barbara Lagoa, Robert J. Luck, and Carlos G. Muñiz to fill the three vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court, shifting the court from having a liberal to a conservative majority. He replaced the entire Florida Water Management District board. He signed $2.5 billion executive order for water quality and Everglades restoration work. He created a Chief Science Officer position and created an office of coastal protection and resilience. In January 2019, DeSantis signed an executive order calling for the end of Common Core in Florida. He also promoted deregulation. He encouraged Florida sheriffs to cooperate with the federal government on immigration-related issues.
Platform
DeSantis’s gubernatorial platform includes support for legislation that would allow persons with concealed weapons permits to carry firearms openly. He also supports a law mandating the use of E-Verify by businesses and a state-level ban on sanctuary city protections for undocumented immigrants. He promised to stop the spread of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. He expressed the support for state constitutional amendment to require a supermajority vote for any tax increases. He opposes allowing able-bodied, childless adults to receive Medicaid. He stated that he would implement a medical marijuana program, but opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana.
“Monkey this up” controversy
On August 29, 2018, DeSantis came under criticism for comments that there were allegedly racist, saying, “The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state. That is not going to work. That’s not going to be good for Florida.”He was accused of using the verb “monkey” as a racist dog whistle; his opponent, Gillum, was African-American.
Amid the controversy over DeSantis’ comments, The Washington Post and the Naples Daily News reported that DeSantis had on four occasions appeared at racially-charged conferences at the David Horowitz Freedom Center that featured various right-wing provocateurs as speakers. He stated that his comment had “zero to do with race.”
Ron DeSantis Results
Ron DeSantis Initial election-night results he won by nearly 100,000 votes, and Gillum conceeded. Gillum took back his concession as late-counted ballots brought the race within less than 34,000 votes, a margin of 0.4%. The close margin required an automatic machine recount of the ballots. A machine recounted in three statewide contests (Governor, US Senator, and Agriculture Commissioner) began with a deadline of November 15, 2018. Although 3 counties missed the deadline, it was not extended. He was confirmed as the winner and Gillum conceded on November 17.
Ron DeSantis Political positions
Ron DeSantis is a conservative leader for he was the one who was endorsed by the Family Research Council Action PAC in 2015.
Marijuana
DeSantis supports the implementation of the medical marijuana program in Florida but opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana. He voted against the Veterans and Equal Access Amendment that would give veterans access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence.
Contraceptives and abortion
DeSantis opposes abortion and Contraceptives and he has also denounced the Planned Parenthood. He agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., saying “This case does not concern the availability or legality of contraceptives, and individuals can obtain and use these as they see fit. The question is simply whether the government can force the owners of Hobby Lobby to pay for abortifacients in violation of their faith.”
Economy
DeSantis has said that the debate in Washington, D.C. over how to reduce the deficit should shift emphasis from tax increases to curtailing spending and triggering economic growth. He supports a “no budget no pay” policy for Congress to encourage the passage of a budget. He believes the Federal Reserve System should be audited. In the wake of the alleged IRS targeting controversy, DeSantis called for the resignation of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen for having “failed the American people by frustrating Congress’s attempts to ascertain the truth.
“He co-sponsored a bill to impeach Koskinen for violating the public’s trust. In 2015, DeSantis was named “Taxpayer Superhero” by Citizens Against Government Waste, a conservative think-tank. He supported the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act, which would require that regulations that have a significant economic impact be subject to a vote of Congress prior to taking effect. He introduced the Let Seniors Work Act, which would repeal the Retirement Earnings Test and exempt senior citizens from the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax, and he co-sponsored a measure to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.
He sponsored the Transportation Empowerment Act, which would transfer much of the responsibility for transportation projects to the individual states and sharply reduce the federal gas tax. He opposed legislation to require online retailers to collect and pay state sales tax. He voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He says the bill will bring a “dramatical lower tax rate” and “full expensing of capital investments.” He also believes the act will bring more jobs to America.
Ron DeSantis Foreign relations
Cuba
In 2015, DeSantis introduced the Guantanamo Bay Recidivism Prevention Act, which would cut off foreign aid to countries that receive detainees if they show back up on the terrorism recidivism list. DeSantis opposed President Obama’s plan to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, saying “Bringing hardened terrorists to the U.S. homeland harms our national security.” Regardless to the formal restart of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, he said that the “Raising of Cuban flag in the United States is a slap in the face to those who have experienced the brutality of the Castro regime.
Iran
DeSantis opposed the Iran nuclear deal framework, calling it “a bad deal that will significantly degrade our national security.” DeSantis said, “the Iran deal gives Ayatollah Khamenei exactly what he wants: billions of dollars in sanctions relief, validation of the Iranian nuclear program, and the ability to stymie inspections.”
During a line of questioning, he told Secretary of State John Kerry that the executive branch had a legal obligation to provide Congress with the details behind any side deals made between world leaders and Iran. DeSantis accused President Barack Obama of giving a better treatment of Cuba’s Raul Castro and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei than of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel
In 2013, he introduced the Palestinian Accountability Act, which would halt U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it formally recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and cuts off all ties with the militant group Hamas. In 2016, DeSantis co-introduced the Non-Discrimination of Israel in Labeling Act, which will defend the right of Israeli producers to label products manufactured in the West Bank as “Israel”, “Made in Israel”, or “Product of Israel”. He supported the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
As Governor, in light of Airbnb’s he decided to no longer allow rentals of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, on January 15, 2019, he directed the Department of Management Services to no longer reimburse state employees and state contractors for travel expenses incurred with Airbnb; later that month he accepted the recommendation of the State Board of Administration to place Airbnb on Florida’s “Scrutinized Companies List”.
Gun law
DeSantis opposes gun control. He received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. He is generally opposed to firearm regulation, saying, “Very rarely do firearms restrictions affect criminals. They really only affect law-abiding citizens.” Following the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, DeSantis expressed his support for hiring retired law enforcement officers and military veterans as armed guards for schools.
He disagrees with legislation signed into law by Florida Governor Rick Scott that banned bump stocks, added a mandatory three-day waiting period for gun purchases, and raised the legal age for purchases from 18 to 21. He has expressed support for measures to improve federal background checks for purchasing firearms and has said that there is a need to intervene with those who are exhibiting warning signs of committing violence instead of waiting until a crime has been committed.
Healthcare
DeSantis is opposed to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He has called for the “full and complete repeal” of the act. On March 2017, he said that he wasn’t ready to support the American Health Care Act, the House Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He did vote for the May 2017 Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Immigration
DeSantis was a critic of President Obama’s immigration policies; he opposed Obama’s deferred action programs (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and accused him of failing to enforce immigration laws. He opposes “sanctuary cities.” He is a co-sponsor of the Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015, also known as Kate’s Law, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully reenter the United States after being removed.
In 2017, he spoke in the ACT! for America, which is an anti-Muslim advocacy group. After the November 2015 Paris attacks, DeSantis “called for urgent recognition that Islamic extremism is to blame for the Paris attacks and should be seen as an enemy for America.” DeSantis has said, “The enemy is an ideology rooted in militant Islam” and has said that ISIS must be stopped and its members kept away from America. Regarding U.S. policy toward refugees, DeSantis said: “the prudent policy is to err on the side of protecting the American people”.
Law enforcement
DeSantis called for Broward County Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Scott Israel to resign after the Parkland school shooting committed by Nikolas Cruz. Israel was accused by a large number of people of running his department poorly and not properly handling or responding to the shooting. DeSantis stated that had he been governor when the shooting occurred he would have removed Israel from his position. On January 11, shortly after taking office as governor, DeSantis suspended Israel from his duties. Israel declared that he intends to contest his suspension.
Veterans
DeSantis has sharply criticized the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, in which veteran deaths were linked to wait times. He co-sponsored the VA Accountability Act, which aims to increase accountability by providing the removal or demotion of employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance or misconduct. He is a member of the Post-9/11 Veterans Caucus.
Ron DeSantis Executive Office of the Governor Contacts
- Media Inquiries
- Request a Courtesy Letter or Letter of Recognition
- Request a Proclamation
- Military Retirement Contact Form
- Request a Public Record
- Request the Governor or First Lady to attend your event
- Flag Protocol
Ron DeSantis Twitter
Ron DeSantis Instagram
Ron DeSantis Announcement for Governor Campaign
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