Governor Ron DeSantis has officially begun his second term as Governor of the State of Florida.
Florida’s top political figures entered through the Historic Capitol in Tallahassee on Tuesday.
After they swore into their new roles, Governor Ron DeSantis, who is now in his second term, shared his first words to Floridians.
“We in Florida lifted our people up,” DeSantis stated to a crowd of hundreds.
The governor said he believes his state leads by example. He cited changes to environmental restoration and taxes, which were done under his first term, as well as support throughout the pandemic.
His two other major points were changes to voting and hurricane recovery.
“And when Hurricane Ian came last year, the state coordinated a massive mobilization of response personnel, facilitated the fastest power restoration on record, and even quickly rebuilt key bridges that had been wiped out by the storm,” shared the Governor.
Political professor Dario Moreno at Florida International University said that while the governor stated his accomplishments, he was not as quick to highlight his agenda moving forward.
Moreno shared that it is a different approach from previous governors, “It was very much a statement of philosophy,” he explained. “His theory of how do you govern, his view of contrast between Florida which in his mind is well run, well-governed, growing, attracting growth, attracting population, and the rest of the country, which is kind of in crisis, because of what he views as ideology run amuck if you will.”
Many suspected Governor DeSantis would hint at aspirations for the presidency in 2024. Instead, he harped on the challenges facing the White House, like inflation and the border crisis, re-phrasing mottos used in his election campaign, “We reject this woke ideology.”
DeSantis furthered, “We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy! We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional. We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die!”
DeSantis did state in his next term he plans to ensure Florida is a safe place for families and will work on furthering tax relief and maintaining parental rights in education. While there was no clear indication made on Tuesday, Moreno believes the possibility for DeSantis to take a run for the presidency is still an option.
“This was the kind of speech you would give if you were flirting with the presidency,” he shared. “Talking about philosophy, your view of government, talking about how you delivered on all your promises.”
Moreno said the governor will have a second opportunity to state clear policies in the term ahead when the legislature reconvenes in March.
