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March 7, 2023 | 9:43 p.m
Gov. Ron DeSantis touted Florida’s strong economy and low crime rate while blasting the Biden administration’s “catch and release” immigration policy in Tuesday’s state speech — fueling speculation that the Republican has his eyes on the White House in 2024.
“Florida is #1, and together we will ensure that Florida remains the #1 state in the United States,” DeSantis told the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee.
“Working together, we have overcome great challenges and led the nation on many great issues. We find no excuses. We don’t complain. We only produce results,” the popular governor added.
In his roughly 20-minute address, nearly 50 minutes shorter than President Biden’s State of the Union address last month, DeSantis named Florida the fastest growing state in the nation.
With him as CEO, Florida ranks first among major states in terms of net immigration, new business creation and economic growth, he said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told Florida lawmakers Tuesday that they “haven’t seen anything yet.”AFP via Getty Images
DeSantis, who was re-elected in a landslide last November, stressed that Florida now employs more people than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic and, at 2.7%, has one of the lowest unemployment rates on record.
He also boasted that over the past two years the state has posted its largest budget surpluses in history while having the lowest state taxes per capita and the lowest government debt burden per capita among major states.
“And, perhaps most famously, we are number one in protecting our citizens from the biomedical security state, from banning jab-or-job mandates to banning vaccination cards to ensuring hospital visitation rights,” DeSantis added added.
“We defied the experts, we defied the elites, we ignored the gossip, we did it our way, Florida way. And the result is that we’re the number one destination for our fellow Americans looking for a better life,” he said.
The 44-year-old Florida governor praised his state’s crime rate just a week after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was ousted by voters for her handling of rampant crime in the Illinois Democratic stronghold.
“We are the number one source for law enforcement recruitment and support. Florida’s crime rate is at a 50-year low,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis praised his state’s “50-year-low” crime rate, just a week after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was ousted by voters.Getty Images
“Florida prides itself on standing up for law and order,” DeSantis said. “We crack down on crime and support the men and women of law enforcement. And we have made it very clear to prosecutors who believe they can flout the law that you will be held accountable.”
Though DeSantis never directly named Biden, 80, he tore down the government’s policies as contributing to illegal immigration.
“We believe borders are important, and we’ve fought illegal immigration in the state of Florida, from banning sanctuary cities to suing the Biden administration for its catch-and-release policy to transporting illegal aliens in sanctuaries. We have put Floridians first and will continue to do so,” argued DeSantis.
The governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, a breast cancer survivor, received the loudest applause of the speech when her husband praised her work on “Florida’s Fight Against Cancer” and announced that she was “cancer free.”
Florida Gov. announced his wife Casey DeSantis is “cancer free.”`
“I was here last year and said we could announce that she is cancer free and I can tell you that she is cancer free and doing better than ever,” DeSantis said to cheers.
The governor’s speech comes amid a busy travel schedule that signals a high probability that he will launch a 2024 presidential primary campaign later this year.
He visited Texas and California over the weekend, hosting fundraisers, and will travel to Alabama and Iowa later this week before visiting key swing state Nevada over the weekend and New Hampshire later this month.
DeSantis and former President Donald Trump are the top two potential candidates for the GOP’s 2024 presidential election, according to polls.Ron Sachs—CNP/Sipa USA
Former President Donald Trump, who announced his third run in the White House last November, is the front-runner among the 2024 GOP presidential nominees with an average of 45% support in early polls, according to RealClearPolitics.
DeSantis is the 76-year-old former president’s most dangerous opponent, averaging 29% support, according to RealClearPolitics.
“We will stay strong. We’ll hold the line. We will not back down. And I can promise you, you haven’t seen anything,” DeSantis said at the end of his speech.
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