Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered his final State of the State address as governor during a joint session of the Florida Legislature in Tallahassee this week.
“Seven years ago, I stood on the steps of the old Capitol building to articulate a new vision, launch a bold agenda, and make a promise to produce big results. Today, I stand here in this chamber to report that together, we have made good on that agenda,” DeSantis said. “We have been faithful to that vision, we have delivered big results, and we have set the standard for the rest of the country to follow. We are the Free State of Florida.”
Gov. DeSantis, who became governor in 2019, began his speech by emphasizing America’s upcoming 250th birthday, while calling Florida the best representation of that “enduring spirit of 1776.”
“Of all the 50 states, it is our Sunshine State that best fulfills the Founding Fathers’ vision of a republican government that protects freedom, promotes opportunity, and provides an open field and fair chance for people to make the most of their God-given ability,” DeSantis said.
He countered Florida and America’s founding success by criticizing cities like Chicago and San Francisco for “failed ideologies.” In addition, Gov. DeSantis chastised the rise of Marxism in New York City with the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“We’re proving that freedom can be preserved, that order can be maintained, that opportunity can be expanded, and that self-government can, in fact, endure,” DeSantis said.
While acknowledging the growth of different ideologies across America, along with the capture of socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, DeSantis highlighted Florida’s capitalistic approach under his leadership.
“Seven years ago, Florida had a weak rainy day fund and modest budget reserves. Today, working together, we have more than tripled our rainy day fund and more than doubled our budget reserves in the past seven years,” DeSantis said. “We’ve retired almost half of all of Florida’s taxpayer-supported debt that had been accumulated throughout the entire history of our state, and because the legislature has supported efforts to accelerate repayment of this debt, we’ve saved more than a billion dollars on principal and interest costs.”
“We have one of, if not the, lowest levels of spending per capita in the entire nation, and the number of state government workers per capita are less than half the national average and the lowest in all of these United States,” DeSantis continued. “We’ve proven that fiscal responsibility and limited government work.”
Spotlighting his conservative leadership as governor, DeSantis highlighted Florida’s No. 1 economy ranking in the nation by CNBC, adding that the state has produced more than 14% of all new jobs since 2020.
He also noted Florida’s economy rose from 1 trillion to $1.8 trillion during his tenure.
In addition, DeSantis emphasized Florida’s lead in new business formations, as well as tax relief totaling $10 million, which included eliminations on baby items, disaster supplies, and business rent. Moreover, DeSantis highlighted the state rebate on toll relief for Florida drivers and a sales tax holiday on firearms in line with the Second Amendment.
“We do not and will never have an income tax in the Sunshine State,” DeSantis boasted.
Shifting to education, DeSantis mentioned Florida’s charge on universal school choice, boasting of its top marks for parental empowerment and education freedom in the nation. As a result, DeSantis noted the state’s high school graduation rate for the 2024-25 school year reached 92.2%, the highest in Florida history.
DeSantis celebrated Florida’s No. 1 ranking in higher education and lowest resident tuition for Florida college students in the country. The governor also touched on raising teacher salaries through the state’s education budget to their highest level in the southeast region, as well as other teacher improvements.
“All told, we have provided a record of almost $6 billion towards this effort to better compensate our teachers,” DeSantis said. “We also codified a teacher bill of rights that guarantees the right to teach in an orderly classroom, and enacted paycheck protection against automatic school union dues.”
Additionally, DeSantis celebrated keeping “ideological fads” out of Florida classrooms by the left, involving putting men in women’s sports and injecting gender ideology into elementary school classrooms.
Joined by First Lady Casey DeSantis and his family on the chamber floor, DeSantis celebrated his wife’s Hope Florida initiative, which helps connect state residents with resources to find jobs and help reduce child welfare, among other life improvements. The initiative, however, came under intense scrutiny last year after allegations that $10 million from a state Medicaid legal settlement was funneled through the foundation for political purposes.
“We have seen a historic 47% reduction in the number of children entering our child welfare system and see more than 33,000 Floridians reduce their reliance on public assistance, netting a budgetary savings of almost $130 million on an annual basis,” DeSantis shared. “We have proven that a hand up is better than a handout,” DeSantis added.
On the environment, DeSantis underscored his commitment to restoring the Florida Everglades, the largest subtropical ecosystem in the United States. Overall, the wetlands encompass about 1.5 million acres within Everglades National Park.
“We made a pledge to jump-start Everglades restoration, protect our coast from harmful discharges, and leave Florida to God better than we found it,” DeSantis said. “Together, we have more than quadrupled the funding for Everglades restoration and water quality, we’ve completed a record number of projects, tripled the water storage capacity throughout the Glades, and advanced the completion of the EAA reservoir by five years.”
He elaborated on the state’s improvements in response to natural disasters. Florida was hit by several hurricanes over the past few years, including Ian in 2022 and Milton in 2024.
“Each storm has witnessed the most robust response on record, rapid rescue missions, massive resources marshalled and deployed, and the fastest power restorations in state history,” DeSantis said.
On public safety, the governor emphasized the state’s leadership on law and order. The initiative has been aided by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who has backed the governor’s agenda on tough-on-crime policies and illegal immigration enforcement.
“We’ve enacted the death penalty for pedophiles and treated the fentanyl dealers that have poisoned our people as the murderers that they are,” DeSantis said. “We rejected the movement to defund the police, refused to kowtow to rioting and looting, and have the strongest laws against retail theft in the nation.”
DeSantis announced more than 10,000 illegal aliens had been arrested under Operation Tidal Wave alone just last week.
“In the past nine months alone, Florida is responsible for the apprehension of nearly 20,000 illegal aliens that have been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security to be returned to their home countries,” DeSantis added.
While DeSantis has been in the governor’s chair for six years, his final one might be the most consequential. Issues with property taxes and affordability are expected to dominate the 2026 legislative session.
Specifically on property taxes, DeSantis detailed increases in property tax revenue from $32 million to $56 billion during his time in office.
“We have residents that are locked into their homes because they can’t afford the taxes on a new residence,” DeSantis said. “Others have been priced out of the market entirely, and there are obviously other issues that affect affordability.”
The governor announced several insurance rate deductions for some Florida policyholders just yesterday.
While DeSantis might only have one more full year in office, he did touch on the future, including advancements in artificial intelligence.
“Artificial Intelligence is touted as being the key to curing cancer and expanding America’s military edge over our rivals, and perhaps this will be true, but this technology also threatens to upend key parts of our economy in ways that can leave many Americans out of work, and with consumers footing the bill for the cost of power intensive data centers,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis, an avid sports fan, celebrated Florida’s athletic achievements during his time in office, which have included four Stanley Cup championships, two by the Tampa Lightning and two by the Florida Panthers, a Super Bowl championship by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and an NCAA Basketball National Championship by the Florida Gators in 2025.
The Miami Hurricanes also have a chance to add to that championship mantle next week.
Tying it all together to the spirit of 1776 and the celebration of America’s founding fathers, DeSantis promised to put his signature, or “John Hancock,” on any bills to his desk from the legislature in his final year. He also touted another Founding Father, Ben Franklin, in vowing to keep Florida a “republic,” as well as referencing words from George Washington to keep the state “sacred fire of liberty alive and well.”
Gov. DeSantis unveiled a statue of Benjamin Franklin onthe 238th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution last September.
“We are the keepers of the flame of liberty that burned in Philadelphia in July of 1776,” DeSantis declared. “We will not allow the flame to go out. We will answer the call. We will go forward with courage. We will take bold action. We will get the job done.”