Governor DeSantis touts seven-year record, urges lawmakers to 'get the bills to my desk'
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Summary
Governor Ron DeSantis used a statewide address to summarize seven years of policy claims—citing fiscal reserves, economic growth, education gains and environmental projects—and urged the legislature to pass multiple bills he supports.
Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a wide-ranging address to the state, framing the speech as a seven-year report of results and urging lawmakers to advance bills to his desk.
DeSantis highlighted fiscal gains, saying, "We have more than tripled the rainy day fund and more than doubled our budget reserves," and credited accelerated debt repayment with saving "more than $1,000,000,000 on principal and interest." He also touted economic growth, saying Florida's gross state product rose from about $1 trillion to roughly $1.8 trillion over seven years and that Florida has led the nation in new-job creation since 2020.
The governor used the address to list policy accomplishments across education, environment and public safety. On education, he cited a 92.2% high-school graduation rate for the 2024–25 school year. On the environment, he said the state had more than quadrupled funding for Everglades restoration and advanced the EAA Reservoir completion by five years. On public safety and immigration, he described tougher penalties and increased cooperation with federal authorities.
DeSantis framed these results as proof that the state's approach is a model for other states and urged lawmakers to translate proposals into law. "Get the bills to my desk," he said, naming a slate of bills filed in the legislature he supports, including measures to further restrict diversity-equity-inclusion programs and to expand Second Amendment protections.
The address closed with a patriotic appeal and a pledge to continue pursuing the administration's priorities in the months ahead.