This story is part of an ongoing series about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies and how they impact the people in his state. For full coverage, click here.
MIAMI — After months of “will he or won’t he” deliberation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis virtually announced his candidacy for president today. The disastrous Twitter event coincided with a fundraiser at the Four Seasons in the bustling Brickell neighborhood of Miami. Though the doors of the extravagant hotel were blocked off to press, there was plenty of hullabaloo outside, where supporters, protesters, and groups from Planned Parenthood to Blacks for Trump shared sidewalk space.
DeSantis took his time officially entering the race, but his legislative efforts have been relentless as he has signed streams of bills focusing on culture war issues—a “fixation on woke,” as protester Jordan Banks from Broward County said Wednesday night—targeting students, undocumented immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, and countless other Floridians.
In a week of activity—the same week the NAACP advised Black Americans not to visit the state—I’ve been on the ground all across Florida, speaking to people affected by DeSantis’s policies. I’ve spoken with concerned parents in St. Petersburg, touring the Little Free Libraries that they’re stocking with banned books. Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative and the first Iranian American in the Florida Legislature, opened up about both her wins and struggles, saying she’s pushed through small legislative victories while dealing with a powerful Republican supermajority and even abuse from some constituents.
I went “back to school,” sitting in on classes at the University of Florida, and talked to faculty and students who worry that their jobs and degrees will be devalued—and are already thinking about what it will mean for business as a new generation of Floridians leaves the state because of extreme right-wing policies. I’ve also heard from parents who don’t believe DeSantis went far enough in his public school policies, and are promoting classical Western texts via home schools and micro-schools.
And I spoke with many people who don’t fit the typical mold: a Black mother concerned with climate change, whose house was flooded in Fort Lauderdale (she’s still a huge fan of the governor); and an ex-Disney singer-turned-realtor at a diner in Disney’s incorporated town, Celebration, who can’t stand DeSantis—or understand his fight against Mickey Mouse.
These issues—and all the nuance that comes with them—will be in the spotlight even more intensely now that DeSantis is officially running for president. His policies have sailed through the Florida Legislature, but they’re broadly unpopular with the general electorate. And his candidacy will introduce some noteworthy contradictions: historic support for conservation funding while staunchly opposing climate action; a pro-business stance in the midst of an epic fight with Disney; and Florida’s inflow of people, even as his policies have residents eyeing state lines.
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