Governor Ron DeSantis
Ronald Dion DeSantis is a politician and attorney from Jacksonville, Florida, currently serving as the state's 46th Governor since being elected in 2019. He was first elected to Congress in 2012, being reelected in 2014 and 2016.
DeSantis graduated magna cum laude from Yale University in 2001 with a Bachelor's degree in history. He received his Reserve Naval officer's commission in 2004, assigned to the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG). He then graduated Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2005 and completed Naval Justice School shortly thereafter.
In 2007, DeSantis reported to the Naval Special Warfare Command Group in Coronado, California, there he was assigned to SEAL Team One and deployed to Iraq as the Legal Advisor to the SEAL Commander, Special Operations Task Force-West in Fallujah. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
Former colleagues on Capitol Hill describe DeSantis as "a hardworking but aloof congressman." Having a "military-like efficiency and restraint as being core to his character, qualities that perhaps don't help him ooze charisma or connect with strangers."
The Present
Governor DeSantis was criticized over his executive order banning mask mandates in Florida schools. He also mentioned financial penalties for school staff who went against his ban. Alachua and Broward counties made masks mandatory, defying the governor's order. The governor's office has since softened its stance.
As the Delta variant in Florida surges, Governor DeSantis said a rapid-response unit will be deployed to administer monoclonal antibody treatments to residents infected with the virus. Monoclonal antibodies are intensely focused, lab-made versions of convalescent plasma. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people who are infected can receive the treatments.
The state will also be deploying teams to long-term care facilities. The governor said, "This is going to be with us for a long time. Covid's not going to go away. We're going to have future trends. That's just natural."
