Ron DeSantis Biography

Ronald “Ron” Dion DeSantis was born on September 14, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S., to Karen Rogers and Ronald DeSantis. He grew up in Dunedin, Florida.

In 1991, he was on the 'Dunedin High School's 'Little League’ baseball and softball teams. He graduated high school in 1997. In 2001, he graduated with a BA degree in history from 'Yale University.' He was a 'Delta Kappa Epsilon' fraternity member at 'Yale.'

Ron DeSantis worked at the 'Upper School' history department of 'Darlington School' before receiving his Juris Doctor from 'Harvard Law School' in 2005.

As a commissioned 'Reserve Naval' officer, Ron DeSantis was drafted to the 'U.S. Naval Reserve Center' in Dallas, Texas, in 2004. He was appointed to the ‘Judge Advocate General's Corps’ (JAG).

After graduating from the 'U.S. Naval Justice School' in 2005, he was appointed as a ‘JAG’ prosecutor at the 'Trial Service Office Command South East' of 'Naval Station Mayport,' Florida. He became a lieutenant (LT) in 2006 and served the commander of the 'Joint Task Force-Guantanamo' (JTF-GTMO) at the 'Guantanamo Bay Joint Detention Facility.'

In 2007, the 'Naval Special Warfare Command Group' drafted him as the legal advisor of the 'SEAL Team One,' after which he was deployed to Iraq.

He was reappointed to the 'US Naval Region Southeast Legal Service' in 2008. The ‘U.S. Department of Justice’ assigned him to the ‘U.S. Attorney's Office’ in the Middle District of Florida.

DeSantis was discharged in February 2010, and the 'US Navy Reserve' named him a reserved commissioned lieutenant in the 'Judge Advocate General Corps.'

His military career concluded with him being honored with a 'Bronze Star Medal,' a 'Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal,' a 'Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,' and an 'Iraq Campaign Medal.'

Ron DeSantis published his first book, 'Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama,' in 2011. National journals such as 'National Review,' 'The Washington Times,' 'The American Spectator,' 'Human Events,' and 'American Thinker' have featured his articles.

DeSantis began his political career with an unbeaten run for the 'Republican' primary of the 6th district in 2012, against the 'Democratic' candidate, Heather Beaven.

He chaired the subcommittee on ‘National Security’ and served the committees of ‘Foreign Affairs,’ ‘Judiciary,’ and ‘Oversight and Government Reform.’ He was also part of the ‘Republican Study Committee.’

In 2013, Ron DeSantis pledged to oppose any regulation that would raise taxes. He also cut off the entire aid that was being sent to Palestine, through the 'Palestinian Accountability Act,' urging the nation's authority to officially recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

While in the ‘House,’ DeSantis introduced the 'Faithful Execution of the Law Act' of 2014, making the ‘United States Congress’ a reporting authority of the ‘United States Department of Justice.’ He established the 'Freedom Caucus.'

In 2015, Ron DeSantis withdrew his candidature for the ‘United States Senate’ to run for the ‘House’ again after senator Marco Rubio submitted his nomination for his next ‘Senate’ tenure. In his second term in the ‘House,’ DeSantis announced the 'Guantanamo Bay Recidivism Prevention Act’ and the 'Let Seniors Work Act.' He also annulled the 'Retirement Earnings Test' and attempted to exempt social security benefits from taxes.

In 2016, DeSantis authorized states to structure their own grading systems through the 'Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act.' The Israeli manufacturers and producers were allowed to have their own label, through the 'Non-Discrimination of Israel in Labeling Act.' DeSantis voted for the relocation of the ‘U.S. Embassy’ from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In August 2017, DeSantis added a clause to the fiscal 2018 spending package that would stop all the aid granted to the 'Special Counsel' investigation conducted by Robert Mueller, regarding Russia’s link with Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign.

In January 2018, DeSantis ran for the governor of Florida, and President Donald Trump supported his campaign. In August, he defeated 'Democratic' candidate Andrew Gillum in the general election for the ‘Republican’ primary. The following month, he stepped down from his position in the ‘House,’ for the gubernatorial election. Politician and entrepreneur Jeanette Núñez was his running mate for the campaign. DeSantis’s campaign was endorsed by the 'Florida Police Chiefs Association.'

His campaign was heavily criticized for its poor planning. DeSantis even had to reschedule an interview with the 'Tampa Bay Times' to prepare his ground for an in-depth policy interview.

In August 2018, DeSantis was criticized for a racist comment, which many believed was aimed at his African–American opponent Gillum. The controversy was further fueled after 'The Washington Post' and the 'Naples Daily News' reported that he had attended racially charged conferences at the 'David Horowitz Freedom Center' a few times. The event was infamous for being racially stimulating.

On January 8, 2019, DeSantis assumed office as the 46th governor of Florida, with Núñez as his lieutenant governor.

Amidst the controversy regarding racism, DeSantis posthumously pardoned four black men on January 11. The men had been falsely convicted of rape in 1949. He then dismissed Broward County sheriff Scott Israel for his stance on the shooting at the 'Stoneman Douglas High School.' He replaced him with Gregory Tony.

In January 2019, DeSantis called for an end to the educational initiative called the 'Common Core State Standards Initiative' in Florida. He made the roles of Florida sheriffs in immigration-related issues more prominent.

In June 2019, DeSantis made Florida the 12th state in the country to ban sanctuary cities. He also granted voting rights to the convicts who cleared the dues and fines they owed to the courts. The policy was heavily criticized.

In March 2020, DeSantis did not support the declaration of emergency in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Florida was in the race for hosting the 2020 'Republican National Convention' amidst the dispute involving North Carolina governor Roy Cooper and President Trump over the choice of the hosting state. Florida won the race.

Ron DeSantis has been married to former news show host Casey Black since 2010. They have two daughters and a son.