Documenting the record. Examining the record.
Readers arriving at this page are looking for a starting point. This guide orients visitors to DeSantis Research Book's mission, methodology, and the three pillars of our coverage: campaign finance, governance analysis, and policy tracking.
Florida's Government-in-the-Sunshine Law is a national touchstone on paper. We filed sample public records requests and tracked response times, fees, and exemptions to see whether practice matches promise under the current administration.
From Miami Beach's wage rules to Gainesville's zoning reforms, state preemption has reshaped local policymaking across Florida. Five community profiles show what was overturned, how, and at what cost to local self-government.
Senior staff departures, agency head shuffles, and campaign brain drains have become a defining feature of Florida's executive branch. This analysis charts the churn and asks what it means for the continuity of state policy.
History suggests that a governor's agenda rarely survives a presidential campaign intact. This opinion analysis asks which Florida initiatives have the institutional roots to endure and which are already withering without their principal advocate.
Florida's education legislation generated headlines far beyond state lines, but the text of the bills and the reality in school districts often diverge. This audit traces what each law actually requires and where implementation has stalled, shifted, or exceeded the statutory language.
A governor's veto pen reveals priorities that bill signings cannot. This ledger examines twelve consequential rejections, the lobbying forces behind each, and what the decisions signaled to legislators and the Republican base.
A handful of Florida initiatives have been introduced, in whole or in part, by legislators in other states within a few years of their passage. We trace seven of them — their origins, the opposition they met, and where copies have surfaced since.
Campaign finance disclosures reveal a network of real estate executives, hedge fund managers, and national PACs that has powered Ron DeSantis's rise from first-time candidate to two-term governor. We follow the filings to see who gave, how much, and when.
From pandemic-era emergency orders to special sessions convened on his terms, Governor Ron DeSantis has tested the outer limits of Florida's executive office. This analysis examines how his approach measures against his predecessors and what it suggests for conservative governance nationwide.