Highlights:
Florida Politics Headline: “Ron DeSantis Flip Flops On Medicare, Social Security Cuts.” [Florida Politics, 3/2/23]
CNN Reported DeSantis Was In-Favor Of Privatizing Medicare And Social Security During His 2012 House Campaign. According to CNN, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support for privatizing Medicare and Social Security during his first campaign for Congress in 2012, giving political rivals who have pledged to protect the programs an opening to attack him ahead of DeSantis’ expected run for president in 2024. […] A CNN KFile review of comments from DeSantis’ 2012 congressional campaign found he repeatedly said he supported plans to replace Medicare with a system in which the government paid for partial costs of private plans or a traditional Medicare plan. In one interview with a local newspaper, DeSantis said he supported ‘the same thing’ for Social Security, citing the need for ‘market forces’ to restructure the program.” [CNN, 2/9/23]
DeSantis’ Previous Position On Privatizing Medicare And Social Security Could Fuel Attacks From Other 2024 Hopefuls. According to CNN, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed support for privatizing Medicare and Social Security during his first campaign for Congress in 2012, giving political rivals who have pledged to protect the programs an opening to attack him ahead of DeSantis’ expected run for president in 2024. Former President Donald Trump and Democrats have already signaled plans to weaponize DeSantis’ comments against him, should he announce for president, and subsequent votes in Congress for non-binding budget resolutions that privatized Medicare and raised the retirement age to 70.” [CNN, 2/9/23]
2012: DeSantis Supported Paul Ryan Privatization Budget Proposals Under Which The Government Would Subsidize Seniors By Paying Partially For Private Plans Or Medicare Plans. According to CNN, “During his 2012 campaign, DeSantis embraced then-Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget which became a political football in the 2012 presidential race, when Ryan was chosen as Mitt Romney’s pick for vice president. Democrats argued in 2012 Ryan’s budget plans turned Medicare into a ‘voucher’ system, whereas Republicans called it ‘premium support.’ Under the proposals, the government would subsidize seniors by partially paying for private plans or a traditional Medicare plan.” [CNN, 2/9/23]
DeSantis: “I Would Embrace Proposals Like Paul Ryan Offered” On Medicare, Said He Would “Do The Same Thing” To Social Security As Well. According to CNN, “‘I would embrace proposals like [Rep.] Paul Ryan offered, and other people have offered, that are going to provide some market forces in there, more consumer choice, and make it so that it’s not just basically a system that’s just going to be bankrupt when you have new people coming into it,’ DeSantis told the St. Augustine Record in a video that was posted on YouTube at the time. ‘Social Security, I would do the same thing,’ he added, later saying it was ‘unsustainable’ to allow seniors to retire in their late 60s.” [CNN, 2/9/23]
DeSantis Distanced Himself From Previous Support For Social Security Reforms: “We’re Not Going To Mess With Social Security As Republicans.” According to CNN, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday distanced himself from his past support for privatizing Social Security and raising the retirement age as potential future political foes seize on his previous ideas for the popular retirement program. ‘We’re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans,’ DeSantis told Fox News. ‘I think that that’s pretty clear.’” [CNN, 3/2/23]
Business Insider Headline: “DeSantis Flip-Flopped On Aid To Ukraine After Previously Offering Full-Throated Support For Arming Kyiv.” [Business Insider, 3/14/23]
DeSantis Voted To Back Ukraine Aid And Condemn Russia’s Actions Towards Ukraine As A Member Of Congress. According to NBC News, “DeSantis' stance reflects part of a growing split within the GOP over whether the U.S. should continue aiding Ukraine. As a member of Congress during the Obama administration, DeSantis voted to back aid to Ukraine and condemn Russia's actions toward the country.” [NBC News, 2/21/23]
2014: DeSantis Voted For Legislation Authorizing $70 Million In Aid To Ukraine. In March 2014, DeSantis voted for legislation that codified sanctions against Russia and authorized $70 million to aid Ukraine. According to Congressional Quarterly, “authorize[d] $70 million in aid to Ukraine, including $50 million for democracy and civil society efforts. It also would [have] codif[ied] and expand[ed] sanctions imposed by the Obama administration against certain Russian officials. It would [have] call[ed] on the president to sanction Russian officials and others who have undermined the Ukrainian government, committed human rights abuses and engaged in corrupt acts in Russia. It also would [have] call[ed] on the president to examine whether Russia has violated a 1988 arms treaty.” The vote was on a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. The House agreed to the motion, thereby passing the bill, by a vote of 399 to 19. The Senate took no substantive action on the legislation, but a separate bill became law. This bill did not authorize $8 million to better Ukrainian law enforcement capabilities and did not ask the president to investigate if Russia had violated the 1988 arms treaty. [House Vote 148, 3/27/14; Congressional Quarterly, 3/27/14; Congressional Quarterly, 4/1/14; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4278]
DeSantis Urged Lawmakers To Send “Offensive And Defensive” Weapons To Ukraine In 2014 And 2015. According to CNN, “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once strongly supported arming Ukraine to fight Russia, urging then-President Barack Obama to do so as a deterrent to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe – a position at odds with his statements this week questioning the United States’ involvement in the conflict. As a conservative congressman, DeSantis, now a potential presidential hopeful, urged sending ‘defensive and offensive’ weapons to Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 and even voted to refuse to fund a new missile defense treaty with Russia until they withdrew from Ukraine, according to a review of DeSantis’ past comments by CNN’s KFile.” [CNN, 2/26/23]
2015: DeSantis On Arming Ukraine: “We In Congress Have Been Urging The President, I’ve Been, To Provide Arms To Ukraine.” According to Business Insider, “Back then, DeSantis was a Republican hawk who demanded the US send Ukraine weapons as it fought a war against Kremlin-backed rebels in the country's eastern Donbas region, a conflict that was in many ways a prelude to Russia's large-scale invasion last year. ‘We in the Congress have been urging the president, I've been, to provide arms to Ukraine. They want to fight their good fight. They're not asking us to fight it for them. And the president has steadfastly refused. And I think that that's a mistake,’ DeSantis said in a 2015 radio interview with conservative talk radio host Bill Bennett, which was recently unearthed and reported on by CNN.” [Business Insider, 3/14/23]
DeSantis Spoke Out Against Ukraine Aid, Said Protecting Ukraine Was Not A Vital Interest For The U.S. According to the New York Times, “Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has sharply broken with Republicans who are determined to defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, saying in a statement made public on Monday night that protecting the European nation’s borders is not a vital U.S. interest and that policymakers should instead focus attention at home. The statement from Mr. DeSantis, who is seen as an all but declared presidential candidate for the 2024 campaign, puts him in line with the front-runner for the G.O.P. nomination, former President Donald J. Trump.” [New York Times, 3/13/23]
Miami Herald: DeSantis Called Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine A “Territorial Dispute,” Reported DeSantis’ Comments Were In Contrast To His Remarks While In Congress. According to the Miami Herald, “As a junior U.S. congressman from Florida in 2014, Ron DeSantis accused Moscow of “violating Ukrainian sovereignty,” accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating a ‘pretext’ to invade its neighbor, and sought assurances from the Obama administration that the United States would stand by its NATO allies. In contrast, DeSantis now calls Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a ‘territorial dispute’ that is not core to U.S. interests, a position he made clear earlier this week in a statement to a Fox News host.” [Miami Herald, 3/16/23]
New York Times: DeSantis Argued The Problem With Ukraine Aid Was That Biden Was “Doing Too Much, Without A Clearly Defined Objective.” According to the New York Times, “On Mr. Carlson’s show, Mr. DeSantis separated himself from Republicans who say the problem with Mr. Biden’s Ukraine policy is that he’s not doing enough. Mr. DeSantis made clear he thinks Mr. Biden is doing too much, without a clearly defined objective, and taking actions that risk provoking war between the U.S. and Russia.” [New York Times, 3/13/23]
The Guardian Headline: “Ron DeSantis Changes With The Wind As Hurricane Ian Prompts Flip-Flop On Aid.” [Guardian, 9/30/22]
2013: DeSantis Voted Against A Bill Which Would Have Provided $9.7 Billion In Flood Insurance To Hurricane Sandy Victims, Said The Aid Was Not “Fiscally Responsible.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “The House today overwhelmingly passed a bill providing $9.7 billion in flood insurance aid for Hurricane Sandy victims. All 67 votes against the aid came from Republicans, including Florida Reps. Ron DeSantis and Ted Yoho, both whom were sworn in yesterday. All other Florida reps. joined the majority. ‘I sympathize with the victims of Hurricane Sandy and believe that those who purchased flood insurance should have their claims paid. At the same time, allowing the program to increase its debt by another $9.7 billion with no plan to offset the spending with cuts elsewhere is not fiscally responsible,’ DeSantis said in a statement.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/4/13]
DeSantis Criticized “Put It On The Credit Card” Spending And Increasing U.S. Debt As His Reasoning For Voting Against The Bill. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “‘Congress should not authorize billions in new borrowing without offsetting expenditures in other areas. If a family maxes out its credit cards and faces the need for new spending, it is forced to prioritize by reducing its spending in other areas. Here, Congress has failed even to attempt to identify reductions in nonessential spending. This ‘put it on the credit card mentality’ is part of the reason we find ourselves nearly $17 trillion in debt. Indeed, the Senate passed legislation that went in the opposite direction by stuffing a bill designed to aid storm victims on the northeast corridor with money for such extraneous matters as fisheries in Alaska. The storm occurred more than two months ago and it is sad that Congress has not used that time to find room in the budget for needed disaster relief.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/4/13]
DeSantis Requested Biden Grant Major Disaster Declaration For Florida Due To Hurricane Ian. According to DeSantis’ official press release, “Today, Governor Ron DeSantis requested President Biden grant a Major Disaster Declaration for all 67 counties, for all categories, and all types of assistance, due to the ongoing devastating impacts of Hurricane Ian. If granted, a Major Disaster Declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals, as well as funds for both emergency and permanent work and public infrastructure. The request can be found here.” [Gov. Ron DeSantis, 9/28/22]
DeSantis Requested Biden Grant FEMA The Authority To Provide 100% Cost Share For Debris Removal And Emergency Protect Measures For 60 Days. According to DeSantis’ official press release, “Governor DeSantis also requested President Biden grant the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the authority to provide 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures (FEMA Categories A and B) for the first 60 days from landfall. This FEMA grant can only be authorized by the President of the United States. The letter with this request can be found here.” [Gov. Ron DeSantis, 9/28/22]
Forbes Headline: “DeSantis Flip-Flops From Covid Vaccine Supporter To Most Powerful Critic: Here’s What Happened” [Forbes, 12/15/22]
Tampa Bay Times Headline: “Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Shifting Positions On Vaccines Under Fire” [Tampa Bay Times, 12/15/22]
Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis Shifted On Covid-19 Vaccines, Previously Said “The Vaccines Protect You” And “Get Vaccinated And Then Live Your Life As If You’re Protected.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Gov. Ron DeSantis’ top media adviser has a mantra that the governor won’t give an interview unless it’s recorded because she doesn’t want her boss’ words twisted out of context. But when the governor announced on Tuesday that he wants a grand jury to investigate what he suspects is misleading information from the pharmaceutical companies over the safety of the mRNA vaccines, particularly cardiac-related deaths tied to the vaccines in young men, a cascade of old recorded interviews started spilling out. Network television focused on video from late 2020 and early 2021 showing DeSantis touting the vaccine as safe and effective to prevent serious illness from COVID-19 infections. ‘The vaccines protect you. Get vaccinated and then live your life as if you’re protected,’ DeSantis is recorded saying during a May 3, 2021, press conference. ‘The messaging should be ‘get a vaccine because it’s good for you to do it. It works,’ he said in another.” [Tampa Bay Times, 12/15/22]
DeSantis Called For The Supreme Court To Empanel A Grand Jury To Investigate Any “Wrongdoing” Linked To Covid-19 Vaccines Including Spreading False And Misleading Claims About The Doses. According to Politico, “Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday asked the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a grand jury to investigate ‘wrongdoing’ linked to the Covid-19 vaccines, including spreading false and misleading claims about the efficacy of the doses. Most of the medical community, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA and Johns Hopkins, have emphasized that the Covid vaccine is safe and effective in preventing the virus and protecting against serious symptoms. But DeSantis said during a live-streamed round table discussion with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo that it’s against Florida law to mislead the public, especially when it comes to drug safety. He sought to undermine the efficacy of the Covid vaccine and claimed that vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna have made a fortune on Covid-19 mandates. ‘I think people want the truth that I think people want accountability,’ DeSantis said. ‘You need to have a thorough investigation into what’s happened with the shots.’” [Politico, 12/13/22]
DeSantis Claimed The Pharmaceutical Industry Had A “Notorious History Of Misleading The Public For Financial Gain.” According to Politico, “In a petition to the state Supreme Court asking for the grand jury, the DeSantis administration said that the ‘pharmaceutical industry has a notorious history of misleading the public for financial gain’ and the grand jury will probe ‘the development, promotion, and distribution of vaccines purported to prevent COVID-19 infection, symptoms, and transmission.’” [Politico, 12/13/22]
A Spokesperson From Pfizer Refuted DeSantis’ Misleading Claims, Noted The Pfizer Vaccines Were Approved By Regulators Around The World. According to Politico, “In response to DeSantis, Sharon J. Castillo, a Pfizer spokesperson, wrote in an email that Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved by regulatory agencies across the world. ‘These authorizations are based on robust and independent evaluation of the scientific data on quality, safety and efficacy, including our landmark phase 3 clinical trial,” Castillo wrote. ‘Data from real world studies complement the clinical trial data and provide additional evidence that the vaccine provides effective protection against severe disease.’” [Politico, 12/13/22]
DeSantis Claimed That The COVID-19 Vaccine Causes Fertility Issues. According to Rolling Stone, “DeSantis hasn’t been so shy about bashing the vaccine in public, effectively discouraging Floridians from receiving it as Covid continues to spread throughout the country. The Republican implied on Thursday that vaccines harm fertility, even though there’s no evidence to support that claim.” [Rolling Stone, 1/21/22]
Local News’ Trust Index Rated DeSantis’ Claims That People Were More Likely To Catch COVID-19 If They Were Boosted As “Not True.” According to News 4 Jax, “News4JAX ran a statement Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made through the Trust Index. While speaking to a crowd in Osceola County on Tuesday night, DeSantis said that you are more likely to get infected with COVID-19 if you get multiple booster shots, based on the data he has reviewed. ‘I think if you look at the data now, people who have had multiple boosters are actually more likely to get infected right now,’ DeSantis said at the Florida Sheriffs Association 2022 Summer Conference Awards Banquet. News4JAX contacted the governor’s office to find out what data DeSantis was referring to when he said that COVID-19 booster shots make you more susceptible to catching the coronavirus, but we haven’t heard back about the source of the governor’s information. We did, however, talk with two medical professionals, both of whom say the governor’s statement is misleading. […] So to DeSantis’ claim that ;’people who have had multiple boosters are actually more likely to get infected right now’” the Trust Index team gives this statement a rating of not true. According to medical professionals, the governor is making a big statement based on a very small segment of data.” [News 4 Jax, 7/28/22]
Emergency Medical Specialist Said DeSantis’ Claim Came From Data Which Does Not Represent The Number Of Floridians Affected By COVID-19. According to News 4 Jax, “We did, however, talk with two medical professionals, both of whom say the governor’s statement is misleading. And one of them says he knows the source of DeSantis’ information. ‘It was from Walgreens, from their testing centers they test in their stores,’ said Dr. Todd Husty, an emergency medical specialist. Husty says DeSantis is making big claims based on small datasets recently released from Walgreens pharmacies. Husty says the number of people who test positive for COVID-19 at Walgreens after getting their booster shots doesn’t accurately represent the number of Floridians affected by COVID-19. ‘You can’t take an isolated data set like that and then make this big glowing statement of, obviously, that means that vaccines don’t work and they make you more susceptible. It wasn’t that kind of data. It wasn’t good enough to do that,’ Husty said. ‘And even Walgreens has come out and said you can’t make a conclusion from this data, it’s not conclusive data.’” [News 4 Jax, 7/28/22]
Epidemiologist On DeSantis’ Claim: “There Is No Way, You Know, Mechanistically No Way That That Is Going To Be Really Making Sense.” According to News 4 Jax, “We also took DeSantis’ claim to epidemiologist Jonathan Kantor who had this to say about the governor’s allegation: ‘Yeah, I think it’s absolutely not the case that, you know, for your average person, if you get extra boosters, you’re more likely to get COVID. There is, you know, mechanistically no way that that is going to be really making sense.’ Kantor says people who get COVID-19 boosters are more likely to get tested in an environment where COVID-19 reporting is taking place, pointing to the thousands of people who are testing positive at home and not reporting their illness to anyone. ‘So I don’t think that drawing conclusions from the tiny fraction of people that we’re seeing right now who are getting tested in a pharmacy or in the testing center is really appropriate,’ Kantor said.” [News 4 Jax, 7/28/22]
March 2020: The DeSantis Administration “Strongly Recommended” Closing Schools For Two Weeks Following Spring Breaks To Slow The Spread Of Covid-19. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “All Florida school districts will shut down their schools for an extra week to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran ‘strongly recommended’ to superintendents Friday. Corcoran told the Times/Herald that he made the recommendation on a 4 p.m. conference call with the officials. Earlier in the day, three of Florida’s largest districts, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, already said that they would be shuttered starting Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis was also on the call. This extra week off will be in addition to most districts’ spring breaks, which were already scheduled either for next week or the following week, so that students won’t be on campus for a total of weeks.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/13/20]
March 16, 2020: DeSantis Announced That All State Universities Would Transition To Remote Learning For The Spring Semester Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that all state universities will transition to remote learning for the rest of the spring semester. Students who have not already left campus are being instructed to leave and return home. It will be a change for students and faculty, but it is the smart approach to encourage social distancing.” [Tampa Bay Times, 3/16/20]
March 17, 2020: DeSantis Closed K-12 Schools Until April 15. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Gov. Ron DeSantis shut down all bars and nightclubs for 30 days Tuesday and extended the closure of all K-12 schools to April 15, as part of his efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. For universities and state colleges, online-only operations will extend through the rest of the spring semester. DeSantis stressed that only elderly individuals with symptoms or people with underlying medical conditions who are showing signs of the coronavirus - fever, cough, shortness of breath - can be tested, but added he is ramping up testing around the state to thwart the spread. ‘Just think how it's escalated and how concerned a lot of people are,’ DeSantis said. ‘We want to be able to help folks.’” [Orlando Sentinel, 3/17/20]
DeSantis Said He Would Not Reopen Schools Until It Could Be Done Safely. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “DeSantis said at a Tuesday news conference that he is not going to reopen the schools until it can be done safely and any decision will be done in consultation with superintendents and parents. He said schools will be discussed by a task force on reopening the state that he intends to appoint this week. ‘It is not just going back to school at the end of May for a couple weeks - we are talking about what the fall semester is going to look like for K-12, what is it going to look like for our universities? What needs to be in place?’ DeSantis said.” [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/20/20]
DeSantis’ Ad Featured A Child Thanking DeSantis For Letting Him Go To School While Omitting DeSantis’ Past Decision To Close Schools At The Beginning Of The Pandemic. According to the Florida Phoenix, “In the early stage of the then-novel COVID-pandemic, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration made an urgent decision at a fearful time: He ordered public schools across the state to shut down — first for an extended spring break in March 2020 and then for the rest of the school year. But viewers watching DeSantis’ new statewide TV-and-digital campaign ad may not know that schools were initially locked down. The political ad simply showed a young school-aged kid looking into the camera to thank DeSantis. ‘You let me go to school,’ the child said, with no other context. The ad also shows other student-aged characters and someone who appears to be a teacher, along with some other DeSantis supporters. The current political dialogue for the governor is to highlight how much he has pushed to open schools, but that didn’t happen until at least the summer of 2020, and some districts were still allowing remote learning even after schools were required to open. So while the ad is not necessarily a lie, it does not tell the whole story of DeSantis’ education policy over the course of the pandemic — leading to questions as to when campaign ads cross over from highlighting attributes of a political candidate into potentially misleading constituents.” [Florida Phoenix, 9/13/22]
DeSantis Tweeted His Previous Position In 2020 Keeping Schools Open. According to DeSantis’ twitter, “In 2020, we made it a priority to get our kids into classrooms while many other states locked kids out of school. We kept schools open despite the opposition from media, unions, and liberal politicians, and Florida families are better for it.” [Twitter, @RonDeSantisFL, 1/13/22]
DeSantis’ Campaign Website, “The DeSantis Playbook,” Noted DeSantis “Kept Our Schools Open” Despite When “The Media And Teachers’ Unions Advocated For Lockdowns.” According to Archive.org via the Wayback Machine, “Florida led the way by putting students’ needs first. In the summer of 2020, when the media and teachers’ unions advocated lockdowns, Governor DeSantis kept our schools open. As a result, millions of students in Florida did not experience the same learning loss as locked-down states.” [Archive.org Accessed via the Wayback Machine, 10/27/22]
DeSantis Attacked Trump On The First Step Act. According to CNN, “On the campaign trail, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has attacked Donald Trump’s signature prison reform bill, calling it a ‘jailbreak bill’ and claiming it ‘allowed dangerous people out of prison who have now reoffended and really, really hurt a number of people.’ But as a congressman, DeSantis voted for a House version of the bill in May 2018 containing some of the same provisions he and his campaign now condemn.” [CNN, 6/28/23]
DeSantis Pledged To “Go To Congress And Seek The Repeal Of The First Step Act” As President. According to CNN, “Now, DeSantis wants to repeal the bill. ‘One of the things I would want to do as president is go to Congress and seek the repeal of the First Step Act. If you are in jail, you should serve your time. And the idea that they’re releasing people who have not been rehabilitated early so that they can prey on people in our society is a huge, huge mistake,’ DeSantis said on the Ben Shapiro podcast last month.” [CNN, 6/28/23]
DeSantis Voted For A Version Of The First Step Act In May 2018. According to CNN, “While a congressman, DeSantis voted for a version of the bill in the House in May 2018, but he resigned to run for governor before the final bill came to a vote later that year.” [CNN, 6/28/23]
DeSantis Press Secretary Bryan Griffin: “At No Point, As A Congressman Or As Governor, Has Ron DeSantis Ever Supported The Final Version Of The First Step Act.” According to CNN, “DeSantis’ campaign maintains that he never supported the final version of the bill. ‘At no point, as a congressman or as governor, has Ron DeSantis ever supported the final version of the First Step Act,’ DeSantis campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin told CNN in an email.” [CNN, 6/28/23]
DeSantis Made Comments Supporting Early Release For Some Prisoners And Saying He Was Open To Easing Mandatory Minimum Guidelines, Both Of Which Are Provisions In The First Step Act. According to CNN, “A CNN KFile review of DeSantis’ comments as a congressman and governor also found that he once supported early release for some prisoners and said he was open to easing mandatory minimum guidelines – provisions in the First Step Act, the prison reform bill, he now says he would repeal. ‘At the end of the day, I want to keep the public safe,’ DeSantis said in a March 2019 news conference. ‘I want to hold people accountable. But I also recognize that there are, you know, some instances in which, you know, folks have paid their debt and we are probably wasting money if they’re not a threat to society and so we’re gonna look at all that.’” [CNN, 6/28/23]
DeSantis Said The First Step Act Could Be A Model To Use In Florida. According to CNN, “DeSantis pointed to the First Step Act as a potential model for prison reform and re-entry programs in Florida. ‘We, I think, need to look at after seeing what the federal government did with the prison reform and how to do some re-entry,’ the governor said. ‘We’ve seen some successes in Florida. We probably have more to do at the state level to continue to pursue success. And at the end of the day, you have somebody that’s committed a crime, they’re serving time if they’re getting out one way or another. Don’t we want them to get out with a chance to be productive?’” [CNN, 6/28/23]