On Tuesday, Ron DeSantis was sworn in for his second term as Governor of the Sunshine State and delivered a rousing address contrasting the failures of the federal government with Florida’s fight for freedom.
DeSantis won reelection with bipartisan support during the 2022 midterm election. For four years he had fought against the D.C. Swamp and government bureaucracy, resisting endless lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Over 600,000 Americans moved to Florida following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and DeSantis quickly became one of the most popular governors in the country.
He delineated the secret to the state’s success in his address:
Freedom lives here, in our great Sunshine State of Florida!
It lives in the courage of those who patrol the streets and keep our communities safe, it lives in the industry of those who work long hours to earn a living and raise their families, it lives in the dedication of those who teach our children, it lives in the determination of those who grow our food, it lives in the wisdom of our senior citizens, it lives in the dreams of the historic number of families who have moved from thousands of miles away because they saw Florida as the land of liberty and the land of sanity.
Over the past few years, as so many states in our country grinded their citizens down, we in Florida lifted our people up.
When other states consigned their people’s freedom to the dustbin, Florida stood strongly as freedom’s linchpin.
When the world lost its mind – when common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue – Florida was a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom for our fellow Americans and even for people around the world.
In captaining the ship of state, we choose to navigate the boisterous sea of liberty rather than cower in the calm docks of despotism.
We face attacks, we take hits, but we weather the storms, we stand our ground, and we do what is right.
Touting his many accomplishments, he went on to blast the federal government for standing in the way of Florida’s progress. He said, “Florida’s success has been made more difficult by the floundering federal establishment in Washington, D.C.”
“The federal government has gone on an inflationary spending binge that has left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer, it has enacted pandemic restrictions and mandates – based more on ideology and politics than on sound science – and this has eroded freedom and stunted commerce,” DeSantis declared.
“It has recklessly facilitated open borders: making a mockery of the rule of law, allowing massive amounts of narcotics to infest our states, importing criminal aliens, and green lighting the flow of millions of illegal aliens into our country, burdening communities and taxpayers throughout the land,” he continued.
He later blasted the “floundering federal establishment” for wielding “its authority through a sprawling, unaccountable and out-of-touch bureaucracy that does not act on behalf of us, but instead looms over us and imposes its will upon us.”
He explained that the results of the federal government’s overreach have been “dismal,” causing many to lose hope for the country’s future.
“Some say that failure is inevitable,” he said. “Florida is proof positive that We the People are not destined for failure. Decline is a choice. Success is attainable. And freedom is worth fighting for.”
The governor wrapped up his moving address by rallying his listeners – and American patriots nationwide – to keep fighting for freedom.
“Now fighting for freedom is not easy because the threats to freedom are more complex and more widespread than in the past – the threats can come from entrenched bureaucrats in D.C., jet-setters in Davos, and corporations wielding public power,” he warned. “But fight we must.”
Watch the entirety of Governor Ron DeSantis’ fiery speech to hear the rest of his pro-American battle cry.
In his fight to curb federal tyranny, DeSantis has endorsed Convention of States and urged other states to pass resolutions calling for an Article V Convention.
“I've spent years fighting the DC Swamp, and… know the states need to use Article V to take the power away from DC. The permanent bureaucracy will never voluntarily give up an ounce of its power,” he explained.
According to Convention of States Action President Mark Meckler, “Governor DeSantis understands firsthand the dangers of an out-of-control federal government—every day, he is on the front lines, fighting the deep state from inside the beltway.”
If only the federal government practiced federalism (as the Founders intended), the victories we see in Florida would not be so rare. It is time to push the government out of the way, and the only way to do it is through Convention of States.
To join Governor Ron DeSantis in his support, sign the Convention of States petition below.
