Ron DeSantis is the 46th governor of the state of Florida; previous to this he had served the Sunshine State as a Congressman, representing the 6th Congressional District. DeSantis is a member of the Republican Party, and he is widely known for his refusal to “lock down” the state of Florida. All the while, Florida’s COVID-19 numbers remained relatively low, particularly when compared with states that did opt to shutter businesses and enforce masking and other pandemic-related measures. DeSantis has called out his political opponents by name, and he has openly challenged certain federal measures. Although DeSantis has only been in office for just two years, he is lauded for his leadership during the pandemic.
Celebrated Name: | Ron DeSantis |
Real Name/Full Name: | Ronald Dion DeSantis |
Gender: | Male |
Age: | 43 |
Birthdate: | September 14, 1978 |
Birthplace: | Jacksonville, FL |
Nationality: | American |
Height: | 5 ft. 9 in. |
Weight: | 154 lb. |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Marital Status: | Married |
Wife/Spouse | Casey DeSantis (nee’ Black) |
Children/Kids: | One son, Mason; one daughter, Madison |
Dating/Girlfriend Name: | N/A |
Is Ron DeSantis Gay? | No |
Highest Political Office: | Governor of Florida |
Profession: | Politician and Attorney |
Colleges Attended: | Bachelor of Arts in History (Yale); Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School |
Degrees: | Bachelor of Arts, Political Science |
Salary: | $134,181 |
Net Worth in 2021: | $348,832 |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Ron DeSantis was born in Jacksonville, Florida on September 14, 1978 to Ronald Daniel and Karen (Rogers) DeSantis. DeSantis can trace his family lineage to Italy; his great-great grandparents were both from Italy and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s.
DeSantis’ parents were hard-working individuals; his mother was a nurse, and his father installed Nielsen TV rating boxes. The family would move to Orlando, then settled in Dunedin, Florida by the time Ron was six years of age.
DeSantis was quite the athlete during his school days and even during his time at Yale. He played on various Little League teams as a young boy; one team he played on made it to the Little League World Series.
At Yale, DeSantis played on the baseball team, and he served his teammates as a captain. He was an outfielder; during his senior year, DeSantis held the highest batting average on the Yale baseball squad.
DeSantis graduated from Yale in 2001. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History; he graduated magna cum laude. Before he would gain a coveted student spot in Harvard’s Law School, DeSantis would serve the community as a history teacher. He taught at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia; this is prestigious boarding school serves students from twenty countries across the world.
DeSantis returned to school himself in 2002; he pursued a Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School. He graduated cum laude in 2005.
In 2004, DeSantis was assigned to the JAG (Judge Advocate General’s Corps) in the Navy Reserve. He pursued this venture while still a student at Harvard; he completed Naval Justice School in 2005, the same year he graduated from Harvard Law School. DeSantis served the JAG Trial Service Office Command South East at Naval Station in Mayport, Florida. There he was a prosecutor. DeSantis would eventually work for the commander of Joint Task Force- Guantanamo; he worked directly with detainees at Gitmo during this time.
DeSantis would go to the Naval Special Warfare Command Group in California in 2007. He was a part of SEAL Team One, and he was deployed to Iraq. He was a Legal Advisor to the SEAL Commander, Special Operations Task Force working out of Fallujah.
When DeSantis returned from his tour of duty, he was reassigned to the Naval Region Southeast Legal Service. He was appointed to serve as an assistant United States attorney at the Middle District of Florida office. He worked in this position until he received an honorable discharge from the military in 2010.
While he was serving as this assistant United States attorney, DeSantis was also working with the JAG division of the U.S. Naval Reserve; he received a reserve commission position as a lieutenant.
During DeSantis’ service, he received a number of awards, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Personal Life
Ron DeSantis is married (since 2010) to Casey Black DeSantis, who has worked as a television host on WJXT as well as on the Golf Channel. The couple are active in the Roman Catholic church. They have two children, Mason and Madison.
At one time, the DeSantis family lived in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. However, when the Congressional district they lived in was redrawn, they moved to Palm Coast, Florida.
DeSantis is proudly active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization as well as the American Legion.
DeSantis had one younger sister, Christina. She was six years Ron’s junior, but she attended and graduated from Dunedin High School just as her older brother had. She attended Florida State University and received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University. Christina was a financial advisor at the time of her death. It was determined that she passed away from a pulmonary embolism. She was in London at the time of her passing with her fiance.
Age, Height, and Weight
Ron DeSantis is 43 years of age; he is 5′ 9″ in height and reportedly weighs 154 lbs.
Net Worth
As of December 2021, Ron DeSantis’ net worth is estimated to be $348,342. This includes his annual salary of $134,181 as Florida’s governor and earnings from a pension.
Ron DeSantis released a book in 2011: Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama. The book had spurts of profitable sales, but it was not a best-selling book by any means.
Career Outside of Politics
DeSantis served his country via the Naval Reserve. He was a prosecuting attorney for the JAG military tribunal. He also served in Fallujah during the War on Terror in the mid-2000s.
DeSantis was a history teacher for one year before he returned to graduate studies at Harvard Law School.
DeSantis received an honorable discharge from military service in 2010, and he would enter the world of politics within a short period of time. DeSantis received numerous awards during his time in the military; one such award was earned because DeSantis prosecuted twenty-five cases as a member of the JAG team.
Career in Politics
Ron DeSantis entered the field of politics with the 2012 election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District. He won by a fair margin over his Democratic opponent, Heather Beaven. In 2014, DeSantis was the incumbent candidate. He won that election with just over 61 percent of the vote. He ran again for the Congressional position in the 6th District, and he defeated his Democratic opponent with just over 58 percent of the vote.
During DeSantis’ time serving as a Congressman, he became an outspoken opponent of the Obama Administration. He has been associated with Tea Party politics, and DeSantis is a true Conservative when it comes to politics.
DeSantis served on a number of committees while he was in Congress. During the 2013 – 2014 Congressional term, DeSantis was on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on the Judiciary.
Later, DeSantis would serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
During his final term in Congress (prior to running for Florida’s governor), DeSantis served on those same three committees on which he had previously served.
DeSantis had a close relationship with former President Donald Trump, and during the Florida gubernatorial race, Trump took to the stump multiple times on behalf of DeSantis.
When DeSantis resigned from his post in Congress, he related that he felt it was “inappropriate” for him to continue to draw his $174,000 per year salary when he would not physically be present in Washington as often due to appearances on the campaign trail.
DeSantis’ supporters noted that this decision is in line with the Florida governor’s fiscally conservative stance.
When DeSantis initially announced his run, he primaried against then-Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. He won the primary handily, but was on for quite a fight with his future Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum. The 2018 Florida gubernatorial race was played out on a national scale in many ways. Part of the reason for this was DeSantis’ relationship with then-President Donald Trump; part of the reason for this was that Gillumm was seen as a progressive candidate whose values lined up with the likes of Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Gavin Newsom of California.
DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial election with 49.6 percent of the vote. Independent and Reform party candidates chipped away at the margin by which DeSantis led.
DeSantis effectively swapped places with the outgoing Florida governor; then-Governor Rick Scott – another ally of Trump – would run for Congress in 2018, and he is currently serving in that position.
Today, DeSantis is still stirring up controversy with progressives. He is an outspoken critic of the Biden Administration. DeSantis has signed multiple bills into law so that Florida would not be hindered by federal mandates. During the supply crisis in late October, DeSantis openly invited cargo ships to come to Florida, promising to unload them and get them working again soon. Ironically, Florida has had some of the lowest rates of COVID-19 deaths even though DeSantis refused to shut down the state and participate in stay-at-home orders. He has also signed bills that would prevent the teaching of CRT in Florida’s public schools, and he has signed legislation that would exempt Florida’s students from any federal mask or vaccination mandate.