DeSantis is building up Florida's nursing workforce through proven programs.
Leftist unions claim there's no shortage and want to stop the funding.
But Ron DeSantis just made one announcement about Florida nurses that has leftist unions fuming.
DeSantis doubles down on nursing education with additional $20 million
Governor Ron DeSantis announced another $20 million in funding for Florida's nursing programs at St. Petersburg College Tuesday.
The money goes to the LINE program — Linking Industry to Nursing Education — which matches funds dollar-for-dollar to help nursing schools partner with hospitals.
DeSantis said the programs are working.
"We're now producing 1,000 plus additional nurses than we were before, every year between our state colleges and our state universities," DeSantis said. "That's a meaningful increase."
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2013658621624619426?s=20
That's on top of the nearly $500 million DeSantis has already invested since these programs started in 2022.
The Florida Hospital Association predicts the state will face a shortage of almost 60,000 nurses by 2035.
DeSantis is getting ahead of the problem before it becomes a crisis.
But not everyone's happy about Florida's nursing success story.
National Nurses United claims the shortage is fake
While DeSantis was announcing more funding, National Nurses United — one of the biggest leftist nurses unions — was pushing a different story.
The union released a memo claiming there is no nurse shortage.
"The truth is there is no nurse shortage," the union stated.
"There is only a shortage of nurses willing to care for patients under the working conditions set by the hospital industry."
National Nurses United claims hospital executives are lying about shortages to justify bringing in AI technology and cutting nursing positions.
The union says 1.1 million registered nurses with active licenses weren't working as RNs in 2023.
They blame "unsafe" working conditions, not a lack of trained nurses.
But here's what the union won't tell you.
Those million nurses aren't sitting around waiting for better working conditions.
Many left because they retired, changed careers entirely, or found the physical demands too much after years of work.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2013674911907058154?s=20
The union is trying to stop funding for nursing education by claiming the shortage doesn't exist.
If there's no shortage, why pour money into training new nurses?
DeSantis has the numbers to prove his programs work
St. Petersburg College — where DeSantis made his announcement — has a 94.1% passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination.
That's the test every nurse has to pass to get licensed.
The state average is only 83%.
That's a massive difference.
Florida's nursing programs aren't just producing more nurses — they're producing better-trained nurses who can actually pass their licensing exam on the first try.
In fiscal year 2023-24, a record 7,498 students completed nursing programs in Florida.
That's the highest number in three years.
State universities saw 1,800 nursing graduates — also a record.
And more than 90% of nursing graduates in Florida find jobs within one year.
These aren't made-up numbers to justify funding.
This is real workforce development producing measurable results.
Ray Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System, said the numbers prove Florida is on the right track.
"With the continuation of the LINE and PIPELINE investments, nursing programs will continue to expand and fill a critical workforce need for our state," Rodriguez stated.
The union wants to keep nurses from entering the workforce
National Nurses United's real agenda isn't protecting nurses — it's protecting union power.
If Florida trains 1,000 additional nurses every year, that's 1,000 nurses who might not join the union and pay dues that give the union leverage in contract negotiations.
The union claims hospital executives want to replace nurses with AI and reduce patient care.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2013719702023880723?s=20
But DeSantis is literally funding programs to train more human nurses and put them in hospitals.
You can't have it both ways.
Either there's a shortage that needs addressing, or there isn't.
The union picked the wrong fight because the facts aren't on their side.
The profession is physically demanding, the hours are brutal, and many nurses burn out after years of overnight shifts and constant stress.
The solution isn't better union contracts.
The solution is training more nurses to fill the gaps left by retirements and career changes.
DeSantis gets this.
The unions don't — or they do and they're lying about it.
Florida needs 60,000 additional nurses over the next decade to keep up with the state's aging population and continued growth.
DeSantis is the only one actually doing something about it.
Sources:
- Michelle Vecerina, "DeSantis announces $20M in new funding for Florida nursing programs," Florida News, January 20, 2026.
- Joey Swanson, "DeSantis pledging $26M to fund nursing education across Florida," Fox 13 News, January 20, 2026.
- Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Awards $20 Million in LINE Funding to Address State Nursing Needs," Florida Politics, January 20, 2026.
- "DeSantis announces funding for nursing shortage, labor union says there's no shortage," WFLA, January 20, 2026.
- "Governor DeSantis Highlights Success in Reducing Nursing Shortages Through LINE and PIPELINE Funds," Executive Office of the Governor, September 3, 2024.
- National Nurses United, "Reporter Memo Hospital Staffing Crisis," January 14, 2025.
