Ron DeSantis stood at Bahia Honda State Park in Monroe County on Presidents' Day and unveiled a statue of President James Monroe.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
And what Donald Trump has been doing across Latin America is the Monroe Doctrine coming back to life – and every American needs to understand why these two things are connected.
The Man Who Said 'This Hemisphere Is Ours'
In 1823, Monroe stood before Congress and drew a line in the sand.
Europe had no business extending its influence anywhere in the Americas – and any attempt to do so would be treated as a threat to the United States.
That one declaration shaped American foreign policy for two centuries, and it's the exact principle Trump just used to justify capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and seizing control of his country's oil operations.
Trump even coined a new name for it.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2023556967151669496?s=20
"And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot," Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago in January. "They now call it the 'Donroe Doctrine.'"
He added separately: "American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again."
Florida Is Leading the Country
DeSantis didn't just unveil one statue – he's been building a whole series.
Jefferson County got Thomas Jefferson last July.
Franklin County got Benjamin Franklin on Constitution Day in September.
Miami got Ronald Reagan at Florida International University earlier this month.
And now Monroe County – named after the fifth president himself – has James Monroe standing guard near the historic Flagler Railroad bridge, watching over the waters he helped secure for America.
"While others are tearing statues of our founding fathers down, Florida is putting them up," DeSantis said when the Jefferson statue went up last summer.
"In Florida, we honor our nation's history, celebrate those who made our country great, and strive to pass down their legacy of civic virtue to the next generation," DeSantis said Monday at the Monroe unveiling.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2023527213597864362?s=20
Why This Statue Matters More Than You Think
Monroe acquired Florida from Spain through the Adams-Onís Treaty in 1819 – the very deal that created the county where this statue now stands.
Monroe County exists because Monroe had the backbone to tell a foreign power that this territory belongs to the United States.
Trump is doing the same thing right now, two hundred years later.
He captured Maduro.
He's blockading Cuba.
He's demanding control of the Panama Canal.
He put a formal "Trump Corollary" into his National Security Strategy, declaring that the U.S. will deny any outside power the ability to own or control strategic assets in this hemisphere.
China was running military simulations targeting the Western Hemisphere just last December.
https://twitter.com/KaraFranker/status/2023521610565906850?s=20
Russia and China both maintain active ties with the Cuban regime – ninety miles off the Florida coast.
Monroe saw this kind of threat coming in 1823.
DeSantis understands that putting Monroe back on a pedestal in the Florida Keys isn't a history lesson – it's a statement about where America stands right now.
DeSantis has invested $129 million in Florida's Civics Literacy Excellence Initiative to make sure the next generation knows these men, these principles, and exactly what it cost to build this country.
More statues are coming – Hamilton County and Madison County are still on the list.
July 4, 2026 is America's 250th birthday.
Florida is making sure we celebrate it the right way.
Sources:
- Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Unveils Statue of President James Monroe as Florida Celebrates America's 250th Birthday," Executive Office of the Governor, February 16, 2026.
- Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Unveils Statue of James Monroe for 'America 250,'" Independent Journal Review, February 17, 2026.
- Staff Report, "'Guardian of the hemisphere': DeSantis unveils new James Monroe statue in Keys," Florida Keys Free Press, February 16, 2026.
- Governor Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Unveils Thomas Jefferson Statue in Jefferson County," Executive Office of the Governor, July 2, 2025.
- Fox 35 Staff, "Florida Gov. DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Collins unveil Benjamin Franklin statue in Apalachicola," Fox 35 Orlando, September 17, 2025.
- Staff, "Monroe to Donroe: A 'dead' doctrine's revival for current operations," Military Times, January 5, 2026.
- Staff, "'Donroe Doctrine': What it is, how Trump used it in Venezuela, what's next," Axios, January 8, 2026.
- Atlantic Council Staff, "The Trump Corollary is officially in effect," Atlantic Council, January 8, 2026.
