One in four military spouses across America is unemployed right now.
Florida just reminded every one of them exactly where they should be living.
He designated April 2026 as the Month of the Military Family – and unlike most political proclamations, this one has receipts behind it.
Florida Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
Florida is home to nearly 1.4 million veterans – one of the largest veteran populations in the country.
Twenty military installations operate across the state, covering every branch of service.
Those families pump more than $20 billion into Florida's economy every year through federal compensation, education benefits, military pay, and VA medical services.
DeSantis didn't just thank them for it.
He built an entire infrastructure around their kids.
The Purple Star Schools That Actually Work
Four hundred fifty-one Florida schools now carry the Purple Star School of Distinction designation.
These aren't participation trophies.
To earn one, a school must designate a military family liaison, reserve 5% of open enrollment seats specifically for military children, maintain a student-led transition program, and run annual military recognition events.
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Ninety-two percent of schools in Okaloosa County – home to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field – are now Purple Star certified.
Florida Virtual School joined the program in 2025, which means military kids who move mid-semester don't lose months of coursework because their parents got new orders.
The Purple Star Campus program extends the same commitment to colleges and universities – a dedicated military liaison, focused resources, and smooth transfer credit for military training.
Legislation With Real Consequences
DeSantis signed three veteran-focused bills in 2025, including two that hit hardest for families.
House Bill 797 tore out the bureaucratic barrier that had been blocking veterans and their spouses from accessing long-term care together in the same facility.
Senate Bill 910 went after the predators – the unaccredited "advisors" who had been charging veterans fees for navigating the benefits system, often delivering nothing in return.
The new law bans referral kickbacks, prohibits misleading guarantees, caps payouts, and requires background checks for anyone offering paid benefits assistance.
First Lady Casey DeSantis built a program called Hope Florida: A Pathway for Patriots, run through the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Trained navigators connect veterans directly with earned benefits and community resources – cutting through the bureaucracy that has buried military families in other states.
More than 1,000 veterans and their families were served by the program in 2025 alone.
What Most States Are Actually Doing to Military Families
While DeSantis was signing legislation, the rest of the country was producing a damning report.
Blue Star Families released their 2025 Military Family Lifestyle Survey in February – and the numbers are brutal.
Twenty-eight percent of active-duty families across America reported low or very low food security.
Twenty-two percent said they used a food pantry in the past year.
Twenty-three percent of military spouses are unemployed – the same rate as the year before, because nothing is getting fixed.
Fewer than half of active-duty families said they are satisfied with military life.
That is the national baseline – the America that most governors built for the people protecting this country.
Florida built something different.
No state income tax saves military families $2,000 to $4,000 annually compared to high-tax duty stations.
Veterans rated 100% disabled get a complete property tax exemption.
Purple Heart recipients get undergraduate tuition waived entirely.
Combat medics can convert their military training directly into nursing education credit – cutting years off the path to a civilian career.
The same survey found that 77% of active-duty families say how well America supports military families during service directly shapes whether the next generation enlists.
DeSantis just gave them a reason to say yes.
Sources:
- Florida Governor's Office, "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Support Florida Veterans and their Families," Executive Office of the Governor, June 6, 2025.
- Florida Department of Education, "Over 450 Schools Receive the Purple Star Schools of Distinction Designation," fldoe.org, November 10, 2025.
- Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs, "Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs Highlights 2025 Successes Impacting State's Veterans," floridavets.org, 2025.
- Florida Governor's Office, "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces 176 Schools, 5 Districts Earn the Purple Star School of Distinction Designation," flgov.com, 2024.
- Blue Star Families, "2025 Military Family Lifestyle Survey," bluestarfam.org, February 3, 2026.
- Stars and Stripes, "Food insecurity among military families up 12 percentage points in nonprofit's 2025 survey," February 9, 2026.
