Ron DeSantis walked into the Florida House chamber Tuesday for his final State of the State address as one of the most successful conservative governors in American history.
Seven years of record economic growth, school choice expansion, and defending freedom earned him a spot in the history books.
And Ron DeSantis delivered a masterclass in conservative governance while Democrats instantly proved why Florida rejected them.
DeSantis Reminded Florida Why Conservative Leadership Works
DeSantis opened his address by connecting Florida's success to the spirit that founded America in 1776.
"We have set the standard for the rest of the country to follow," DeSantis declared. "We are the Free State of Florida."
The governor wasn't exaggerating.
He rattled off achievement after achievement that left liberal states in the dust.
Florida tripled its rainy day fund and doubled budget reserves while other states drowned in debt.
The state retired nearly half of all taxpayer-supported debt accumulated throughout Florida's entire history.
DeSantis kept the government lean with the lowest per-capita spending in the nation and half the national average for state workers per capita.
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"We've proven that fiscal responsibility and limited government work," DeSantis said.
Florida's economy hit $1.8 trillion on DeSantis's watch — and the state grabbed the number one economy ranking three years running.
Get this: Florida created 14% of all new jobs in America since 2020 without an income tax.
DeSantis pumped nearly $6 billion into teacher pay, pushing Florida salaries to the top in the Southeast.
The state's high school graduation rate? 92.2% in 2024-25. That's the highest Florida has ever seen.
And while other states let boys dominate girls' sports and pushed gender ideology on kindergarteners, DeSantis banned that garbage and gave parents actual control over their kids' education.
"We have ensured that our schools have a duty to educate, not a right to indoctrinate," DeSantis said.
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He poured record funding into Everglades restoration and delivered the fastest hurricane response and power restoration in Florida history.
On immigration, DeSantis reminded lawmakers that Florida leads the nation in cooperation with President Trump's deportation efforts.
"In the past nine months alone, Florida is responsible for the apprehension of nearly 20,000 illegal aliens that have been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security to be returned to their home countries," DeSantis announced.
This is what conservative governance looks like when you actually implement it instead of just talking about it.
Democrats Threw A Tantrum Because They Have No Accomplishments
Moments after DeSantis finished his speech celebrating Florida's success, bitter Democrats rushed to cameras to complain.
House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell whined that DeSantis was "dredging up some of his greatest hits."
Of course she said that.
Democrats don't have any hits to celebrate, so they mock Republicans who do.
Driskell claimed DeSantis didn't address affordability, ignoring that he spent months pushing property tax relief that would save Florida families thousands of dollars.
Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman said DeSantis "didn't really lay out anything for the Legislature."
This from the party that controls only 33 of 120 House seats and 11 of 40 Senate seats because Florida voters keep rejecting their socialist agenda.
State Rep. Michele Rayner accused DeSantis of being "clearly more concerned with his political legacy than the lives of everyday Floridians."
That's rich coming from a Democrat whose party drove people out of blue states and into Florida with their high taxes and lockdown tyranny.
Democrats are furious because DeSantis succeeded everywhere they failed.
While Democrat governors destroyed their states with COVID lockdowns, DeSantis kept Florida open and protected freedom.
While Democrat states hemorrhaged residents, Florida welcomed them with open arms and no income tax.
While Democrat governors raised taxes, DeSantis cut them.
Democrats don't have a response to success, so they attack the man who delivered it.
DeSantis Is Fighting For Property Tax Relief Democrats Oppose
DeSantis made clear that property tax relief remains his top priority for his final year.
Tax collections exploded from $32 billion to $56 billion during his tenure as Florida's success attracted new residents and home values soared.
"You should be able to own your home without paying perpetual rent to the government," DeSantis said.
The governor wants to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot giving Floridians real property tax relief.
"The Legislature has the ability to place a measure on the ballot to provide transformational relief for taxpayers," DeSantis said. "Let's resolve to all work together, get something done, and let the people have a say."
House Speaker Daniel Perez proposed seven different constitutional amendments instead of one clear choice.
DeSantis called that out in October as "a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people."
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The governor is right.
Giving voters seven confusing options is a recipe for killing any reform because support gets split across multiple proposals.
Florida families need one strong amendment that delivers maximum relief, not a menu of half-measures.
DeSantis has been touring the state with Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia showing how local governments waste taxpayer money on excessive spending.
Democrats hate this because they love big government spending.
They'd rather see Floridians pay higher taxes to fund bloated bureaucracies than give families relief.
DeSantis Warned About AI Dangers Before Anyone Else
DeSantis also laid out the threat artificial intelligence poses to Florida families.
"As AI chatbots have already been linked to teen suicides, it can also further devolve our society into a focus not on substance, but on online slop," DeSantis warned.
He's ahead of the curve on this issue.
Multiple families across America have sued AI companies after their teenagers died following interactions with companion chatbots.
A 14-year-old boy killed himself in 2024 after getting hooked on an AI chatbot. The kid couldn't tell the difference between a computer program and a real relationship.
Parents told Congress these chatbots actively talked their children out of getting help. When kids expressed suicidal thoughts, the bots kept the conversation going instead of screaming for them to call 911.
California and New York scrambled to pass regulations after teenagers were already dead. Classic liberal response — wait until the bodies pile up, then act like you care.
DeSantis wants Florida ahead of this disaster with an AI "Bill of Rights" that protects families before more kids die.
He also warned that AI will cost Americans their jobs while jacking up everyone's power bills to run the massive data centers these companies need.
"We can never relieve ourselves of our responsibilities to think for ourselves as Floridians, as Americans and, most importantly, as the human beings that are made in the image of God," DeSantis said.
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This is moral leadership from a governor who understands technology can't replace human dignity.
Democrats Offered Nothing But More Government Spending
While DeSantis laid out real priorities, Democrats proposed their usual big-government schemes.
They want a "National Insurance Compact" that would let other states dictate Florida's insurance market.
They're pushing to eliminate documentary stamp taxes, cutting revenue the state needs without explaining how to replace it.
And they want a "Florida DOGE" to audit spending, which is hilarious coming from the party that never met a government program it didn't want to expand.
Democrats control less than a third of the Legislature because Florida voters see through their nonsense.
Their "affordability agenda" is just another excuse to grow the government and raise taxes somewhere else.
DeSantis already delivered real affordability by keeping Florida income-tax free, cutting sales taxes on essentials, and maintaining the lowest government spending per capita in the nation.
He announced that Citizens Property Insurance is cutting rates by nearly 9% this year.
Democrats want credit for complaining about problems DeSantis is actually solving.
A Conservative Governor Cementing His Legacy
DeSantis has one year left to build on the most successful conservative governorship in modern Florida history.
He's not backing down on property tax relief despite House Republicans playing games with multiple amendments.
He's warning about AI dangers before they spiral out of control.
And he's continuing to prove that conservative principles deliver results liberal policies can only dream about.
"We are the keepers of the flame of liberty that burned in Philadelphia in July of 1776," DeSantis said. "We will not allow the flame to go out. We will answer the call. We will go forward with courage. We will take bold action. We will get the job done."
Democrats spent Tuesday attacking a governor whose record they can't match and whose success exposes their failures.
Florida voters rejected Democrats' vision and embraced DeSantis's leadership for a reason.
The next year will show whether Republicans in the Legislature have the courage to match their governor's boldness or whether they'll cave to pressure and deliver half-measures.
DeSantis laid out the conservative path forward Tuesday.
Now it's up to the Legislature to follow his lead.
Sources:
- Frank Kopylov, "DeSantis touts 'free state' legacy, pushes property tax cuts and AI safeguards in final State of the State address," Florida Politics, January 13, 2026.
- Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Praises Economy, Education, and Other Achievements in Final State of the State Address," Variety, January 13, 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "In his last State-of-the-State address, DeSantis vows: 'We will get the job done,'" Florida Phoenix, January 13, 2026.
- Jeffrey Schweers, "Florida lawmakers offer an array of property tax reforms," Orlando Sentinel, December 26, 2025.
