Gretchen Whitmer didn't give Michigan state workers a single extra day off for America's 250th birthday.
Ron DeSantis just gave Florida's workers five.
Here's what he announced last week – and why the contrast tells you everything you need to know about which party actually loves this country.
DeSantis Turns July 4th Into a Five-Day Celebration
State offices in Florida will be closed Thursday, July 2, through Monday, July 6.
July 3 was already a paid holiday for state workers.
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DeSantis added July 2 and July 6 – giving nearly 100,000 Florida state employees a five-day stretch to honor the most important birthday this country has seen in 50 years.
"America's 250th anniversary is a historic milestone and an opportunity to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and enduring principles that established the United States as the freest and most prosperous nation in the world," DeSantis said.
That's a governor who actually believes what he's saying.
DeSantis Has Been Doing This for Years
This didn't start with July 4th.
In December 2024, DeSantis gave state workers three extra days off around Christmas – Dec. 23, Dec. 24, and Dec. 31 – calling it a reward for a hard year that included three costly hurricanes.
In November 2025, he added extra days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.
Earlier this year, he made Washington's Birthday a Florida state holiday for the first time, specifically to mark America 250.
Now he's capping it off with the biggest gift yet.
This is a governor who treats state employees like human beings with families – not input costs in a budget spreadsheet.
His reasoning for the July holiday says everything: "I am pleased to provide state employees additional time to celebrate our country's founding, participate in America 250 events, and spend time with family and friends honoring the blessings of liberty that generations of Americans have fought to preserve."
You won't find language like that coming out of California or New York.
This Is the Biggest Birthday in Your Lifetime
July 4, 2026 marks 250 years since the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
President Trump has been building toward this moment for over a year – establishing the White House Task Force 250, rolling out a full year of festivities that began on Memorial Day 2025.
The July 4th celebration in Washington will draw more than a million people to the National Mall for a full day of programming anchored by President Trump himself.
This won't happen again for another 50 years.
DeSantis understands that.
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A governor who hands state workers five days off around July 4th is a governor who wants his people at the events, at the parades, at the community celebrations – feeling something real about being American.
That's a values statement, not a scheduling decision.
The Governor Who Celebrates America – and the Ones Who Don't
Whitmer didn't give Michigan workers extra days to mark the occasion.
Neither did Pritzker in Illinois.
Neither did Newsom in California.
These are governors who will spend the next three weeks telling you how much they love America – and couldn't be bothered to give the people who run their state governments one extra afternoon to celebrate it.
DeSantis isn't asking permission to celebrate America.
He's setting the standard.
And when July 4th rolls around next month – when Florida families are at the fireworks, at the America 250 events, at the barbecues that go all weekend long – the 100,000 state workers who got those five days off will know exactly which governor made that possible.
Sources:
- Ron DeSantis, "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Additional Days Off for State Employees as America Celebrates 250 Years of Independence," Executive Office of the Governor, June 12, 2026.
- Alex Nitzberg, "'DeSanta Claus' Strikes Again: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Announces Extra Days Off for State Workers," Fox News, December 11, 2024.
- Jim Rosica, "'DeSanta Claus' Delivers as State Workers Now Off for Christmas Eve," USA TODAY Network – Florida, December 2025.
- The White House, "Freedom 250," whitehouse.gov, 2026.
