DeSantis Tells Tallahassee to ‘Stay the Course’ in State of the State Address

‘We have chosen facts over fear. Education over indoctrination. Law and order over rioting and disorder,’ he says.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during the Scott County Fireside Chat at the Tanglewood Hills Pavilion on Dec. 18, 2023 in Bettendorf, Iowa. Scott Olson/Getty Images

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Hurricane-force winds, torrential rain, and tornadoes pummeled the Florida Capitol and the rest of the panhandle on Jan. 9, but state senators and representatives braved the weather to commence the 2024 legislative session.

In the morning—in what was the only government building still open during the storm—they welcomed Gov. Ron DeSantis back into the House of Representatives to give his State of the State address in the final days before the Iowa Caucus.