Editorial: Ron DeSantis can regain the hearts of Floridians by putting their needs first

Gov. Ron DeSantis returned Monday to the job Floridians elected him to do. Now all Floridians are wondering what’s in store for them as DeSantis serves the last two years of a term that was really an extended campaign for the presidency.

Welcome back, Governor. Time to get to work on their behalf.

Start with the obvious: DeSantis should drop the culture-war mentality that fueled attacks on LGBTQ Floridians, African-Americans who want to talk about their own history’s relevance, and true academic, governmental and corporate freedom to deal with issues of diversity and inclusion on their own terms. Essentially, any of his initiatives that were launched despite a near-total lack of public outcry for changes in state policy.

It’s probably too much to expect him to acknowledge that he was wrong. But stopping the attacks and doing his best to repair the damage would speak volumes.

Meanwhile, he should act quickly and decisively on the issues that Floridians say are important.

Those needs are clear, and many of them align with the priorities DeSantis first ran on in 2018. Addressing them in effective, innovative ways will give the governor the chance to wrap up this chapter of his life with a strong fourth-quarter surge of advocacy on behalf of the Floridians he swore an oath — twice — to serve.

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Plenty of challenges

Those priorities include preparing the state to meet the challenges of climate change and the availability of clean, fresh drinking water — a case that will be tougher to make than it was six years ago, but one that is imperative to Florida’s future prosperity and cannot wait.

It will be a tougher sell, because Floridians are focused on the disasters that are playing out right now as they struggle to find affordable housing and insurance to protect them against catastrophes. Many households are paying more than half their income just to keep roofs over their heads. And they are the lucky ones. Across Florida, there are reports of workers sleeping in their cars because they can’t afford rent or a mortgage.

Meanwhile, the unstable insurance market hasn’t responded to any of the giveaways showered upon it by the Legislature and unchecked by DeSantis’ apparent indifference. Unleashing his ire on an industry that has treated Florida like an ATM for years would be a refreshing change of pace and a win for Florida’s beleaguered consumers.

DeSantis should also urge Florida lawmakers to reverse course on the billions in federal funding he and the Legislature have rejected. As the Sentinel’s Jeffrey Schweers reported earlier this month, the total likely exceeds $11 billion. Though many deadlines have passed, including a Jan. 1 deadline to request $248 million for a summer food program that would sustain 2 million children, it’s likely that federal officials would give Florida a shot at changing its mind if the governor asks. The same goes for $320 million in federal funds for road improvements and measures intended to reduce carbon emissions. DeSantis has already made a tentative move by asking for $1.7 million in the upcoming year’s state budget that could draw down at least a portion of Florida’s allotted $346 million in federal energy-efficiency rebates. That money could help many residents who are struggling to rebuild storm-ravaged homes or protect themselves from skyrocketing utility bills.

There are many other ways the governor could demonstrate that he can fight just as aggressively (and more effectively) on behalf of Floridians as he did for a spot as a distant runner-up to the juggernaut that is Donald Trump.

The right fights at last

If he takes these opportunities, DeSantis could ease the pain of the countless volunteers, small-dollar donors and loyal supporters who first rallied to his cause, many of whom held out hope until the bitter end. When DeSantis announced Sunday that he was suspending his presidential campaign, their sorrow was palpable across social media platforms.

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A strong record of last-term achievement would force people to rethink the legacy of “loser.” Far more importantly, it could prove DeSantis sees Floridians as more than backdrops for endless photo shoots.

By returning to fight for them, and all Floridians — instead of targeting marginalized groups to generate pointless, painful controversy — he could reclaim a measure of the popularity he once took for granted, and restore the air of optimism that marked his first months as governor.

To watch DeSantis’ announcement that he is dropping his presidential race, click on the post below or read the transcript provided by his campaign.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com

A transcript sent out to Florida media by the DeSantis campaign:

Today I am emailing you from Florida. The warmth of being home is a reminder of why I have chosen a life of public service — from joining the United States Navy and serving in Iraq — to representing the people in Congress — and now serving as governor.

And it reminds me why I decided to run for President: to fight for those who have been forgotten in this country.

This is America’s time for choosing.

We can choose to allow a border invasion or we can choose to stop it.

We can choose reckless borrowing and spending or we can choose to limit government and lower inflation.

We can choose political indoctrination, or we can choose classical education.

These choices are symptoms of the underlying struggle to ensure that constitutional government can endure and that Western Civilization can survive.

We launched this campaign to bring accountability to government, regain sovereignty at our border, and restore sanity to our society.

We cannot succeed as a country if we allow our nation to be invaded, our currency to be debased, our cities to crumble, and our kids to be indoctrinated.

The DC elites who have facilitated this mess do not work for you, they do not care about you; they work for themselves. They seek to accumulate power at your expense to pursue an agenda that is harmful to the American people.

Citizens do not serve politicians; it is the duty of politicians to serve you. Talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words.

Reversing the decline of this nation requires leadership that delivers big results for the people we are elected to serve. I have a record of leading with conviction, championing an agenda marked by bold colors, delivering on my promises, and defeating the people who are responsible for our nation’s decline. That is the type of leadership we need for all of America.

Now over the past many months, Casey and I have traveled across the country to deliver a message of hope, that decline is a choice, and that we, in fact, can succeed again as a nation.

Nobody worked harder. And we left it all out on the field.

Now following our second-place finish in Iowa, we have prayed and deliberated on the way forward. If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome — more campaign stops, more interviews — I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory.

Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.

I am proud to have delivered on 100% of my promises and I will not stop now. It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. They watched his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance and they see Democrats using lawfare to this day to attack him.

While I have had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear.

I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear —a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism—that Nikki Haley represents.

The days of putting Americans last, of kowtowing to large corporations, of caving to woke ideology, are over.

I thank all of our passionate supporters who have stood by us through it all. That we had people volunteer to come to Iowa in the middle of a blizzard to knock on doors and make phone calls touched us dearly.

No candidate had more thrown at him, but no candidate had so many committed volunteers and staff.

Finally, I want to thank my wife Casey and our kids Madison, Mason, and Mamie. Casey has gone far above and beyond in her support for our campaign and for our cause. She is not only a great wife and mother; she is a great American, who cares deeply about the future of the country that our kids will inherit.

Our kids have seen and done a lot on the trail, from playing on the famed Field of Dreams baseball site in Iowa to making their first snowman in New Hampshire. They are one of the reasons we fight so hard for what we believe in.

Winston Churchill once remarked that “success is not final, failure is not fatal — it is the courage to continue that counts.”

While this campaign has ended, the mission continues. Down here in Florida, we will continue to show the country how to lead.

Thank you and God bless,