DeSantis’s biggest accomplishments of the 2023 legislative session
Jack Birle
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Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claimed he had a “strong mandate” to deliver on his agenda following a landslide victory in last year’s gubernatorial election, which also gave him supermajorities in the state legislature.
At his direction, the Florida legislature provided him with many of his agenda items ahead of an expected presidential campaign announcement. As the state’s legislative session comes to a close, here is a look at five of the agenda items DeSantis was able to get passed in the Statehouse.
FLORIDA HOUSE PASSES BILL EMPOWERING DESANTIS-APPOINTED BOARD TO REVOKE DISNEY AGREEMENT
Death penalty
DeSantis, outraged by the shooter in the Parkland school shooting avoiding the death penalty, called for legislators to amend the state’s capital punishment laws from requiring a unanimous jury to put a convicted criminal to death.
“Fine, have a supermajority. But you can’t just say one person. So maybe eight out of 12 have to agree? Or something. But we can’t be in a situation where one person can just derail this,” DeSantis said at the Florida Sheriffs Association Winter Conference in January.
Shortly after DeSantis’s plea, two state lawmakers filed identical bills which would change the number of jurors to recommend the death penalty from a unanimous 12 of 12 to a supermajority of eight of 12. The bill passed in both chambers and was signed into law by DeSantis last month.
“Once a defendant in a capital case is found guilty by a unanimous jury, one juror should not be able to veto a capital sentence,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I’m proud to sign legislation that will prevent families from having to endure what the Parkland families have and ensure proper justice will be served in the state of Florida.”
The law only modifies the requirement for someone to be sentenced to the death penalty after they have been convicted of a crime.
DeSantis also signed a bill that expands the death penalty to include those who commit sexual battery against children under the age of 12.
The law could prompt a legal challenge, as it goes against the 2008 Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana, which argued such a punishment for the crime was a violation of the Eighth Amendment.
“The Governor is prepared to take this law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule judicial precedents which have unjustly shielded child rapists from the death penalty and denied victims and their loved ones the opportunity to pursue ultimate justice against these most heinous criminals,” DeSantis’s office said in a press release.
Battle with Disney
The Florida governor further escalated his battle with Disney during the legislative session by signing into law a bill that restructured the district encompassing the Walt Disney World Resort.
The bill, which was signed into law on Feb. 27, established the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District to replace the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District. The new district was to be governed by a board appointed by the governor.
“Allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy, especially when the corporation makes decisions that impact an entire region,” DeSantis said in February. “This legislation ends Disney’s self-governing status, makes Disney live under the same laws as everybody else, and ensures that Disney pays its debts and fair share of taxes.”
Nearly a month after the bill was signed, the new board discovered an agreement Disney had made with the previous board, stripping the new board of its power. DeSantis and the board vowed action to regain control over the district.
On April 17, DeSantis announced the board would seek to invalidate the agreement through one of the “plethora of legal infirmities” and that the legislature would also get involved as “a strong one-two punch.”
The legislature acted against the entertainment giant with an amendment to a land use bill that would allow the board of the district to revoke the agreement and an amendment to a transportation bill subjecting Disney’s monorail to state inspection. Both bills have been passed by the state legislature and are awaiting DeSantis’s signature.
In response to the laws passed against the company, Disney filed a lawsuit against DeSantis alleging a “relentless campaign to weaponize government power against Disney in retaliation for expressing a political viewpoint unpopular with certain state officials.”
“We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state,” Taryn Fenske, communications director for the governor, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “This lawsuit is yet another unfortunate example of their hope to undermine the will of the Florida voters and operate outside the bounds of the law.”
The battle between DeSantis and the company, which led to Disney’s central Florida district being restructured, stemmed from Disney denouncing DeSantis’s push for the Parental Rights in Education Act last year.
Education
Education was a key policy topic for DeSantis in the 2022 legislative session, with the highly discussed Parental Rights in Education Act being signed into law. The law outlawed classrooms from kindergarten through third grade from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity and forbade schools from withholding information from parents about students’ health and well-being.
In the 2023 legislative session, the state legislature passed an expansion of the bill. It expanded the ban on teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity to eighth grade and said it should be taught in an age-appropriate manner after eighth grade. DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law.
The state legislature also passed a bill that prevents state universities from using funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. DeSantis had proposed these reforms before the legislative session, saying the programs serve as “a political filter.”
Constitutional carry
Another major policy move for DeSantis was the signing of a bill to make Florida the 26th state in the United States to have constitutional carry.
The law, which goes into effect on July 1, no longer requires citizens to obtain specific permits to carry a gun outside their residence. The law still disqualifies those prohibited from owning a firearm and felons from carrying a gun in public.
“Constitutional Carry is in the books,” DeSantis said in a statement when the bill was signed into law.
DeSantis, coming off the victory of getting constitutional carry passed, said at a press conference on Wednesday he believes the age to purchase a rifle should be lowered from 21 to 18.
“Look, I was in Iraq. I was there with 18-year-old Marines, 18-year-old soldiers that were put out in the streets of Fallujah and Ramadi and told they had to risk their lives for this country,” DeSantis said.
“Then they come back after doing that,” the governor continued, “and even though they were carrying a firearm the whole time, they’re told you cannot exercise your Second Amendment rights here as an adult and as a veteran?”
The age to purchase a rifle in the Sunshine State was raised from 18 to 21 in 2018 after the Parkland shooting.
Abortion
DeSantis was able to get a 15-week abortion ban passed in 2022, just before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The decision paved the way for restrictions on abortion to take effect.
Once abortion policy was delegated to states with the Dobbs decision, lawmakers moved to pass a bill that outlawed abortion after six weeks with exceptions. DeSantis then signed the law that bans abortions “once the unborn child has a detectable heartbeat,” except in instances of the woman being a victim of rape, incest, or human trafficking or if the mother’s life is in danger.
“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement after signing the law. “I applaud the legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families.”
While abortion was a victory for DeSantis, the 15-week law is still under legal scrutiny that could undo the six-week ban as well. A challenge to the prior law has made its way to the state’s Supreme Court and could determine the constitutionality of abortion laws in the state.
The Florida Supreme Court has a conservative majority. Four of the six judges on the court were appointed by DeSantis, and the seventh slot on the court is currently vacant. DeSantis will likely gain a fifth appointee when he fills the vacancy.
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DeSantis has said the legislative session has been a success, saying he and the legislature have “delivered in a really, really big way.”
“We’ve delivered and delivered in a really, really big way, and it’s been a lot of work. These guys, the legislature, have worked incredibly hard, and we’ve worked hard in our office to make sure this is teed up,” DeSantis said at a news conference on Thursday.