Governor Ron DeSantis is a native Floridian with blue-collar roots who has become one of the nation’s most consequential conservative leaders. He grew up in Dunedin, Florida, earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University — where he served as captain of the varsity baseball team — and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School.
After law school, DeSantis earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer and deployed to Iraq in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi, and throughout Al Anbar province. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and other commendations for his service.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, DeSantis served three terms representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District before being elected the 46th Governor of Florida in 2018. He was re-elected in 2022 by the largest margin of any Florida governor in modern history.
As governor, DeSantis has championed economic freedom, parental rights in education, election integrity, and a robust defense of individual liberty — delivering results that have made Florida one of the freest and most economically vibrant states in the nation.
James M. Taylor is President of The Heartland Institute and the founding director of Heartland’s Arthur B. Robinson Center for Climate and Environmental Policy. He has been at the forefront of free-market policy research and communications for more than two decades.
Taylor received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, where he studied atmospheric science and majored in government. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University. He served as managing editor of Environment & Climate News from 2001 to 2014 and wrote a regular column for Forbes.com covering energy and environmental policy.
A sought-after voice in media and policy circles, Taylor has presented analysis on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, CBS Evening News, ABC World News, and radio outlets across the country. He has been a featured presenter at ALEC, CPAC, the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and many others.
Under his leadership, The Heartland Institute continues to advance the principles of free markets, limited government, and individual freedom that have guided the organization since its founding in Chicago in 1984.
