Building a Future-Ready Workforce: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis | Global Conference 2026

Governor Ron DeSantis attributes Florida's population growth and economic surge not to direct payments to individuals or realtors, but to "good policy" that acts as a magnet for residents leaving states with unfavorable political and economic environments.

• He specifically cites the mayors of New York (Zoran Mondani) and Chicago as "unintended ambassadors" whose policies exacerbated local problems, prompting business leaders and voters to "vote with their feet" and relocate to Florida.
• DeSantis highlighted the case of Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, noting that while Griffin moved philanthropically to Florida, targeting him personally at his home in New York created an environment where business leaders feel alienated, though Griffin has already donated "hundreds of millions" to Florida charities.
• He compared New York's trajectory to California's attempted wealth tax, arguing that such policies fail because they trigger massive capital flight and behavioral changes that ultimately reduce state revenue.

DeSantis projects that while New York City will remain the financial epicenter, growth strategies for major banks are shifting toward Texas and Florida.

• He suggests Miami could evolve into a significant financial hub within 25 years, potentially hosting a Florida stock exchange, though he notes the "Sun Belt" or "Boom Belt" concept is still being developed with the Texas Stock Exchange.
• He points to Palm Beach and West Palm Beach as emerging high-quality growth centers alongside Miami, crediting developer Stephen Ross for expanding the West Palm downtown infrastructure.
• He warns that the political alienation of voters in cities like New York creates a feedback loop where those who leave are precisely the demographics needed to turn the political tide, effectively "doubling down" the current direction.

Florida has surpassed its goal of becoming the "number one state in workforce education" by 2025, five years ahead of the 2030 target.

• The state has doubled the number of apprenticeships, allowing high school students and state college attendees to work for businesses while learning.
• DeSantis cites specific vocational success stories, such as high school students on the Space Coast graduating with aviation mechanics certifications to work for SpaceX.
• He argues that skilled trades (welding, HVAC, truck driving) are more "AI-proof" and offer a better financial return on investment than traditional four-year degrees, which he claims often lead to significant debt without degrees.
• The administration aims to dismantle the social stigma surrounding vocational paths, contrasting the "zombie studies" degree path with the entrepreneurial potential of small business ownership in the skilled trades.

DeSantis addresses affordability concerns by contrasting Florida's tax structure with high-tax states like California and New York.

• Florida has no income tax, a 6% sales tax (compared to California's 9%), and exemptions for groceries, medication, and baby items.
• State in tuition at Florida universities is approximately $6,300 annually, noted as the lowest in the US and frozen since 2019.
• He acknowledges rising home prices and grocery costs are affecting residents but emphasizes that property taxes are a local issue he aims to address via a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.
• The proposed amendment seeks a 100% exemption on homesteaded properties to address the "unrealized gain" tax burden on rising home values, which currently causes local tax revenues to jump from $32 billion in 2019 to $60 billion.
• He argues that even with a 30% revenue cut from property taxes, local governments would still have $15 billion more than their 2019 baseline, aided by a current state surplus to facilitate the transition.

DeSantis serves as vice-chair of President Trump's committee on college sports reform, expressing "cautious optimism" about passing federal legislation this year.

• The committee, including figures like Nick Saban and Condi Rice, is advocating for an antitrust exemption to allow Congress to regulate athlete eligibility and the transfer portal.
• Proposed reforms include limiting athletes to one transfer and preventing universities from using "collectives" to pay athletes for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights, which DeSantis argues is driving up costs and cutting non-revenue Olympic sports.
• He predicts bipartisan support, citing Democrat senators in sports-heavy states like Georgia and Michigan who have an incentive to fix the broken system.
• The goal is to preserve the integrity of non-revenue sports and ensure donors support a balanced athletic department rather than just football.

Regarding his future after his term ends in January 2027, DeSantis plans to remain politically active through the completion of the property tax ballot initiative and the college sports legislative process.

• He declined to explicitly confirm a presidential run, stating he is "40, mid-40s" with "a lot of runway" and intends to focus on finishing his current governorship.
• He highlighted his record as a Republican transforming a state with a 300,000-person Democratic majority into one with a 1.5 million-person Republican majority, alongside growing the state economy from $1 trillion to $1.8 trillion.
• DeSantis quoted Winston Churchill's philosophy on the relationship between "how much more to do" and "how little time to do it" as his guiding principle for his continued service.
• In a lighter closing note, he referenced a personal anecdote about transitioning from eating Papa John's in Florida to Frank Pepe's Pizzeria in New Haven, praising the pizza quality as a significant upgrade.