It’s not quite tourist season yet in these parts, but Osceola County welcomed an out-of-town guest Sunday evening.
Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Accepting the invitation of the Osceola County Republican Executive Committee, the governor came to speak to a roomful of supporters at the Osceola Council on Aging.
The lead table of distinguished guests included the state’s First Lady, Casey DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and his wife Layla and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
One of the things he spoke about was how the state of Florida had more registered Democrats than Republicans when he first won the governor’s seat, and now there are over a million more Republicans registered.
“We had 300,000 more registered Democrats in Florida in that (2018) election than Republicans. Then we went from a 300,000 advantage in November 2022 to right now, 1.3 million more Republicans,” he said. “The question is, how did that happen? Because it was easy.
“We’ve shown the way to win is not to take a poll. The way to win is to articulate a bold vision, be true to those conservative principles, laser focus on achieving that vision, and deliver results for the people you are elected to serve,” he said. “Because when you produce results, you attract people. You bring people to your side. We showed that conservative policies and principles work.”
Among the list of those he mentioned were “removing George Soros-backed prosecutors from office” and enacting a parent’s Bill of Rights and universal choice in schools.
“It’s ultimately to prepare these students to be citizens of this republic,” he said.
The event also celebrated the Republican Women of Osceola County, and Casey DeSantis spoke as a showing of solidarity to them.
“Never let the fear of pushback derail from what you know in your heart is right in your chest,” she said. “And that is what I have witnessed from Ron DeSantis for eight years, but for a lot longer than that.”
