Democratic Party - Democratic National Committee

01/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/13/2026 14:56

Ron DeSantis’ State of the State Means Higher Costs, Less Health Care, and Worse Education Arrow

Ron DeSantis' Florida puts billionaires first and working Floridians last

Today, Ron DeSantis will deliver his final State of the State address, where he'll try to comb over his abysmal record of higher costs, less health care, and worse education for working Floridians.

Thanks to Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the state of Florida has never been worse: Working families are losing upwards of $1,000 due to Trump's Big Ugly Bill and failed economic policies, a whopping 1.5 million Floridians are at risk of losing their health care, and Florida's education system is in steep decline.

By nearly every measure, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have turned Florida into a punchline - a staggering failure of leadership.

DNC Chair Ken Martin issued the following statement:

"Today, ahead of Ron DeSantis' final State of the State address, the state of Florida has never had worse leadership, and it's all because of Donald Trump and bootlicking Florida Republicans, like DeSantis. Working Floridians are struggling as costs continue to rise, health care becomes more expensive and less attainable, and education and opportunity in the state become even further out of reach. Ron DeSantis will try to paper over his failures, but the results are clear: Florida's Republican leadership has failed working Floridians, and electing Democrats up and down the ticket is the only way to make Florida more affordable and right the ship."

Ron DeSantis' real state of the state for Floridians by the numbers:

Costs:

  • Florida working families have already lost at least $585 in higher costs due to Trump's inflation.
  • Florida working families will lose a combined $1,060 each year from Trump and Republicans' Big Ugly Bill and Trump's reckless tariffs.

Health Care:

  • 4,472,539 Florida ACA marketplace enrollees have lost their enhanced ACA tax credits because of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
  • Because of Trump's Big Ugly Bill and Republicans' refusal to extend enhanced ACA tax credits, 1,500,000 Floridians will become uninsured.

Education:

  • Florida's eighth-grade reading proficiency dropped from 21st to 43rd in the nation in two years.
  • Florida ranks as the 11th-worst state for early childhood education under Ron DeSantis.


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