Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will headline the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance’s Mid-Year Meeting and Luncheon on May 8.
DeSantis’ visit comes as the state marked a 3.5 percent unemployment rate—0.3 percentage points below the national average of 3.8 percent.
Since taking office, DeSantis has backed $2.5 billion to protect the Everglades and cajoled the Legislature into allowing smoking of medical marijuana.
DeSantis won a squeaker of an election last year, but appears to have rapidly built broader support.
He enjoys a 62 percent approval rating, according to a Mason-Dixon Poll released April 4. An earlier poll by Public Opinion Research Lab found his 60 percent approval rating was better than the 51 percent rating for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and a 43 percent approval rating for Sen. Rick Scott, Florida’s former governor.
One flashpoint in Broward has been DeSantis removing Sheriff Scott Israel in the wake of the Parkland massacre. However, that has been upheld by the Florida Supreme Court.
There had been concern in the county that School Superintendent Robert Runcie might be targeted by the governor, although it appears the governor may have not had the statutory ability to do so. Runcie appears to enjoy strong support among the business community and the school board voted 6 to 3 in March to retain him.
From May 25-31, DeSantis will lead an Enterprise Florida trade trip to Israel, including a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. The goal is to strengthen economic ties and connect academic institutions in the two nations to address environmental changes.
During the trip. Gov. DeSantis will be the keynote speaker at the 2019 Israel-American business summit, hosted by the federation of Israeli chambers of commerce and the U.S. Embassy in Israel.
The Alliance mid-year meeting will be held at the Pier Sixty-Six Hotel and Marina. The cost is $140 for Alliance members and $175 for non-members. The registration deadline is May 3.
The website is www.GFLAlliance.org/midyear
