Gov. Ron DeSantis told Floridians that under his leadership the state’s economy soared as he cracked down on illegal immigration and protected election integrity.
“We have delivered big results, and we have set the standard for the rest of the country to follow,” DeSantis said Jan. 13.
It marked the two-term governor’s final State of the State address kicking off Florida’s legislative session. Lawmakers are expected to consider bills on property tax exemptions, lowering the age to buy a gun, prescription drug costs and redistricting. DeSantis has called a special redistricting session to begin on April 20 and has floated calling another to address overhauling the state’s property tax system.
DeSantis, who dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential primary, did not address his political future. He is term limited and can’t seek reelection.
We fact-checked a few of the governor’s statements and a response from the Florida House Democratic leader about Floridians’ cost-of-living concerns.
“Florida represents about 6.5% percent of the U.S. population. Yet, since 2020 our economy has accounted for more than 14% of all new jobs produced throughout America.”
This is close to accurate.
Since January 2020, Florida has added 971,400 jobs, which is almost 13% of the nearly 7.5 million jobs added in the U.S. during that period. (The governor’s office confirmed this was their starting point.)
The calculation varies depending on the start date. Starting the count in January 2021 — another read of “since 2020” — shows a gain of 1.4 million jobs in Florida and almost 17 million nationally. For that time frame, Florida’s share is about 8.3%. (The job gains are larger starting in January 2021 because the coronavirus pandemic dramatically reduced employment starting in March 2020.)
Florida is the only state that requires state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, and “is responsible for the apprehension of nearly 20,000 illegal aliens. … Our people are safer because of these efforts.”
The statements about federal cooperation and numbers are accurate, with additional information needed on public safety.
Florida has been one of the top enforcers of the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, trailing only Texas for arrests.
Through “Operation Tidal Wave” — the joint operation between Florida’s state and local agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — more than 10,400 immigrants in the country illegally were arrested in 2025, according to state data. DeSantis said an additional 9,600 arrests were made through an agreement that allows state and local law enforcement to enforce certain federal immigration laws, bringing the total to around 20,000 arrests.
The Miami Herald corroborated that figure using data compiled by the University of California-based Deportation Data Project. The newspaper said 20,000 is an undercount because the data goes through mid-October and does not include U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrests.
The Herald found that more than 4,800 of the 20,000 people detained in Florida had only immigration violations, and no criminal charges or convictions. A quarter of those arrested had criminal convictions, and the rest had pending criminal charges that include nonviolent crimes such as driving without a valid license.
Florida has signed the most agreements with ICE to enforce federal immigration laws than any other state — 325 as of Sept. 30a 577% increase since Trump’s inauguration.
“Florida now has the highest average minimum teacher salary in the southeast region, all told, we have provided a record of almost $6 billion towards this effort to better compensate our teachers.”
This is accurate but needs context.
DeSantis signed legislation in 2020 mandating a $47,500 minimum starting salary for public school teachers to boost recruitment, putting Florida in the lead for the metric in the southeast.
Because funding was primarily directed to the minimum starting pay, veteran Florida teachers have seen little growth, giving the state the lowest overall average teacher pay in the region, around $54,000. Georgia’s overall average, by comparison, is more than $10,000 higher, despite its lower starting pay.
Since 2020, DeSantis has also allotted nearly $6 billion in funds for teacher salaries. This includes a $1.56 billion increase in his proposed 2026-27 budget, almost 15% more than last year’s budget and the state’s highest-ever teacher salary increase.
The Florida Education Association, the state teacher’s union, says despite recent pay increases, Florida is consistently at the bottom for U.S. teacher pay.
The organization refers to the National Education’s Association’s 2025 reportwhich ranked Florida second-to-last in the nation for average teacher pay for the second consecutive year, saying the pay increases have failed to keep pace with inflation.
DeSantis’ Florida Department of Education has rejected the NEA’s ranking, saying the organization doesn’t consider factors such as cost of living and Florida’s lack of state income tax.
“When a member of a group of thieves was interviewed on CNN, and they asked, ‘Why do you steal in New York, even though you like spending the money in Florida?’ The response was very simple, from the thief: ‘Because in Florida they put you in jail.’”
When DeSantis said something similar in 2024, law enforcement experts cautioned that it was anecdotal.
During a Feb. 2, 2024, segment, CNN law enforcement analyst John Miller recalled a conversation — similar to the account DeSantis shared — he’d had with detectives tracking a New York crew suspected of stealing from pedestrians and retail outlets who said they stole in New York and spent the proceeds in Florida. CNN didn’t interview a thief on air; Miller referenced conversations he’d had with unnamed detectives, who he said in turn had talked to an unnamed thief.
Experts said it’s unclear how common the pattern Miller described actually is, and if it exists, whether it’s driven by prosecutorial practices in two different states.
Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell: “Cost of living is the No. 1 issue facing Floridians. We all hear it from our communities back home.”
This is a correct read of Floridians’ sentiments, according to a November 2025 Florida Atlantic University poll.
The latest poll available from the university called Florida’s high cost of living a “pressure point” for the state as 90% of residents said they were at least somewhat concerned about inflation and 80% were concerned with housing affordability.
The poll also found that nearly 50% of Floridians surveyed say they have considered moving out of the state because of the cost of living.
One thousand American adults over the age of 18 responded to the survey between Sept. 30 and Oct. 10, 2025, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
RELATED: All of our fact-checks of Florida politicians and officials
