SWNAflorida by Michael Lee Simpson
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has claimed the state provides a blueprint model for fiscal responsibility – boasting the lowest per capita debt burden in the U.S as the national debt continues to climb past $36.22 trillion.
During a Tuesday news conference at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, DeSantis, 46, highlighted cost-cutting measures deployed — including reducing government positions — while still investing in key areas like education, infrastructure, and transportation.
The former candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination argued Florida’s approach proves government efficiency can balance budgets and maintain services.
After the news conference, the governor was accompanied by community leaders and officials, including Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, for a “first dig” ceremony.
“We now have the lowest per capita debt burden of anybody in the United States of America,” DeSantis said.
“As a Floridian, if you had to pay off your share of the state’s debt, I think it’s about $660.
“If you as an American had to pay off your share of the national debt, it’d be over a hundred thousand dollars per person.”
While federal spending remains a contentious issue in Washington, DeSantis touted Florida’s ability to cut costs while still investing in key areas.
“In my budget this year, we called for a net reduction of 700-plus government positions throughout state government,” he said.
“We have the lowest number of state government workers per capita in the entire United States of America. And that’s the way you do it.”
Despite these cuts, DeSantis claimed his administration has bolstered essential services.
“We have made historic investments in things that really impact the quality of life of Floridians,” he said.
“One of the things that we’ve done is major billions of dollars in increase for education and teacher salaries and scholarships for school choice.”
Transportation and infrastructure were also a major focus.
“We launched a program a couple of years ago called Moving Florida Forward,” he explained.
“We were able to take many billions of dollars, plow it into our current transportation program, take projects that weren’t even scheduled to start until next decade, and immediately infuse those with cash.”
Highlighting one of the state’s major traffic corridors, DeSantis emphasized the importance of these investments.
“People have been on I-4,” he said. “That helped. But once you get past where that was done and the lanes are less, it’s not even a rush hour thing.
“You could be there at any time of the day and there could be a backup. So this is going to have a major, major impact.”
With many states struggling to balance budgets while maintaining services, DeSantis framed Florida’s approach as proof that government efficiency is possible.
“Don’t tell me that this can’t be done,” he said. “Of course it can be done.”
