BOCA RATON (970 WFLA) -- Palm Coast congressman Ron DeSantis held a rally today at a Boca Raton hotel to kick off his campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, announced informally three weeks ago on "Fox and Friends."
DeSantis thanked President Trump, who urged DeSantis to run, as well as 970 WFLA talk radio personalities Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.
DeSantis, an Iraq War veteran, spent the first 10 minutes of his speech talking about national and international issues before getting to Florida. The Dunedin High graduate compared himself to outgoing Governor Rick Scott, insisting he's an "outsider" who can "shake things up" in Tallahassee.
DeSantis went to Yale University and Harvard Law School, but he doesn't necessarily see college as a pathway to the future for all Floridians. DeSantis says Florida should do more to promote vocational education, a position also advocated by one of his rivals, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
Other candidates for the GOP nomination include former senator Jack Latvala and relatively unknown candidate Bob White of Polk County.