Florida Governor Ron DeSantis assumed office on Jan. 8, 2019 after winning the election over Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum. In a little over a year in office, DeSantis has worked on different bills and projects in a few varying fields.

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In the first two weeks after becoming governor, DeSantis appointed three conservative Florida supreme court justices: Barbara Lagoa, Robert J. Luck and Carlos G. Muñiz. By bringing these three in to fill the vacancies, the court majority switched from the liberals to the conservatives.

DeSantis has worked on Florida’s environmental issues in a few different ways. He approved a budget of $2.5 billion for Everglade restoration work as well as water quality projects. He’s created two new state positions to work on these environmental concerns, the chief resilience officer and chief science officer.

DeSantis also created the Blue-Green Algae Task Force, which is a five-member group of well-known scholars who will help in the development of restoration projects, as well as give insight and support for funding and changes for water quality improvements for Florida.

The new governor has also made changes to the education system in Florida. DeSantis signed an executive order doing away with the common core curriculum state wide for public schools on Jan. 30th, 2020. According to usnews.com, 35 states, as well as Washington D.C., still use the common core standards. Florida will now use a new system called “B.E.S.T” or “Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking”.

DeSantis signed a bill in March of 2019 that made smoking medical marijuana legal for those with a prescription. The governor has not made any moves to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, and it is not known if he will support SB 1860 or HB 1389, which are bills proposed to the Senate and House of Representatives that would legalize and regulate the use of cannabis for people 21 years of age and older.

The Republican governor has also made advancements to healthcare for Floridian citizens. DeSantis signed the Patients Savings Act on June 12, 2019, which enables health insurance companies to offer incentives to Florida citizens looking for higher quality coverage with lower costs.

Ron Desantis has another two years on his term, with the next gubernatorial election, the election in which the governor is determined, coming on Nov. 8, 2022.