BREAKING: Ron DeSantis sworn in for 2nd term as governor of the 'free state of Florida'

On Tuesday morning, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was sworn in for a second term.

In November’s midterm election, DeSantis won over challenger Charlie Crist 59.4 percent of the vote to 40 percent, respectively.

Addressing the crowd, DeSantis said, "from the Space Coast to the Sun Coast, from St. Johns to St. Lucie, from the streets of Hialeah to the Speedway in Daytona, from the Okeechobee all the way up to the Micanopy, freedom lives here.

"And our Sunshine State of Florida lives in the courage of those who patrol the streets and to keep our communities safe, lives in the industry of those who work. long hours to earn a living and raise their families. it lives in the dedication of those who teach our children, lives in the determination of those who grow our food, it lives in the wisdom of our senior citizens. It lives in the dreams of the historic number of families who have moved from states across this country because they saw Florida as the land of liberty and the land of sanity."

DeSantis added, "Over the past few years, as so many states in our country ground their citizens down, we in Florida lifted our people up. When other states consigned their peoples' freedom to the dustbin, Florida stood strongly as freedom's linchpin. When the world lost its mind and common sense suddenly became an uncommon virtue, Florida was a refuge of sanity, a citadel of freedom for our fellow Americans and for people around the world. 

"In captaining the ship of state, we choose to navigate the boisterous sea of liberty rather than cower in the calm docs of despotism. We face attacks, we take hits, we weather the storms, we stand our ground, and we do what's right."

DeSantis said that his administration has "articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state," and that through "persistence and hard work" that vision has been executed.

"We have produced favorable results, and now we are here today because the people of Florida have validated our efforts in record fashion."

"Florida shows that results matter. We lead not by mere words, but by deeds. Four years ago we promised to pursue a bold agenda. We did just that and we have produced results," said DeSantis.

DeSantis said that his administration delivered on promises of light taxation, education reform, ending judicial activism, ushering in "a new era of stewardship for Florida’s natural resources by promoting water quality and Everglades restoration efforts, standing for law and order, and support areas hit hard by hurricanes.

"Because of these efforts and others, Florida is leading the nation. We are number one in the United States and net in migration. We are the nation’s fastest-growing state. We are number one in business formations. We are number one in tourism. We are number one in economic freedom. We ranked number one in parental involvement in education," he said. "Florida also ranked number one in public higher education. This is a record we cal all be proud of."

"But we’re far from done. Florida has accumulated a record budget surplus and we need to enact record tax relief, particularly for Florida families who are grappling with inflation. We must ensure school systems are responsible to parents and to students, not partisan interest groups."

"And we must ensure that our institutes of higher learning are focused on academic excellence and the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of trendy ideologies."

DeSantis said that the state must "always be a great place to raise a family," and vowed to enact "more family-friendly policies" that would make it easier to raise children and defend children against "those who seek to rob them of their innocence."

DeSantis continued on to note that Florida has served as a "promised land of sanity" for those leaving cities and states that have "embraced faddish ideology at the expense of enduring principles."

"They’ve harmed public safety by coddling criminals and attacking law enforcement. They’ve imposed unreasonable burdens on taxpayers to finance unfathomable levels of public spending. They have harmed education by subordinating the interests of students and parents to partisan interest groups. They have imposed medical authoritarianism in the guise of pandemic mandates and restrictions that lack a scientific basis."

"This bizarre but prevalent ideology that permeates these policy measures purports to act in the name of justice for the marginalized, but it frowns upon American institutions. It rejects merit and achievement, and it advocates identity essentialism. We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy, we will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional," he added.

"We will never surrender to the woke mob. Florida is where woke goes to die."

DeSantis continued on to slam the Biden administration, saying that their policies and spending have "left our nation weaker and our citizens poorer," noting pandemic restrictions that "eroded freedom," open borders that have resulted in a flood of illegal immigrants and narcotics, and energy policies that have "crippled our nation’s domestic production."

"It wields its authority through a sprawling, unaccountable, and out-of-touch bureaucracy that does not act on behalf of us, but instead looms over us and imposes its will upon us. The results of this have been predictably dismal. This has caused many to be pessimistic about the country's future. Some even say that failure is inevitable. Florida is proof positive that we the people are not destined for failure."

"Decline is a choice, success is attainable, and freedom is worth fighting for."

"We reject the idea that self-government can be subcontracted out to technocratic elites to reduce human beings to mere data points. We insist on the restoration of time-tested constitutional principles so that government of, by, and for the people shall not perish from this earth."

"Florida has led the way in preserving what the founding fathers of our country called the sacred fire of liberty."

"It is the fire that burned in Independence Hall when 56 Men pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish a new nation conceived in liberty.

"It's the fire that earned at a cemetery in Gettysburg, when the nation's first Republican President pledged to this nation, a new birth of freedom

"It's the fire that burned among the boys who stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate a continent and to preserve freedom for the world. 

"It’s the fire that infused the young preacher’s dream relayed at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that the Declaration of Independence said what it meant and meant what it said, all men are created equal.

"It is the fire that led a resolute president to stand in Berlin and declare tear down this wall staring down the communists and winning the Cold War.

"It is our responsibility here in Florida to carry this torch. We do not run from this responsibility. We welcome it. We will be on our guard. We will stand firm in the faith. We will be courageous we will be strong and we thank God and are proud to be citizens of the great free state of Florida," DeSantis concluded.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.