DeSantis visits UF: “We will not let the inmates run the asylum in the Sunshine State.”

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a press conference at the University of Florida today, Governor Ron DeSantis praised UF and other state universities for maintaining order and ensuring student safety during the pro-Palestinian protests.

“In the state of Florida, you do not have a right to commandeer property, you don’t have a right to go take over parts of the university, you don’t have a right to go after other students based on their ethnicity” – Governor Ron DeSantis

DeSantis said an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian protesters at UF “lasted about a few minutes… In the state of Florida, you do not have a right to commandeer property, you don’t have a right to go take over parts of the university, you don’t have a right to go after other students based on their ethnicity… And look, you know, these are public universities. These are things that exist, basically, due to the benevolence of the citizens of Florida, people who have been willing to allow their tax dollars to go to these things. And so if they’re not keeping order, then we’ll find new people who will keep order, and it’s just that simple.”

“When you’re talking about ‘From the river to the sea,’ you’re essentially saying you want a second Holocaust, that you want to wipe Israel off the map. And that’s what Hamas stands for.” – Governor Ron DeSantis

With protesters chanting loudly throughout the speech, the Governor listed examples of elite colleges and universities “that have allowed themselves to become overrun with encampments, graffiti, as well as a lot of really nasty antisemitism… And we see some of the chants that are done at these universities, such as ‘From the river to the sea.’ Some are saying, ‘We don’t want no two-state, we take it all.’ And you know… people can kind of say what they want. But when you’re talking about ‘From the river to the sea,’ you’re essentially saying you want a second Holocaust, that you want to wipe Israel off the map. And that’s what Hamas stands for. That’s why Hamas perpetrated the October 7 attack.”

Governor DeSantis continued, “If you actually study the history of this, you would be able to see, there’s never been a Palestinian state. That was Ottoman Empire for hundreds of years, then the British Mandate, then the UN Partition Plan, and basically, Israel accepted that, and the Arabs rejected it and they went to war and they lost, so we can talk about that. But I think a lot of these people that are just spouting nonsense, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“These graduations are really important parts of people’s lives. It’s a major milestone for students and for their families. And we’re not going to let malcontents ruin that for everybody else. So our graduations have gone on as scheduled.” – Governor Ron DeSantis

Speaking about graduation ceremonies that have been canceled at other universities because of the protests, DeSantis said, “That’s not happening here in the state of Florida. These graduations are really important parts of people’s lives. It’s a major milestone for students and for their families. And we’re not going to let malcontents ruin that for everybody else. So our graduations have gone on as scheduled.”

Education rankings from national publications

DeSantis continued, “So just yesterday, Florida ranked #1 for higher education by U.S. News and World Report for the eighth year in a row. And overall the state of Florida for education is ranked #1, two years in a row. Three of our universities placed in the top 50 in the latest U.S. News rankings, including UF as our top Florida university, but also FSU and USF. Wall Street Journal did a ranking of all the colleges around the country – University of Florida ranked 15th overall, including the private universities, and they were the top-ranked public university, based on those Wall Street Journal rankings. So we’re happy with that…. And the best thing about this is that we have the most affordable higher education in the entire United States.”

Funding for safety in K-12 schools and universities

DeSantis announced support for the following budgetary items to provide student safety funding:

• $569 million for K-12 school safety funding;
• $20 million to protect Jewish Day Schools; and
• $20 million to protect Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Governor DeSantis will approve this funding when he signs the Focus on Florida’s Future budget for 2024-2025. Since 2019, Governor DeSantis has invested a total of $1.4 billion for all K-12 student safety initiatives for public school and Jewish Day School campuses. This includes nearly $196 million for school hardening and over $43 million for security guards and security infrastructure at Jewish Day Schools.

Additional Student Safety Measures

This week, Governor DeSantis signed HB 1473, which makes improvements to school safety across the state. In part, this bill:

• Requires classroom doors and gates to be locked at all times;
• Streamlines the process for former law enforcement officers to become school guardians;
• Mandates instruction to students on using the Fortify Florida tool, which is the state’s anonymous tip reporting tool; and
• Prohibits the operation of a drone over a school campus or Jewish Day School.

Funding announced for the University of Florida

After making those announcements, DeSantis added, “I can also say in the upcoming budget, with respect to the University of Florida, I am approving $75 million for a new campus in Jacksonville, which is going to be really significant. I’m also approving $80 million for the construction of the Semiconductor Institute, here at UF. And that’s in addition to another $200+ million that we are supporting for other programs and research items at this university”

“In Florida, there will be no negotiations. There will be no appeasement. There will be no amnesty, and there will be no divestment under Governor DeSantis. Florida will continue to lead by example.” – Chancellor of the State University System of Florida Ray Rodrigues

Chancellor of the State University System of Florida Ray Rodrigues said, “The university class of 2024 is largely comprised of the high school class of 2020. These are students that, due to COVID, did not have the opportunity to walk across the stage and receive their diploma at a graduation ceremony. And now these national activists want to deny this same cohort of students the opportunity to walk across the stage and receive the degree that they have earned through their hard work – an annual rite of passage and one of the most important traditions in academia. Upon consulting with Governor DeSantis, I was directed to work with our university presidents and ensure that no commencement ceremony was canceled or disrupted. And we were provided all the resources that we needed to achieve that objective.”

Rodrigues said the protesters are promising to return in the fall: “Well, when they return, rest assured, we will be here ready to continue to provide the highest quality education at the lowest price, maintaining law and order on our campuses. In Florida, there will be no negotiations. There will be no appeasement. There will be no amnesty, and there will be no divestment under Governor DeSantis. Florida will continue to lead by example.”

DeSantis: Protesters were not upset about October 7

Governor DeSantis came back to the podium and said, “You know, I wasn’t here after October 7 on the campus. I’m sure the protesters were all very upset at the fact that Hamas went into Israeli communities and baked babies in ovens, raped women, assassinated elderly people in very brutal ways. I’m sure they were very upset about that – Oh, no, they weren’t. That’s right. They didn’t care about that. They were completely fine with those massacres happening. And they had no concern about that.”

DeSantis continued, “I also hear this stuff about occupation. The Gaza Strip is not occupied, okay, that’s been Hamas’ sanctuary for many years now. And did they create opportunities for people? Did they utilize the natural resources? No, they focused their efforts on terrorism, and that’s what’s happened. So much of this is just such a farce that it’s just kind of embarrassing to even hear some of this nonsense.”

“Floridians can rest assured that FHP will not tolerate antisemitic agitators and will not stand on the sidelines, but instead will take immediate action to ensure public safety from radicalized intimidation and violence.” – Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Dave Kerner

“The Florida Highway Patrol is proud to protect citizens from the intentional and unlawful criminal actions and antisemitic behavior that threaten the safety of our college campuses and communities,” said Executive Director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Dave Kerner. “Through the direction and support of Governor DeSantis, Floridians can rest assured that FHP will not tolerate antisemitic agitators and will not stand on the sidelines, but instead will take immediate action to ensure public safety from radicalized intimidation and violence.”

Four messages from UF President Ben Sasse

University of Florida President Ben Sasse said, “I have four simple messages. First, to the Floridians who pay our bills: the University of Florida will always uphold speech and assembly rights. And we will also always follow the law. Too much of higher education has been captured by a lot of nonsense over the course of the last weeks. And that won’t happen at the University of Florida. 

“To the law enforcement officers who have kept things peaceful: thank you. Your professionalism has been amazing. Over the course of the last two weeks in particular, you have been long-suffering, giving protesters the right to exercise their free speech rights but also the opportunity to come into compliance with our time, place, and manner restrictions. Our goal has not been to arrest; it has been to help people get into compliance with the law. And what you have done in the face of being spit on, being shouted at with profanities, has been amazing. The professionalism of our law enforcement is a model for lots and lots of people across the country.

“To the protesters: you have heard us say this again and again – you have a constitutional right to protest, and we will protect that. But anyone who crosses the line with prohibited actions will face the consequences. This is a big university where not everyone is going to agree. We have 86,000 souls on this campus, and we will treat each other with respect. Unlike many institutions across the country, I’m incredibly proud that over the course of our 21 commencements over the last six-plus days, we were able to celebrate our students and celebrate their families, which is the purpose of the commencement time. Too often in our time and place, we give the most voice to the loudest and angriest people. The University of Florida is not filled with angry people. And it’s been wonderful to see a lot of moms have tears streaming down their cheeks as we were able to hold commencements over the course of the last week. And that’s because of the fortitude and professionalism, in particular, of our law enforcement. 

“And finally, to our Jewish students: UF is proud to be home to the most Jewish students anywhere in the country. This is the most Jewish university in the country. And it is great to be a Jewish Gator. I want all of our students to feel safe, but more than the subjective feeling, I want our students to be safe, and that is true today. And we’re glad to have you, and we’re excited to celebrate a big future together. Go Gators.”

DeSantis concluded, “I think that there’s great days ahead for this university and throughout the rest of the state of Florida, but we’re going to do it right. We’re going to be focusing on academic rigor, we’re going to be focusing on the pursuit of truth. We will not let the inmates run the asylum in the Sunshine State.”