Gov. DeSantis to release book in the new year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to release a memoir in the new year on the heels of his re-election and amid speculation about a potential presidential campaign.

His book will be titled “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival,” according to the listing on HarperCollins’ website. DeSantis’ book is listed as available for purchase on Feb. 28, 2023. The autobiography will be published by Broadside Books, which is an imprint of publisher HarperCollins known for conservative nonfiction.

First Coast News has reached out to DeSantis and Broadside Books for comment, but has not heard back. 

However, the governor did tweet about the book on his personal account on Wednesday. 

DeSantis was re-elected during the 2022 midterm election after a race against Democrat Charlie Crist. The governor framed his candidacy as a battle against the “woke agenda” of liberals. He gained national attention during the pandemic by opposing extended lockdowns as well as bucking mask and vaccine mandates. 

On Thursday morning, DeSantis held a press conference on Key Biscayne during which he addressed a question about the state of the Republican Party nationally in comparison to Florida. 

“I think what we’ve done in Florida is we’ve exercised leadership, we’ve not kowtowed, we’ve been willing to take on big interests…producing results and then that ends up attracting more people to want to be on your team,” DeSantis said. “So that was not something that was happening throughout the country but I think we really showed how it’s done in the state of Florida.” 

The governor was not asked about his upcoming book during Thursday’s press conference. 

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DeSantis’ popularity with Republicans has lead many to ask about a potential 2024 presidential run. As former President Donald Trump has already announced his intentions to run in 2024, this could pit Trump and DeSantis against one another. 

“I am running because I believe the world has not yet seen the true glory of what this nation can be,” Trump said during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago club on November 15. 

The former president has taken a few swipes at Florida’s governor – “If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign,” Trump said, as published in the Wall Street Journal.

Despite the jabs from his fellow party member, DeSantis has stayed relatively quiet. 

“When you’re getting things done, yeah, you take incoming fire – that’s just the nature of it,” the governor said during a press conference, in response to a question about Trump’s comments. 

As far as his possible presidential bid, DeSantis has not officially confirmed an intention to run. When asked about a potential civil war bubbling up in the Republican party between trump and himself during a press conference in Lee County, he deflected. 

“We just finished this election,” DeSantis said. Okay, people just need to chill out a little bit on some of this stuff. I mean, seriously. We just ran an election… We have this Georgia runoff happening, which is very important for Republicans.”

First Coast News asked DeSantis’ team if there would be any mention of ambitions for an upcoming presidential run mentioned in his book.