Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued two executive orders from Feb. 27-March 5. As of March 5, DeSantis has issued 48 executive orders in 2023—five fewer than he did at this point a year ago.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of Feb. 27-March 5, the nation’s governors issued 16 executive orders. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued the most with four. Governors in 40 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 16 orders, while Republican governors issued 11.
DeSantis has served as governor since Jan. 8, 2019. He issued 272 executive orders in 2022 and 246 in 2021. Nationally, governors issued at least 1,559 executive orders in 2022. Governors have issued 290 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 196, while Democratic governors issued 94. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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