Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued six executive orders from March 20-26. As of March 26, DeSantis has issued 64 executive orders in 2023 — 11 fewer than he did at this point a year ago. Three of the orders are below:
- Executive Order Number 23-64, where the governor assigned John Durrett as state attorney for the case involving James Dillon Crews in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida.
- Executive Order Number 23-60, where the governor renewed the Hurricane Ian state of emergency for 60 days.
- Executive Order Number 23-59, where the governor amended provisions regarding appointment and membership in Executive Order 12-23, which extended the authorization of the State Emergency Response Commission for Hazardous Material.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. During the week of March 20-26, the nation’s governors issued 20 executive orders. DeSantis issued the most with six. Governors in 38 states issued the fewest with zero. Democratic governors issued five of the 20 orders, while Republican governors issued 15.
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 369 executive orders in 2023. Republican governors issued 229, while Democratic governors issued 140. Florida is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
Additional reading: