Sunshine Sentinel

Gov. Ron DeSantis will provide the keynote speech at the Future of Florida Forum this year, speaking on the state’s economic vision.

The annual event, hosted by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, will take place Oct. 27-28 and is focused on the long-term projections for the economy and state businesses. 

The Florida Chamber of Commerce gives DeSantis a large share of credit for the state's economy in the face of the pandemic, lauding him for "following the facts and not the fear" while navigating the last two years, according to a report by Florida Politics.

If Florida were an independent country, it would have the 15th largest economy in the world, the Florida Chamber of Commerce said in a release. 

“Under the strong leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida’s momentum continues to move forward towards becoming the 10th largest economy in the world by 2030," President and CEO of the Florida Chamber Mark Wilson told Florida Politics.

DeSantis is known for resisting restrictive measures in the state, repeatedly advocating for parent choice in mask guidelines and resisting statewide lockdowns, WFLA reports. 

“There’s been talk about potentially people advocating for people at the federal level imposing masks on kids. We’re not doing that in Florida, OK, we need our kids to breathe,” DeSantis told WFLA. 

From 2016 to 2020, Florida saw a 6% growth rate in manufacturing jobs, while the United States as a whole saw a decrease of 1.7%, according to a release from Labor Market Resources.

The state’s employment rate in July was 5.1%, a 6.4% recovery from July 2020 and an increase of 0.1% from June 2021 to July, but still below the national average, the release states.