Sunshine Sentinel

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) today signed into law a bill that prohibits “sex reassignment” surgeries and puberty blockers for children, and requires informed consent by adults receiving these drugs or procedures.

“Florida is proud to lead the way in standing up for our children,” said DeSantis in a statement. “As the world goes mad, Florida represents a refuge of sanity and a citadel of normalcy.”

The new law follows the decision earlier this year by the Florida Board of Medicine to prohibit “the use of all puberty blockers, hormone therapies and/or surgeries for any patient under 18, whether or not those minors have parental approval for such care.”  

According to a statement by DeSantis’ office, the new law also “provides courts temporary emergency jurisdiction to step in and halt sex reassignment procedures for out-of-state children present in Florida,” and “creates a pathway for individuals to obtain damages when they were injured or killed after receiving sex reassignment surgeries or medications as minors.”

Terry Schilling, president of American Principles Project (APP), said that “Florida has been leading the way in protecting children from the destructive transgender industry.”

“Governor DeSantis and state lawmakers were among the earliest to act to remove gender ideology from schools, and Florida’s Department of Health has been a rare voice of sanity amid the activist-captured medical establishment,” said Schilling in a statement. “It’s no wonder families have been flocking to the Sunshine State in droves.”

Schilling’s statement said that “Florida is one of 18 states which have acted to prohibit these procedures for minors in some capacity.”

Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Voters, said the new law is “excellent.” 

“Florida joins other rational states in protecting children and ending this barbaric practice,” tweeted Cortes. 

DeSantis, 44, was first elected Florida Governor in the November 2018 General Election. He was re-elected in November 2022, defeating Democrat Charlie Christ (D), winning 59.4 percent to Crist’s 40 percent.

A Jacksonville native, DeSantis previously represented Florida’s 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018. He served in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2010, a stint that included working as a legal advisor to Navy SEAL Team One. 

DeSantis graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He and his wife, Casey, have three children.