Meet Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who has been criticized for leaving beaches open to spring breakers and not issuing a stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic

Hillary Hoffower

March 31, 2020 4:47 PM

CARLO ALLEGRI/Reuters

Ron DeSantis, age 41 and a native Floridian, grew up in the Tampa metro area in a working class family.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is in the hot seat for how he's handling the coronavirus pandemic .
Critics have said he's been to slow to enforce measures to curb the spread of coronavirus , as he has refused to shut down beaches or implement a statewide stay-at-home order.
DeSantis is an experienced politician with a legal and military background, having served as a prosecutor, congressman, and now, governor.
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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic .

The backlash began as spring breakers were spotted crowding Florida's beaches . DeSantis refused to shut the beaches down, leaving the decision up to local governments. As of Monday morning , Florida is nearing 5,000 identified cases of coronavirus and DeSantis has yet to issue a stay-at-home order. For comparison, the governors of Ohio and Illinois respectively issued similar mandates for their home states at significantly lower confirmed case numbers.

On Monday , DeSantis said that he would sign a "Safer-at-Home" order for four counties, three of which have been hardest hit by the pandemic. But critics have said the restrictions still aren't enough. DeSantis' response is in tune with his party's pro-business, small government stance his way of trying to keep Florida's economy strong in a time when a pandemic has sparked nationwide shutdowns, already crippling the economy .

In less than a decade, DeSantis, who has a military background, has served as a House representative, attempted to run for US Senate, and become governor, according to a Miami Herald profile of the politician .

A representative for DeSantis did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Here's a look at how DeSantis, who is backed by Trump, rose to political prominence in Florida.

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