Ron DeSantis sworn in for second term as Florida governor

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Ron DeSantis was sworn-in Tuesday morning on the steps of the Old Capitol to formally start his second term. 

As he gave an inauguration speech, DeSantis said "freedom lives here in our great Sunshine State of Florida," one of his major themes. 

"We have articulated a vision for a free and prosperous state," he said. "We have, through persistence and hard work, executed on that vision. We have produced favorable results. And now we are here today because the people of Florida have validated our efforts in record fashion."

A crowd of supporters fanned out in front of the historic building as DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and new Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson took their oaths of office. 

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muniz administered the oath to DeSantis, who placed his hand on a Bible held by First Lady Casey DeSantis. 

DeSantis defeated Democrat Charlie Crist in the Nov. 8 election by nearly 20 percentage points, as Republicans swept races for state offices. He is widely viewed as a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate. 

The governor on Tuesday touted Florida's record while he has been in office as the fastest growing state, while being No. 1 in tourism, public higher education and parental involvement in education. 

"Florida must always be a great place to raise a family — we will enact more family-friendly policies to make it easier to raise children and we will defend our children against those who seek to rob them of their innocence," DeSantis said. "We will always remain a law-and-order state, we will always support law enforcement, and we will always reject soft-on-crime policies that put our communities at risk. Florida is now in a golden era for conservation of our treasured natural resources. Our momentum is strong and we will finish what we started — we will leave Florida to God better than we found it!"