Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up?

Smiling and relaxed, Gov. Ron DeSantis made a serious effort to present a warmer and more reasonable likeness of himself in his State of the State address Tuesday. Floridians know better.

It was clear from the outset that DeSantis aimed this high-profile appearance, on the opening day of the 2023 legislative session, at people far from our shores. The speech was not about Florida. After DeSantis won re-election with an astounding 59% of the vote, this state is either solidly in his corner or a hopelessly lost cause. It depends on your perspective.

As DeSantis faced a packed House chamber in the state Capitol, his target audience wasn’t those of us who must live under his repressive regime. It was the guy watching from somewhere in Iowa, who will eventually have to choose between DeSantis and Donald Trump.

So the speech had no scorched-earth rhetoric about the “corporate legacy media” and no references to Florida as “where woke goes to die.” He barely mentioned abortion, the most divisive political issue of all, even though the news broke mid-speech that his Republican allies will push for a six-week ban on abortions in Florida with a 15-week ban still under court challenge.

‘A war they will get’

Democrats seemed to welcome a new fight over abortion rights.

“This is it. They have come. And if it’s a war they want, it’s a war they will get,” said Sen. Lauren Book, D-Davie, the leader of the 12-member Senate Democratic Caucus. “This issue bridges the partisan divide, and we will not go down as easily as they believe.”

DeSantis’ talk to a compliant Legislature was punctuated by enthusiastic applause from the Republican supermajority. He was intent on recasting his most controversial stances, such as rejecting scientific evidence on COVID, as undeniable successes. He kept the spotlight on himself in a speech with repeated bursts of braggadocio: “Florida is the fastest growing state ... “It was a clear attempt to redefine his image as a forward-thinking maverick, and not a hotheaded extremist.

Floridians who have studied him for years know differently. They knew what DeSantis left out. He ignored the plight of hundreds of thousands of Florida residents whose access to affordable health insurance is almost completely blocked because of the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid. He used the focus group-tested word “freedom” repeatedly, even as Florida is anything but free, where books, free speech voters, LGBTQ people and teachers have all been targeted for suppression.

For the million-plus vulnerable low-income Floridians and children who face the loss of Medicaid coverage in a few weeks as federal pandemic spending winds down, DeSantis did not offer one word of hope. In this administration, they don’t matter.

What safeguards?

Most importantly, he didn’t acknowledge or propose solutions to the inherent hazards of many of his grand plans.

Where are the safeguards for the kids he wants to dump into voucher schools, or assurances that his proposals won’t drain local school boards of the money they need? Where are the protections for families and communities torn apart by gun violence?

Instead, DeSantis wanted everyone to know he’s busy building bridges.

He won sustained applause from lawmakers when he described how Florida repaired a key bridge in the wake of Hurricane Ian in just three days, and another in two weeks.

He ticked off issues with likely bipartisan support: Expanding alternatives to four-year degrees with certifications and credentialing for skilled jobs, the speeding up of 20 major highway and interstate projects, and the Everglades restoration. All enjoy broad appeal.

His “be bold” message to lawmakers offered room for bridge-building agreements with the hopelessly outnumbered Democrats.

Who would oppose permanent tax breaks on baby supplies? Or relief from the high cost of toll roads? Or better salaries for teachers? Or billions for long-delayed road projects?

Bridges are for burning

After four-plus years of life under DeSantis, the record is clear: Bridges are mostly for burning.

He trotted out the usual villains: plaintiffs’ attorneys, the Chinese, immigrants, transgender Floridians.

The desperate need for affordable housing merited a passing mention in the speech, but sky-high property insurance premiums that threaten to drive people from their homes was ignored.

Coastline protection got a self-congratulatory pat on the back. But a state fund to repair and remove South Florida septic systems failing because of sea-level rise is empty.

Abortion will soon take center stage. The six-week abortion ban (SB 300) includes exceptions for rape and incest that the 15-week ban lacks. But it would still push Florida into the ranks of 14 states with the most extreme anti-abortion laws in the country.

It would circumvent a privacy clause in the state constitution that up to now has held abortion to be a constitutional right. It also will generate enormous national media coverage.

It would burnish an Oval Office resume. It would ignore the stated wishes of millions of Florida voters. It would torch discussion with moderates.

It is extremism, piously packaged as morally based moderation. In other words, it’s pure, unadulterated Ron DeSantis — the reality Floridians know.

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney, and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Editorials are the opinion of the Board and written by one of its members or a designee. To contact us, email at letters@ sun-sentinel.com.

PHIL SEARS/AP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves as he finishes his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee.