THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a statue of President Abraham Lincoln on Tuesday in The Villages, continuing his America250FL campaign honoring the nation’s 250th birthday.
Speaking at Lucky Goat Coffee, the governor said the campaign commissions statues in counties named after Founding Fathers and honors figures who exemplified founding principles.
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DeSantis acknowledged Lincoln had less of a direct connection to Florida than other figures already honored in the statue campaign, but said Lincoln’s life story made him worthy of recognition.
The governor described Lincoln as a self-taught lawyer from humble beginnings who faced repeated political failure before winning the presidency and navigating the Civil War.
“He’s really an example of being able to persevere and overcome a lot of obstacles that are put in your way,” DeSantis said. “There’s a lot of people that have told him to pack it in. And instead he believed in these key ideas. And so we plowed forward.”
DeSantis also touted Florida’s civics education record, a $3,000 teacher bonus program and four consecutive years of state budget reductions, contrasting Florida’s roughly $117 billion budget with New York’s $268 billion despite Florida having more residents.
DeSantis was joined by Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin, among other state officials.