Casey DeSantis to be honored as Sarasota GOP’s ‘Stateswoman of the Year’
SARASOTA, Fla. (FLV) – The Republican Party of Sarasota County named First Lady Casey DeSantis as the recipient of the “2023 Stateswoman of the Year” award.
The first lady will receive the award and be the featured speaker at the 2023 Stateswoman of the Year Dinner on May 24 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota.
The event honoring her will include a private reception, VIP reception and dinner at 6:45 p.m.
“First Lady Casey DeSantis is the most dynamic, effective First Lady in the country, spearheading multiple successful initiatives in our state and being an inspiration to so many,” Jack Brill, chairman of the party, said.
Previous winners of the Statesman of the Year Award include U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, former President Donald Trump, and Fox News and nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity.
“For a community the size of Sarasota, this list of nationally-recognized Statesman Award winners is impressive and shows the importance of our community to Florida and the national conversation,” Brill said.
The governor and first lady are parents to Madison, 6; Mason, 4; and Mamie, 2 – who is the first baby born in the governor’s mansion in more than 50 years.
The first lady has been a champion for fighting cancer, helping to secure $100 million in recurring funding for cancer research and care in the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget.
DeSantis launched an innovative approach to fight against cancer in February 2022.
The “Cancer Connect Collaborative” is a group of medical professionals partnering with government leadership to analyze, rethink, and reimagine Florida’s approach to cancer care, she announced.
DeSantis was declared cancer free by doctors in February 2022. The first lady travels the state visiting with patients to draw attention to the importance of early screening and to provide support and hope to families affected by cancer.
In honor of her work devoted to this issue, the Florida Legislature recently renamed the Florida Consortium of National Institute Centers Program the “Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.”
During Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022, the first lady launched the Florida Disaster Fund, which has raised more than $64 million. The fund is the Florida’s official private money pool established to assist the state’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster.
In September 2019, DeSantis spearheaded Hope Florida – A Pathway to Prosperity, Economic Self-Sufficiency and Hope.
This initiative is uniting communities through ‘Care Navigators’ who guide Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity by focusing on collaboration between the private sector, faith-based community, nonprofits and government entities – breaking down traditional community silos in an effort to maximize resources and uncover opportunities.
In February 2021, the first lady launched her Resiliency Florida initiative – a partnership with professional sports teams and athletes – including Tom Brady, David Beckham, Peyton Manning, Lou Holtz, and other athletes – to address the stigma surrounding mental health.
Additionally, to support the Resiliency Florida initiative, the first lady worked with the Department of Education to develop character education standards to be taught in K-12 schools.
