DeSantis Announces ‘Record’ $100 Million for Top Cancer Centers

May 17, 2022 Updated 12:55 P.M. ET

MIAMI (FLV) –  Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that $100 million from the state’s budget will go toward top cancer centers. 

“We really have confidence in these institutions to be able to make good use of that money and do so in a way that will have meaningful impact on the lives of the patients that they will be saving,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said the money will go toward Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, and the University of Florida. 

The Governor requested lawmakers put $100 million in the state budget. DeSantis thanked the legislature Tuesday for approving that record amount of money.

“We really wanted to go big. We really wanted to make something that would be very very meaningful and very historic,” DeSantis said. 

This touches close to home for DeSantis whose wife, First lady Casey DeSantis, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Casey DeSantis, returned to the campaign trail with Gov. Ron DeSantis this month after beating cancer.  

“It’s a tough thing for a mama of three little babies to have to go through this and to always put on a happy face,” Casey DeSantis said Tuesday. “But they are going to know that their dada stood by mama and fought this.”

Casey DeSantis’ cancer diagnosis was announced in October. She finished chemotherapy treatments in late January and Governor DeSantis announced in March she is cancer free. 

“Florida is going to lead the way to find a definitive cure, once and for all, for types of cancer,” Casey DeSantis said. “It’s going to happen because of this leadership.”