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Ron DeSantis: “Fentanyl is the main reason why [drug overdose deaths]…”

Featuring: Ron DeSantis, Republican | Governor of Florida

JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program

Published September 2, 2025 | Video Starts at 05:09

This is something that's been really significant. And I know a couple years ago we were hitting over 100,000 drug overdose deaths across the United States of America. And Fentanyl is the main reason why [drug overdose deaths] reached the levels that it has now. Part of our approach to this is understanding. We've done a lot on working with kids and the first lady has done a lot on letting kids know in school. (05:09–05:16)

CLAIM

Asserts that fentanyl is the primary cause of the high levels of drug overdose deaths in the U.S.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Ron DeSantis

“We've had six major hurricanes in seven years.”
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“We had the previous 10 years where we had no hurricanes.”
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“Operation Vigilance Sentry interdicted 19,000 illegal aliens, almost 18,000 repatriated to their home country, and more than 470 total…”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 08:39-08:56
“That is enough fentanyl to kill approximately one third of, of the population of the United States of America.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 11:04-11:13
“4.4 pounds of fentanyl could kill a million people.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 14:04-14:07
“Florida, out of all 50 states, we're the only state in the United States that has a governor and a lieutenant governor who are both military…”
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“We've got 70,000 people in the state of Florida alone that have final deportation orders that haven't been executed.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 51:36-51:43
“Since I've been governor, we've retired almost half of the state's taxpayer supported debt.”
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“New York has 3 million, 4 million fewer residents. Their budget's twice as much as ours.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 1:02:49-1:02:55
“We've made permanent sales tax elimination on the disaster preparedness items.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 01:51-01:58
“The amount of fentanyl that we've seized...you're talking about enough fentanyl to kill tens of millions of people.”
JUST IN: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Holds Press Briefing To Promote Results Of Anti-Fentanyl Program | Uploaded September 2, 2025 | 04:19-04:34
“A couple years ago we were hitting over 100,000 drug overdose deaths across the United States of America.”
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“That's led in part to the reduction in opioid overdose deaths throughout the state of Florida.”
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“In 2001, I launched a number of emergency measures to help with the southern border that was happening in Texas.”
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“We also launched operation Vigilance Sentry, which is our maritime operations to protect the peninsula of Florida from these vessels that…”
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“In 2023, we established the state Assistance for Fentanyl eradication Grant Program. We call it the SAFE Program.”
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“Over 200, almost 200 safe investigations have led to 2,100 arrests, the seizure of 485 pounds of fentanyl and over 63,000 fentanyl pills.”
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“545 pounds of cocaine, over 300 pounds of meth, 4.6 million in drug cash, 730 in drug related firearms, and then 76 drug vehicles have been…”
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“FDLE agents in Orlando, Jacksonville and Fort Myers earlier this month arrested multiple suspects that were part of a drug trafficking ring…”
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“Earlier this month in Orlando, FDLE arrested a high level cartel member selling fentanyl and meth.”
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“FDLE Orlando also arrested an illegal alien from Colombia, a former Colombian paramilitary leader responsible for cocaine trafficking and…”
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“In South Florida, FDLE dismantled a fentanyl laced meth ring that used street dealers at motels to flood communities.”
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“An illegal alien and Gulf cartel human smuggler, previously deported twice, was arrested by FDLE and sentenced after being caught smuggling…”
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“Operation Burn Baby Burn broke up a drug trafficking organization importing fentanyl from Mexico and from California. 17 arrests made 6…”
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“Operation Jacob's Ladder took down a Gulf cartel pipeline, sending monthly truckloads worth millions of dollars of meth, fentanyl, cocaine…”
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“Polk County alone has seized more than 25% of all fentanyl captured as a result of the SAFE program.”
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“In June of this year, FDLE and Suwannee County Sheriff's offices seized enough fentanyl to, as I mentioned, do significant damage in their…”
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“Last year, I recommended an additional $20 million so that we could keep our safe program operational. Now, the legislature did fund some of…”
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“We have 7.7 million committed to active contracts. There's now about 5 million that are left for new contracts.”
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“When I became governor, they were pushing to repeal Florida's truth in sentencing law so that people would have let out a lot of felons, and…”
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“He [Jay] served in Iraq, Afghanistan, all these places.”
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“He [Jay] was personally rescuing people during that conflict while these Iranian ballistic missiles, you know, were raining down.”
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“He [Jay] was the guy that got our bill enacted to ban the CCP from buying land in the state of Florida.”
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“We had a lot of people from Florida over there [in Israel].”
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“I authorize an emergency mission to exfil people from Israel and bring them back safely to the state of Florida.”
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“We ended up getting thousands of people out of Israel at that time to safety.”
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“We do give you a $5,000 signing bonus [for police officers].”
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“The state attorney in Orange County, she obviously is not gung ho about doing what needs to be done.”
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“When these prosecutors Soros backed have done where they've exceeded their discretion and, and ended up neglecting core duties, you know…”
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“Because we've had Alligator Alcatraz, you've had thousands and thousands of deportations that might not otherwise have happened.”
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“We spent money and we will get reimbursed.”
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“Florida will clearly benefit from a taxpayer perspective.”
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“We've done more to facilitate the president's agenda on this than any other state by far.”
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“The state, we don't have to do a federal environmental impact statement when we're doing business on our own property.”
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“Everything we're doing on this mission, everything we're doing is reimbursable from FEMA.”
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“FDOT issued a memo to explain that a couple months ago. Everybody's been on notice about that.”
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“Most places in Florida, 95%.”
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“Our role from the FDOT's perspective for the Department of Transportation is to make sure the roads remain clean.”
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“I as governor signed this into law.”
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“We don't rely on property tax revenue at the state level.”
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“We just got rid of the business rent tax, eliminated that tax.”
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“We're one of the lowest taxes state in the country.”
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“We're going to place a question on the ballot that is going to allow Floridians to be able to vote themselves relief from property tax.”
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“The budget that we are under right now in Florida is spending less than last year's budget and last year's budget spent less than the year…”
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“Orange county was not cooperative [with property tax relief efforts].”
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“Blaze has been very hard on Manatee county, which is a very red county.”
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“Property values are going up. People are buying homes a lot of times sight unseen.”
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“How many of the local governments are responded by doing really significant property tax reductions? Not very many did that.”
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“The audits that Blaze are leading, you know, it's the we've called it the Florida Agency for 50 Fiscal Oversight, our FAFO audits.”
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