Early in her career DeSantis hosted the
Golf Channel programs On The Tee and PGA Tour Today. She was also a local newscaster and anchor for
WJXT, in
Jacksonville,
Florida. She held several positions there, including general assignment reporter, morning anchor, and police reporter.[10]
In 2014, DeSantis was a creator-moderator for The Chat, an hour-long round table panel discussion talk show that aired on
Tegna's Jacksonville stations
WTLV (NBC) and
WJXX (ABC).[2] She hosted the daily local talk show First Coast Living as well as the weekly The American Dream program about entrepreneurs. DeSantis wrote and produced the television documentary Champion, The JT Townsend Story about high school football player J.T. Townsend.[11] She also won a regional
Suncoast Emmy Award.[2]
In 2018 Florida Politics called Casey "one of the most recognizable faces on Jacksonville television, with long runs at two local news operations."[12]
First Lady of Florida
In February 2019, DeSantis established the First Lady's Medal for Courage, Commitment, and Service.[13] Soon after, she announced Florida's 2019
Black History Month theme as "Celebrating Public Service" where she and the governor honored the winners of Florida's Black History Month student contests and Excellence in Education Award recipients at the
Governor's Mansion. DeSantis recognized Mary Ann Carroll, the only female member of
the Highwaymen, as Florida's featured artist for the month.[citation needed]
DeSantis participated in a Recovery Redfish Release to address the impacts of
red tide. "I've heard from those throughout Florida who understand that our water must be safe for our families, visitors and economy."[14] DeSantis has hosted listening sessions on
Venezuela,
hurricane relief, and
mental health.[13]
In August 2019, DeSantis presided over the first meeting of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet as its chair.[15] During the
COVID-19 pandemic, she and her husband held a roundtable in August 2020 centered on the mental health impact of the pandemic.[16]
According to Politico, DeSantis has taken on a "sort of policy portfolio of her own that ranges from hurricane recovery to issues of mental health" in her role as First Lady.[17]
Political activity
In 2023, Casey DeSantis was honored by the Republican Party of
Sarasota as "Stateswoman of the Year", an award that had been earned in the past by individuals including her husband,
Ron DeSantis, and other national officeholders.[18] She became the first woman to receive the distinction.[19]
After receiving the Stateswoman of the Year award, speculation surrounding a potential bid by Casey DeSantis in Florida's
2026 gubernatorial election has emerged.[24][25] However,
Puck reported that a spokesperson for the
DeSantis campaign denied her interest in running for office.[26]
On October 4, 2021, her husband announced that she had been diagnosed with
breast cancer.[31] On March 3, 2022, she announced that she was cancer-free.[32]
^Ogles, Jacob (April 10, 2023).
"Sarasota Republicans to honor Casey DeSantis as Stateswoman of the Year". Florida Politics. Retrieved September 22, 2023. That includes former President Donald Trump, who has been honored as Statesman of the Year twice... It also includes Gov. Ron DeSantis, who accepted the award in 2021... Other past Statesmen of the Year include U.S. Sens. Rick Scott, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Fox News pundit Sean Hannity.
^Palmeri, Tara (August 18, 2023).
"Imagining "Jillary" DeSantis". Puck. Retrieved September 19, 2023. A DeSantis campaign spokesperson disputed that Casey has any interest whatsoever in her own political career, calling the allegation "categorically false." But the whispers have been unavoidable since May, when Casey was named Stateswoman of the Year by the Sarasota G.O.P.