Ron DeSantis greets supporters in North Charleston during Florida Blueprint event

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spent much of the day in the Lowcountry on Wednesday talking about his accomplishments and his plans for the country should he decide to run for president in 2024.

DeSantis has not made any official announcement about a White House run. But he touted in front of an energetic crowd in North Charleston how the progress he’s made in Florida could make things better in Washington.

Tara Wood, the head of Charleston County’s Moms for Liberty organization introduced Gov. DeSantis during an event at the North Charleston Coliseum Montague Terrace – it was part of his Florida Blueprint tour.

“Hello Charleston, and greetings from the free state of Florida,” DeSantis said upon speaking to supporters Wednesday morning.

He launched into explaining why he believes Florida is a model for other states to follow.

“We have no state income tax. You guys should try that sometime; I’m telling you, it works well,” he said.

DeSantis said they have the largest budget surplus in Florida history. He added that during the coronavirus pandemic, they worked to prioritize freedom.

“We chose freedom over Fauci-ism,” he said. “Florida’s better off for that. America is also better off for that because if we had not stood up, Fauci would have won.”

He went on to talk about countering the so-called woke movement.

“This woke mind virus. The ideology has captured so many institutions throughout society. I think it’s a form of cultural Marxism that seeks to divide not on class but on the basis of identity politics,” he told the room.

DeSantis went on to say, “We believe that it’s important that the education stay focused on the nuts and bolts. That’s why we’ve done things like banning critical race theory in K through 12 schools. not gonna use your tax dollars to teach kids to hate our country or hate each other- that’s unacceptable. I’ve also made sure parents have been able to inspect the curriculum.”

DeSantis talked about a video he made of images in some children’s books that parents were concerned about.

“It just showed what the parents were objecting to. The local news had to cut their broadcast feeds because it was too graphic. So, if it’s too graphic for the 6 o’clock news, why is it okay for six-year-old kids? Give me a break.”

He said he believes the drug problem is increasing due to too many people illegally entering the country.

“We have more overdoses now than we’ve ever had in recent times, and a huge percentage of that is because of fentanyl,” he said.

DeSantis later introduced his wife, Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis, who talked about her time living in the Lowcountry as a student at the College of Charleston.

After the speech, News 2 heard from a few undecided voters about what they heard from DeSantis and whether today’s event carried any sway.

“[I] was really encouraged to see him stepping out there, saying all of the things faith moles, education, sexuality- I think he did a great job today,” said Kristyn Wimer, an undecided voter.

“I thought it was superb,” said Andrea Widburg. “It was better actually than I expected, and I came in here with very high expectations.”

One thing that was absent from today’s event – DeSantis made no mention of President Trump, the current front-runner for the GOP nomination.

After leaving North Charleston, DeSantis stopped by Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville before holding a no-press-allowed speech later Wednesday afternoon at the Summerville Country Club.

DeSantis has made headlines in the past for his “don’t say gay” policies in Florida and his treatment of the state’s top tourist destination, Walt Disney World where he previously discussed adding tolls to surrounding roads, increasing hotel taxes, or even tossing around the idea of building a state prison near the parks.