--- description: Find out why Ron DeSantis is one of the 100 most influential people of 2022. title: Ron DeSantis: The 100 Most Influential People of 2022 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd714243eaaf65a4b/698a320e929fad2eadbf89ee/ron-desantis-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- May 23, 2022 # Ron DeSantis by Jeb Bush  SANFORD, FL - OCTOBER 12: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrives before President Donald J. Trump arrives to speak during a campaign "Make America Great Again Event" at the Orlando Sanford International Airport on Monday, Oct 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) SANFORD, FL - OCTOBER 12: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis arrives before President Donald J. Trump arrives to speak during a campaign "Make America Great Again Event" at the Orlando Sanford International Airport on Monday, Oct 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post/Getty Images During the pandemic, most people stayed home, and those who didn’t probably moved to Florida. Despite relentless criticism, Governor Ron DeSantis [kept schools open](https://time.com/5886864/teachers-coronavirus-katie-couric/ "undefined"), ensured Florida’s economy remained open for business, and allowed individuals to [determine their own risk tolerance](https://time.com/6156007/florida-covid-19-vaccination-kids-guidance/ "undefined"). His approach works. It’s one that has allowed Florida to emerge from the pandemic as a national model of personal freedom, economic growth, environmental protection, and education excellence. Florida continues to see record population growth, unemployment remains below the national average, the private sector is growing, and Florida remains a national leader in school choice. On top of that, DeSantis has demonstrated his environmental credentials with major investments to restore America’s Everglades, preserve and expand wildlife corridors, and protect Florida’s precious waterways. While the Beltway crowd may not like his style, it’s his record that will become his legacy. _Bush was the 43rd governor of Florida_ Ron DeSantis Is on the 2022 TIME 100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177679/ron-desantis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177679/ron-desantis/"},"headline":"Ron DeSantis","datePublished":"2022-05-23T10:18:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:09.473Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177679/ron-desantis/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","TIME100 2022"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd714243eaaf65a4b/698a320e929fad2eadbf89ee/ron-desantis-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd714243eaaf65a4b/698a320e929fad2eadbf89ee/ron-desantis-time100-2022.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177679/ron-desantis/","name":"Ron DeSantis"}}]}] ```