ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, met with cheers and applause at the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference, greeted the crowd: "CPAC, let me welcome you to the freest state in these United States."
During his speech, and after tossing a few hats, the governor recapped the last year in Florida, touting how the Sunshine State rejected lockdown procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. He instead says Florida protected small businesses, people's rights and jobs, and in-person and education for kids.
"We did it because my duty is to stand up and protect the freedoms and the jobs of the people I represent and if that puts me in political jeopardy then so be it. I will stand with them, I'm not gonna try to protect my own hide," DeSantis said.
The governor also brought the rift between himself and President Joe Biden back to the surface saying the president hates Florida and has taken "potshots" at the state.
You'll recall, in 2021, the two went back-and-forth in a war of words over COVID-19 protocols and how Florida was handling the virus.
DeSantis also ran through the state's stance on "big tech," corporate media, election integrity and what he called "woke activism."
He also touted HB 1, also known as the "anti-riot" law, which includes enhanced penalties for those who block streets or harass bystanders, prohibits defunding the police and protects monuments. A federal judge last summer ruled it unconstitutional.
"If you riot in the state of Florida, if you loot, if you are engaged in mob violence, this is not gonna be like Portland where they arrest you, take your mugshot, slap you on the wrist and put your right back on the street to do it again. No, in Florida you're not getting a slap on the wrist. You are getting the inside of a jail cell," DeSantis said during the conference.
The governor also discussed his opposition toward critical race theory, which is not taught in Florida grade schools at any level, and highlighted the influx of people moving to the state from blue states.
As DeSantis looks toward 2022, he told the crowd: "In times like these, there is no substitute for courage." The governor also put out a call to action for people across the country to stand with Florida as it leads the charge to make "2022 the year that America fought back."
"In Florida, we will be standing our ground. We'll be holding that line. We are not going to back down. We've accomplished more in this state than anyone thought possible, but I can tell you this, we have only begun to fight," DeSantis said.
A recent poll showed DeSantis holds decent leads over each of the Democratic candidates challenging him for governor while enjoying approval from most Florida voters.
The Mason-Dixon poll of 625 registered Florida voters conducted from Feb. 7-10 by telephone found the Republican governor besting U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, by a 51-43 percent margin.
The lead is outside the poll's 4 percent margin of error.
DeSantis' lead grows to 53 percent over Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried's 42 percent. The governor would beat State Sen. Annette Taddeo by a 53-37 percent margin.
Now, another poll shows that he could even edge out former President Donald Trump when it comes to Florida GOP voters in the 2024 election.
The poll from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Laboratory shows that if the Republican primary was held today, 44-percent said they would vote for DeSantis over the 41-percent who said they would vote for Trump.
In the past, DeSantis has shot down rumors of a presidential run in the next election saying "It's not anything that I'm planning for."
You can watch DeSantis' full speech at CPAC 2022 below: