DeSantis’ Warning

Complacency’s Cost in the Age of Persistent Threats

The Bourbon Street attack is a tragic emblem of our modern age’s peculiar genius for misdirection. Here we are, in the early hours of 2025, confronted once again with the specter of radical Islamic terrorism—a ghastly reminder of an ideological war we would prefer to forget. A U.S. Army veteran, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, turned Bourbon Street, a place synonymous with revelry, indulgence and a soupcon of debauchery, into a tableau of horror, plowing through a crowd and leaving in his wake 15 dead, 30 injured, and a nation once again grappling with its fragility in both foreign and domestic terror attacks.

The real tragedy, if one dares to peel back the layers of the obvious, isn’t just the act itself and the lives lost and forever altered for the living, but the context in which it occurred. For years, we have been told that the great threats to our civilization are no longer external but internal, not terrorists but tweets, not jihadists but jokes. Radical Islamic terror, we are told, is a relic of the early 21st century—a problem solved or worse one we overstated previously that we’ve now moved on from—a chapter “closed.” Yet here we are, confronted not with the past but the present, watching in grim fascination as the shadow we tried to ignore grows darker and more insistent.

It’s important to get this point across: The Bourbon Street attack isn’t just an act of terror. The attack and subsequent questioning of our response to it is an indictment of our complacency. It’s the price we pay for diverting our gaze from the essentials of governance to the indulgences of ideological conformity. We’ll soon discover how much was known prior to the attack and we might even find that it was one that simply went under the radar. It’s difficult to assess what could have been done until more is known about the planning and preparation for the attack, but the bigger issue at hand is the question of eroding trust in our federal workforce. A government distracted by the shiny objects of cultural crusades to police thought loses its focus, its legitimacy, and, most critically, its ability to protect its people. And when that happens, the trust that binds a civilization begins to unravel, one tragedy at a time.

What is most profoundly unsettling about the Bourbon Street attack—a grotesque spectacle that laid bare the fragility of our times, is how the aftermath of this act of terror proved just as instructive as the event itself, exposing the uncomfortable truths about modern governance that Governor Ron DeSantis so astutely articulated during his recent appearance on Life, Liberty & Levin. The Governor’s diagnosis of radical Islamic terror as an enduring threat might seem obvious, but his broader critique of a distracted, ideologically entangled federal government is a timely reminder of what it means to govern responsibly.

Governance as the Foundation of Civilization

At its core, DeSantis’ argument is a simple one: a government that cannot prioritize the safety and stability of its people has forfeited its legitimacy. This isn’t a hyperbolic indictment but a measured observation rooted in the most basic principles of governance, and one many have heard or read me comment on it seems like every day. The social contract between citizens and their government is predicated on trust, which in turn depends on competence and focus. When governments allow their attention to drift toward ideological projects or partisan squabbles, they invite doubt, cynicism, and eventually rebellion—if not in the streets, then in the hearts of their people.

Florida, under Governor Ron DeSantis has provided a stark and refreshing contrast to the dysfunction that we constantly see emanating from Washington. Where federal agencies falter under the weight of cultural distractions and political bugaboos, Florida delivers results with purpose and precision. While critics label DeSantis a “culture warrior,” his approach to cultural issues is fundamentally different: it’s rooted in governance that respects time-tested principles rather than imposing ideological conformity. The cultural battles DeSantis engages in are not about using government to dictate ideology but about preventing government’s overreach into cultural norms, allowing individual communities the freedom to shape their own values. Florida’s institutions reflect this ethos, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to mission accomplishment over ideological battles. This success is not an accident but the product of DeSantis’ philosophy of governance, which prioritizes competence, accountability, and the fulfillment of core responsibilities over empty political theater.

Florida’s Model of Legitimacy

You don’t have to look very far to see how Governor DeSantis has put the very principles he outlined in his interview into action in his own state. True to form, he doesn’t waste time boasting—he leaves that to the results. DeSantis would likely only mention these achievements only to highlight the exceptional efforts of those who serve in his administration, a curated team whose competence reflects his philosophy of leadership. In Florida, the Governor has built a governance model that is pragmatic, resilient, and unapologetically focused on results over rhetoric.

This approach hasn’t just earned the trust of Floridians—it has positioned the state as a beacon of stability in an increasingly unpredictable nation. Florida’s success story isn’t just a local headline; it’s a national point of focus, as other states and leaders watch closely. For many, all eyes are on Florida, and it’s likely to remain that way for years to come. The reason is simple: DeSantis has shown that effective governance isn’t about spectacle—it’s about delivering results that speak for themselves.

1. Crisis Management and Disaster Response

Hurricanes, Governance, and the Restoration of Trust: Florida’s Standard of Legitimacy

Unlike with terrorist attacks or what the Obama administration once referred to as “Man-caused disasters,” natural disasters such as Hurricanes are indifferent to rhetoric or ideology and strike with a singular purpose: to reveal the competence—or lack thereof—of those in charge. In Florida, under Governor Ron DeSantis, these relentless natural disasters have been transformed from existential threats into actual opportunities for governance to shine and for many even restoring faith in their neighbors willingness to help. 2022’s Hurricane Ian response was the benchmark for how disaster recovery should be done. Subsequent hurricane seasons in Florida have shown that the people of Florida and their government are not willing to just sit on those successes, but to recover even more robustly demonstrating a form of antifragility that would make Nassim Taleb blush.

The state’s response to hurricanes in 2024, including the devastating Hurricanes Helene and Milton, wasn’t just a competent display but an exemplary one, showcasing a system that seems to challenge itself with every storm to outperform the last. Florida’s disaster response had become a finely tuned machine, refining the lessons learned from previous storms. When Hurricane Helene made landfall in late September, followed closely by Hurricane Milton in early October, power was restored to millions in record time, relief supplies reached affected communities within hours, and infrastructure repairs began almost immediately. The Governor made rounds of media coverage not to brag about how well they were doing, which he was given plenty opportunity to do, but to give out public warnings and instructions as well as confirming to the public that the Governor and the State of Florida was working tirelessly to get the job done. Rather than complaints about funding, or needs citizens of Florida and the rest of the country watched a Governor say “We got this” and “This is what you need to do to stay safe.”

Remarkably, Florida’s crisis management expanded beyond its borders, offering aid to neighboring states overwhelmed by their own challenges, in cases like North Carolina and Tennessee a much more devasting and complicated recovery from Helene. While many other governments floundered, Florida led. Central to this Sisyphean effort was the Florida State Guard, an organization reinstated by DeSantis and even once derided as a vanity project or even ominously labeled a “paramilitary force.” Critics could not have been more wrong. Under DeSantis’ leadership, the Guard proved indispensable in accomplishing tasks like clearing roads, delivering supplies, and supporting local authorities in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, even going as far to being used to aid in other states. The guard was even going to be used to augment port labor if a Longshoreman strike threat during these hurricanes threatened to impact recovery efforts. This ended up not being needed as the strike was temporarily resolved during the crisis. Nevertheless, the speed and efficiency of the Florida guard and other institutions of law enforcement and first response provided a stark contrast to the bureaucratic inertia often seen in federal responses. In fact FEMA took a backseat to the state government managing the crisis and was used for what it should always be: A reserve auxiliary to State agencies. The Florida guard which was once mocked became a symbol of Florida’s proactive governance—a force dedicated not to posturing but to preparedness.

This success reflects a philosophy of governance that treats crises as opportunities for stewardship, not excuses for breakdowns in government. Florida’s iterative improvements—from faster resource deployment to enhanced coordination with local and private entities—illustrate a commitment to resilience through learning. Each storm or crisis is met with a resolve not just to endure but to do better then last time, ensuring the state’s legitimacy is reinforced, rather than eroded, with every challenge.

Florida effectively and consistently demonstrates that legitimacy isn’t declared but earned. It’s earned in things like the rapid restoration of power, the timely arrival of relief, and the trust citizens place in a government and a Governor that delivers. As hurricanes rage, Floridians can rest assured that their state will rise to the occasion, not merely surviving but setting a standard for governance that others would do well to emulate.

2. Law and Order