Jill Casey DeSantis, born Casey Black on June 26, 1980, in Columbus, Ohio, is an American former television journalist.
She has served as the First Lady of Florida since January 2019, as the wife of Governor Ron DeSantis.
Who is Casey DeSantis?
Casey DeSantis spent more than a decade as a television journalist in Jacksonville, Florida, before her husband’s 2018 election win brought her media career to a close.
She became Florida’s First Lady on January 8, 2019, and has since led several statewide initiatives focused on mental health, cancer research, and economic self-sufficiency.
DeSantis is also a breast cancer survivor, having been declared cancer-free in February 2022 after her 2021 diagnosis.
In 2025 and 2026, she became a central figure in the Hope Florida Foundation controversy, a matter that drew scrutiny from Florida lawmakers and a state prosecutor.
Early Life of Casey DeSantis
Casey DeSantis was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up in Troy, Ohio, where she attended Troy High School.
Her father, Robert Black, worked as an optometrist and had previously served as a United States Air Force officer, while her mother, Jeanne Black, worked as a speech pathologist and taught at Casey’s elementary school.
She played basketball and ran cross-country in high school, and also competed as an equestrian from a young age, a sport she continued into college.
Casey DeSantis Age
Casey DeSantis is 46 years old as of August 2026, having been born on June 26, 1980.
Her zodiac sign is Cancer.
She was 38 years old when her husband was elected governor in 2018 and she became Florida’s First Lady the following January.
DeSantis’s height is 5 Feet 9 Inches which is equal to 175 centimeters and 1.75 meters. Her weight is around 60kg in other words we can say that 133 lbs.
Casey DeSantis Ethnicity and Nationality
Casey DeSantis is American, born and raised in Ohio.
Her family background includes Sicilian heritage on her mother’s side, as her mother, Jeanne, is the daughter of a Sicilian immigrant.
She has spent her adult life in Florida since marrying Ron DeSantis and beginning her broadcasting career in Jacksonville.
Casey DeSantis Education
Casey DeSantis attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and was a member of the International Economics Honors Society.
While in college, she competed on the school’s equestrian team and placed runner-up at the Division I NCAA National Championships, adding to a record that reportedly includes three national equestrian championships outside of school competition.
Casey DeSantis Career
Early Career
After graduating from college, Casey DeSantis worked as a producer and on-air host for PGA Tour Today on the Golf Channel.
She then joined WJXT in Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked as a police reporter, morning anchor, and general assignment reporter over the course of her time at the station.
Major Positions Held
Casey DeSantis created and moderated Chat, an hour-long roundtable discussion program that aired on Jacksonville stations WTLV and WJXX.
She also hosted the daily lifestyle program First Coast Living and the weekly business program The American Dream, and she produced a documentary following high school football player JT Townsend.
Her broadcasting work earned her a regional Suncoast Emmy Award during her career in local news.
Current Role
Since January 2019, Casey DeSantis has served as First Lady of Florida, a role she took on full-time after ending her media career following her husband’s 2018 gubernatorial win.
In that role, she has led statewide initiatives including Hope Florida, launched in September 2019 to connect Floridians with private and community-based resources, and Resiliency Florida, launched in February 2021 in partnership with professional athletes to address youth mental health.
She has also helped secure $100 million in recurring state funding for cancer research and care, work recognized when the Florida Legislature renamed a state cancer research program the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.
Casey DeSantis Political Career and Notable Coverage
Casey DeSantis has served as a close political adviser to her husband throughout his time in office, including during his 2024 presidential campaign.
In 2025, the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit tied to her Hope Florida initiative, came under scrutiny after records showed it received $10 million connected to a Medicaid settlement, some of which was later routed to groups involved in opposing a 2024 marijuana legalization ballot measure.
The Florida House opened an investigation into the foundation, though the probe was later dropped without a final conclusion after witnesses failed to appear for testimony.
Since May 2025, Casey DeSantis has also been under a separate criminal investigation by the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit, and in February 2026, reports indicated the U.S. Department of Justice had declined to pursue a related federal complaint.
Amid speculation that she might run to succeed her term-limited husband as governor in 2026, Casey DeSantis never formally entered the race, and Florida’s candidate qualifying deadline in June 2026 passed without her filing.
Casey DeSantis Awards and Recognition
Casey DeSantis won a regional Suncoast Emmy Award for her broadcasting work in Jacksonville.
She was also named Sarasota’s Stateswoman of the Year, an honor previously given to individuals including her husband, Ron DeSantis.
Casey DeSantis Husband
Casey DeSantis is married to Ron DeSantis, the 46th Governor of Florida.
The two met on a golf course near Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, where Ron was serving as a Navy officer at the time.
They married in 2009 in a ceremony held at Walt Disney World.
Casey DeSantis Children
Casey and Ron DeSantis have three children together: daughter Madison, son Mason, and daughter Mamie.
Mamie was the first baby born in the Florida Governor’s Mansion in more than 50 years.
Casey DeSantis Net Worth
Casey DeSantis’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026.
Her wealth comes primarily from her years as a television journalist in Jacksonville, along with public speaking engagements and shared family investments, since the role of First Lady of Florida does not carry a salary.
Casey DeSantis Social Media
Casey DeSantis maintains a public presence tied to her role as First Lady, sharing updates on her initiatives and family life.
A current, officially verified personal social media handle for Casey DeSantis could not be confirmed from reliable sources at the time of writing.
The Bottom Line
Casey DeSantis built a decade-long career as a Jacksonville television journalist, winning a regional Suncoast Emmy, before becoming Florida’s First Lady in January 2019 and later helping secure $100 million in recurring state funding for cancer research.
She grew up in Troy, Ohio, the daughter of an optometrist and a speech pathologist, and competed nationally as an equestrian before marrying Ron DeSantis in 2009.
As of 2026, she continues to lead the Hope Florida initiative amid an ongoing state criminal investigation into its affiliated foundation, after ultimately not entering the race to succeed her husband as governor.
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