PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—The major factor in many societal problems, especially incarceration, is the lack of fathers or strong male role models in the home, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis is asking fathers to “meet your responsibilities” this Father’s Day and has signed legislation to help fathers be better parents, and children who are fatherless to have access to mentorship programs.
DeSantis said he had his own fatherhood issues, explaining that during his wife’s breast cancer scare, he had to “step up” and be there for his children Madison, 5, Mason, 4, and Maime, 2.
During a May 27 “First Class Fatherhood” podcast by Alec Lace, DeSantis said that his wife Casey’s diagnosis was “earth-shattering.”
He said that while his wife underwent chemotherapy, she didn’t have the “bandwidth to be chasing three kids around the house.”
DeSantis could be seen at numerous press conferences with one or more of the children by his side as he delivered announcements to the citizens of Florida. He said he would miss events and sometimes be criticized for it, but that his children were a “priority” and he was “a father first.”
In April, DeSantis said he was happy to be able to announce to the world that his wife was “cancer-free,” and that he was determined—through “meaningful legislation”—to make life better for Florida’s children through programs to help correct the plight of fatherlessness.
“I think a lot of the problems that we see in society are [an] outgrowth of the fatherlessness crisis,” he said during the podcast.
“If you had every kid in America with a loving father in the home, we would have far fewer problems that we would have to deal with as a society.”
On April 11, DeSantis said that one of the “worst social trends has been the decline of fatherhood,” saying it was a “crisis” throughout the country.
DeSantis said he believes that for children to become happy and functional adults, a solid male role model needs to be present in their lives.
Other factors such as education, safety, and having basic needs met—such as health care and food—are paramount, he said.
He said being a father is his “No. 1 priority.”
According to a report released in February by the U.S. Census Bureau, there are an estimated 64 million fathers in the United States, with 43 percent of children having absentee fathers.
The U.S. Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 63 percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes and 90 percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
Also, children who live in fatherless homes are at least two to three times more likely to be poor, use drugs, and experience educational, health, emotional, and behavioral problems.
The departments also found that they were more likely to be victims of child abuse and engage in criminal behavior.
Census data found that, nationwide, 70 percent of juveniles in state-run facilities didn’t have a father in the home, and 71 percent of high school dropouts were from fatherless homes.
After the House passed HB 7065 in March, Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls said that one in four Florida children had no father, stepfather, or adoptive father in their households.
He cited “lack of guidance” as the root cause of many of the state’s social problems.
“From poverty to crime to incarceration, just about every negative outcome that we see that faces boys here and across the country can be linked back to an absent father in the home,” Sprowls said.
DeSantis signed HB 7065, or what he called the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative, on April 11.
The measure seeks to address ways to combat fatherlessness and charge the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Juvenile Justice with the responsibility of creating initiatives to help fathers with effective parenting.
The Florida government has budgeted $70 million for the project and another $44 million to support foster families and promote adoption.
At the April bill signing in Tampa, the governor was flanked by well-known sports figures and dads.
Former Tampa Bay Bucs coach Tony Dungy and former NFL player Jack Brewer have their own nonprofit mentorship programs.
Dungy told those in attendance that he realized the importance of fathers when he began his professional coaching career and said that he had no idea there were so many fatherless homes.
“I got to my job in the National Football League and started interviewing our players and I began to understand not everyone had that same blessing that I had, because my father was always there for me,” he said.
“It really got driven home to me my first year here in Tampa when I got the job.”
He said he had gone with another person who had a prison ministry and thought he would be met with “grizzled, hard, tough older guys,” but he said he met young men anywhere from 19 to 21 years of age. He said he wondered how these boys got to this place in life.
“It’s not socio-economic, it’s not racial, it’s not education,” he said. “It’s none of that. Ninety-five percent of these boys did not grow up with their dad, and that hit me—that hit me hard.”
Brewer, who played for Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2007, founded the Jack Brewer Foundation.
He said when he began his ministry with the Department of Juvenile Justice, he would visit the facilities and begin his own research.
“I walked into a facility where there were about 80 youths and I looked around and just asked them by a raise of hands, how many of you were raised with your father,” he told the crowd. “Only five raised their hand.”
Brewer estimates that 90 percent of all incarcerated youth don’t have fathers or strong male role models in their lives.
“This is the crisis of America today,” Brewer said. “This is the civil rights movement of our time.”
On June 14, secretaries from the Department of Juvenile Justice, Florida Department of Corrections, the Department of Economic Opportunity, and Florida’s Surgeon General’s office attended a roundtable discussion about fatherlessness on how to better allocate resources from the proposed $70 million.
Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, said the individuals who were present alongside him and the secretaries at the roundtable were “inspirational” in what they “aspire to be in their lives and what they want to create, despite their circumstances.”
He said that he too aspires to be a great father, and some days he feels like he just “crashed and burned,” while other days he feels like he did a good job.
Florida Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon said the roundtable was “thought-provoking,” and said it was an opportunity to discuss how to improve communities.
Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle said his efforts would be to develop programs through workforce development. He said being a father is the most important thing he does each day, and being there for children isn’t about being flawless.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being present.”
