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GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis discusses ‘regional issues’ with President Mike Martin

By Alexandra Figares
Editor-in-Chief


Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis met with FGCU President Mike Martin in a private conference on Saturday to discuss issues like public higher education and water issues.
Martin said DeSantis reached out to him to “sit down and chat” about regional concerns.
“We should always be here to try to provide input in education to people who are seeking offices that can have an influence on the future of the state,” Martin said.
DeSantis and Martin also discussed the progress of academic building nine. The new building, which was approved by the Florida Board of Governors, would serve to improve classroom space and STEM labs.  
“We let him know that we’re closer and closer,” Martin said. “And that if he becomes governor, he could get us over the hurdle to begin building our last major building on campus.”
Outside of the conference room, students from the NAACP and FGCU’s Students for Sensible Drug Policy held signs in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, and hoped to speak with DeSantis about his policies.
“I’m here because I do consider Ron DeSantis’s policies to be very behind the times,” President for the SSDP, Anselm Weber said. “And they are a direct threat to the progress that we’ve made to health care and drug policy and a lot of other issues.”
The students were unable to speak with DeSantis.
DeSantis will run against Gillum for the Florida governor seat on Nov. 6.

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