DeSantis banked $1.25 million from his book, financial disclosure shows
The Florida Republican had not reported an additional stream of income besides his government paycheck in recent years.
TroibNews 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took home $1.25 million from his publisher for writing a book he released in February, according to a state financial disclosure filed Friday.
The book money is the first additional stream of income beyond his government salary that DeSantis has reported since he won election to lead Florida in 2018.
“The Courage to be Free,” published by News Corp’s HarperCollins, gave an early public preview of DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign. The writing underscored his Midwestern roots, abrasive approach to engaging with the media and his Republican reshaping of the Sunshine State.
The book reached the top echelons of The New York Times and Amazon’s bestselling lists. Following the book's release, DeSantis embarked on a nationwide tour touting his work. He officially declared his candidacy at the end of May.
DeSantis has consistently polled as the second-leading candidate in the early stretch of the GOP race — well behind former President Donald Trump but ahead of contenders like former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Despite being eyed as a potential favorite to take over the party from Trump, DeSantis' messaging has failed to usurp the former president’s stronghold on top of polls as his campaign has stumbled in multiple places, most recently in New Hampshire.
Since 2018, the earliest year that Florida’s public system shows a DeSantis filing, the presidential hopeful’s retirement and investment accounts have seen a steady increase. But in the past filing year, his checking and savings balance jumped by around $800,000 alongside his added income.
His salary as the governor of Florida has inched upward throughout his time in office, from $130,000 in 2019 — the year he took office — to $141,400 in his most recent filing.
