What Casey DeSantis Really Did For A Living Before Meeting Husband Ron

She may be the First Lady of Florida, but if Casey DeSantis has her way, she'll be getting a big promotion come January 2025. Her husband, Governor Ron DeSantis, hopes to beat out Donald Trump for the Republican presidential ticket, and he might just have a chance. During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, conservatives applauded the governor's refusal to close schools and mandate mask-wearing; he's also likely to appeal to voters who think Trump's legal headaches could hurt him at the polls. 

Casey has supported her husband's campaign wholeheartedly and even offered a hint of what her personal platform might be if he enters the White House. She's a spokesperson for Mamas for DeSantis, an advocacy group touting the governor as the best choice to protect America's children against worrying "agendas" surrounding racial diversity, LGBTQ+ rights, and access to "inappropriate" books. Her other pet causes include cancer research (she's a breast cancer survivor herself) and mental health awareness. 

Casey is a dynamic personality who's widely believed to be her husband's closest adviser. As an unidentified lobbyist told Politico, "She's the power behind the throne." If Casey seems more comfortable being a public figure than past first ladies (*cough* Melania Trump *cough cough*), there's a good reason for that. Before she wed Ron, Casey had just begun what became a highly successful broadcast journalism career. Holding a microphone and addressing viewers is second nature to her by now.

Casey DeSantis has come a long way both career and distance-wise from her childhood in small-town Troy, Ohio. Her drive to succeed showed itself as early as high school where Casey participated in sports and was elected to both student government and homecoming court. The woman born Jill Casey Black studied economics and French at the College of Charleston in South Carolina but turned to journalism soon after when she was hired as a reporter for a Jacksonville, Florida TV station. 

It proved to be a valuable experience; she had the opportunity both to sit behind the anchor desk and to cover crime and special-interest stories (per Politico, Casey once reported on an alligator spotted roaming a quiet neighborhood). From there, Casey joined the Golf Channel and hosted such programs as "On the Tee" and "PGA Tour Today." Her next move was to join NBC affiliate First Coast News, where she helmed the chat show "First Coast Living."

Throughout her career, Casey earned one Emmy for her on-air work, alongside two other nominations: One for an investigative series, and another for an inspirational documentary about local hero J.T. Townsend. The promising high school football star was paralyzed in an accident on the field but he went on to graduate from college and start a foundation to help others with disabilities.

Appropriately enough, Casey Black met Ron DeSantis (who was a naval officer and a Congressman before becoming a famous governor) on a driving range at the University of North Florida. "As I'm looking over behind me, Ron is over there," she once recalled to First Coast News. "He thinks I'm looking at him. I was really looking at the balls. Long story short, we started to talk, and that's how we met." The couple married in 2009 at Walt Disney World, a location Ron probably wouldn't choose if he had to do it over again.

Casey continued her successful Florida TV career for eight more years, but the story that had the biggest impact on her was one she didn't personally cover. On June 14, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at a Virginia ball field where Ron and many fellow politicians were playing a charity game. Casey saw the coverage from her station. "I don't think you can put words to what that does," Casey acknowledged. "I mean that's your husband, that's your family and you think about something like that happening. Beyond words to describe, it was one of the most difficult days of my life." 

A year later, Casey stepped down from her journalism career so she could devote more time to her three young children; Madison, Mason, and Mamie. But if her husband's career goal comes true, she'll remain in the public spotlight for some time to come.