Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at Memorial Day event in Jacksonville

DeSantis also hosted a barbecue for veterans on Sunday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday spoke at a Memorial Day event in Jacksonville.

The governor gave a speech at the Veterans Memorial ceremony.

“The sacrifices that people have made throughout history matters, we would not be free people without those sacrifices. And I’m just glad that in the state of Florida, this is something that’s recognized in every corner of our state,” DeSantis said.

The governor and his family also hosted more than 400 veterans and their families for a Memorial Day Barbecue Sunday at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee.

Florida is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans, the third-largest veteran population in the country.

DeSantis, who is a Navy veteran himself, last week officially announced his presidential run.

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DeSantis on Wednesday made a live announcement of his presidential run with Elon Musk on Twitter.