GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday gave remarks at the University of Florida, speaking at a groundbreaking event for the university’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education along Fletcher Drive.
The university describes the upcoming work as a meaningful renovation that will occur in partnership with the state in order to preserve the original, historic structure “while preparing it to serve a new generation.”
“Soon, the UF Infirmary, a Collegiate Gothic-style structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will become the Hamilton School’s new home,” UF’s website states. “(...) With the generous support of Governor DeSantis and the Florida legislature, the Hamilton School’s future home—the historic UF Infirmary—will be a space that reflects our mission: reviving timeless ideas for today’s world."
The groundbreaking comes a day after it was announced Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady will leave his current position in 2026 to become director of the Hamilton School.
”I think he’s just, like, a home-run choice," DeSantis said of Canady. “First of all, he’s got a tremendous academic pedigree, having graduated from Yale Law School. He’s also been the intellectual leader on the Florida Supreme Court for almost 20 years, including when he was a lonely voice on the Florida Supreme Court back in those early years, but he also has great experience as a state representative, as a U.S. congressman — he served high up in the executive branch in Florida — and so what we’re doing at Hamilton, you know, we don’t want this to just be esoteric debates, right? To sit here and it’s kind of pie-in-the-sky, just, you know, nothing but theorizing. What we’re trying to do is build an intellectual foundation in the students so when they then go out, they can become leaders and be great citizens of this republic."
Watch the event again in the video player below or by clicking here:
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