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Baby DeSantis: Florida’s first lady announces she is pregnant

The DeSantis family is growing again, a reminder of how young the governor is compared to many of his predecessors.
 
SCOTT KEELER  |   Times
Florida's 46th Governor Ron DeSantis, right, shares a laugh with his wife Casey, left, and their son Mason, right, during his inauguration at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, Tuesday, January 8, 2019.
SCOTT KEELER | Times Florida's 46th Governor Ron DeSantis, right, shares a laugh with his wife Casey, left, and their son Mason, right, during his inauguration at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, Tuesday, January 8, 2019. [ SCOTT KEELER | Tampa Bay Times ]
Published Sept. 26, 2019|Updated Sept. 26, 2019

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey announced Thursday that they have a baby on the way, via a tweeted photo of the First Family holding a photo of an ultrasound.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis and I are thrilled to celebrate our 10-Year Anniversary by announcing that our young family is growing!” wrote Casey DeSantis, 39. “The latest addition to the DeSantis crew will arrive next year.”

Gov. DeSantis also tweeted, joking that the “Governor’s Mansion will have to stay baby-proofed for a little while longer.”

The news is a reminder that DeSantis, 41, is one of the youngest governors Florida has had in decades.

The couple’s son, Mason, was born in March 2018, just as DeSantis’ campaign for governor was gaining steam. And their daughter, Madison, was born in 2016.

Having young children in the Governor’s Mansion is somewhat of a rarity, and has been the source of many-a-joke for both parents during public appearances.

In January, DeSantis said that he had brought holy water back from the Sea of Galilee in Israel to baptize Mason on the day of his inauguration as governor.

But shortly after, he revealed that the cleaning staff at the Governor’s Mansion had accidentally thrown it away, since they kept it in a regular Zephyrhills-style water bottle.

The last time there was a newborn in the Governor’s Mansion was 1970, when Gov. Claude Kirk’s wife, Erika, gave birth to their son, Erik Henry. The Kirks also had a baby in 1968, while he was in office.

Governor Kirk welcoming home his wife and newborn son Erik Henry Kirk | State Archives of Florida [ State Archives of Florida ]

Times senior news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.