Governor DeSantis meets with leaders overseas

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Governor Ron DeSantis and the First Lady Casey DeSantis have a announced partnership to expand health care in Florida after visiting Israel this week.

In a meeting with Israeli leaders, the governor and first lady worked with company Insightec to bring innovative cancer treatment and research to Florida, an effort led by the First Lady’s Cancer Connect Collaborative Initiative.

“I am so proud of my wife, Casey, who has spearheaded new cancer initiatives in our state,” said Governor DeSantis. “I first met with Insightec in Israel in 2019, when we were able to partner with them on Alzheimer’s treatment. It is great to see great companies doing great work all over the world, and we absolutely want to have them in Florida.”

This partnership comes as Governor DeSantis travels with Florida delegation across several countries in an effort to discuss expanding economic opportunities.

While in Israel, DeSantis has also signed House Bill 269, which would give law enforcement agencies new mechanisms to punish offenders who target religious communities and reportedly prevent antisemitic acts.

So far, the DeSantis administration has already visited Japan, South Korea, is currently in the United Kingdom, speaking with leaders in London on trade.

On Monday, Governor DeSantis met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo to discuss the trade relationship between Japan and Florida.

Later on, a roundtable was held with Japanese business leaders for business development.

In South Korea, DeSantis spoke with executives at Hyundai Motor Group and Kia Global, speaking on numerous subjects including possibilities for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in Florida.