Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis, left, with Gov. Ron DeSantis, right. Casey DeSantis is a former Troy resident, and a member of Troy High School’s class of 1999.
Courtesy | Florida Governor’s Office
Casey DeSantis’ photo from the 1999 Troy High School Yearbook. During her time at Troy High School DeSantis (Casey Black) also participated in many sports and extra-curricular activities, including student council, basketball and cross-country.
Courtesy | Troy Local History Library
Courtesy | Florida Governor’s Office
Courtesy | Florida Governor’s Office
The 1999 Troy High School Homecoming Court. Casey DeSantis (Black) is in the second row, second from right.
Courtesy | Troy Local History Library
Casey DeSantis (Black) as a member of the Troy High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team.
Courtesy | Troy Local History Library
By Matt Clevenger
TROY — As rumors circulate regarding a possible 2024 Presidential run by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a little-known fact about his wife, Emmy Award-winning TV host Casey DeSantis, has also come to light: Casey DeSantis is from Troy.
Known for keeping her family background relatively secret, Casey DeSantis was born Jill Casey Black in Columbus on June 26, 1980, according to information from birth records obtained through the Montgomery County Public Health Department.
A Wikipedia page about Casey DeSantis lists her place of birth as Troy. DeSantis did not return requests to comment for this story, and an official biography posted on the Florida Governor’s website does not mention any details about her background before becoming Florida’s First Lady.
A former acquaintance of Desantis’ who still lives in Troy was contacted for this story but declined to comment, citing concerns for the DeSantis family’s privacy.
A member of Troy High School’s class of 1999, Casey DeSantis (Black) is pictured in several Troy High School and Troy Junior High Yearbooks, which can be viewed at the Troy Local History Library located on West Main Street.
According to the 1999 Troy High School yearbook, DeSantis was also active in several different sports and extra-curricular activities, including basketball, cross-country, Key Club, ASTRA and French Club. She served as student council treasurer, and as a D.A.R.E. Role Model.
Casey DeSantis also appears in yearbook photos of the 1998 Troy High School Homecoming Court.
Casey DeSantis (Black) left Troy soon after graduation, pursuing a degree in economics at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. A member of the college’s class of 2003, she also served on the college’s equestrian team.
Details about Casey DeSantis’ background after that are unclear, but she went on to a position as a news anchor at WJXT Channel 4 in Jacksonville, Florida, and later worked as an anchor at the Golf Network, hosting the PGA Tour Today program.
A regional Suncoast Emmy Award-winner, DeSantis also wrote and produced the documentary film “Champion: The J.T. Townsend Story.”
She met Ron DeSantis on a golf course, according to several published accounts, and the couple were married in the fall of 2009. She has served as the First Lady of Florida since Ron DeSantis became Governor in 2019.
