Ron DeSantis Announces Plans to Install Turning Point Chapters in Florida High Schools Weeks After Charlie Kirk’s Death

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a new partnership with Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk, to expand student political engagement in the state.

Speaking at a news conference in Sarasota on Monday, Oct. 27, DeSantis, 47, said the collaboration will allow high school students across Florida to establish local chapters of Turning Point USA, called Club America.

“We want to make sure anybody in a high school who wants to start a Club America chapter will be able to do so,” DeSantis said. “There shouldn’t be any impediments to that and certainly no discrimination. We’re not going to allow that. And any school or school district that does try to discriminate… will face consequences,” he added.

According to Turning Point USA’s website, the organization aims to educate “young people about the importance of limited government, free markets and freedom.” DeSantis described Club America as a “student-led organization” created to “mobilize high schoolers to advocate” for those same principles.

The governor also noted the growing enthusiasm among youth to get involved in civic issues. “You’re starting to see more young people take an interest and be educated, and now they want to get involved,” he said, referencing Kirk, who was shot and killed during a Turning Point event on Sept. 10.

The announcement followed remarks from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who said his office intends to “take legal action” against any schools or districts blocking TPUSA chapters. “We’ve been hearing reports up and down the state of public schools not allowing TPUSA organizations to be formed on campus. This is discriminatory—it’s wrong, and we will not stand for it,” Uthmeier said in a video message on X. He added that the state’s Office of Parental Rights “will bring legal action where necessary to protect the rights of students to organize, associate, and engage in speech and debate.”

Turning Point USA has reported a surge of new interest since Kirk’s death, claiming more than 120,000 inquiries from people wanting to start new campus chapters, according to Fox News.

During his Sarasota appearance, DeSantis also announced that the winner of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) state championship will receive an award renamed in Kirk’s honor. “The champion of the next FCDI state championship, to be held at New College of Florida in April 2026, will take home the Charlie Kirk Prize—renamed in honor of a young man who embodied the principles of patriotism, civil discourse, and open debate,” DeSantis wrote on X.

He added that “the generous scholarship awards for the winner and other top competitors will be a great memorial to Kirk’s legacy.”