The governor heads Florida’s executive branch. In 1998, Jeb Bush (current Governor Ron DeSantis 46th) was elected as Florida's 43rd governor. In a way, the governor is the "President" of our state. He is in charge of carrying out our state laws. There have been 43 governors of the state of Florida. The first elected governor of Florida as a state was William D. Moseley, who served from 1845 to 1849. Before Florida was a state, it was a U. S. territory, and the governor was appointed by the President rather than elected by the people. William Pope DuVal was Florida's first territorial governor, 1822-1834. The most important job the governor has is to manage the state budget. He must plan how to best spend the state's money and present this plan to the legislature. 1. What other similarities do you think there are between state and federal government?