Charlie Kirk’s memory will inspire Florida students for years to come, both through a debate prize and state policy regarding the group he founded.
Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed the state’s Civics and Debate Initiative at New College of Florida—Sainer Auditorium, saying the prize for winning in April 2026 would be named after the conservative commentator who was assassinated this year when speaking on a college campus.
Describing Kirk as inspiring conservatives “going into the belly of the beast … to bring conservative ideas to these liberal campuses,” DeSantis noted that prize winners will get scholarships ranging from $10,000 for quarterfinalists to $50,000 for the winners.
But even for those who don’t win the newly christened Charlie Kirk Prize, the state is rolling out what DeSantis called a “partnership” with Turning Point USA that is designed to ensure his legacy expands throughout the state.
“We want to make sure that all high schools in Florida, anybody in a high school that wants to start a state Club America chapter will be able to do so. There shouldn’t be any impediments to that, and certainly no discrimination. We’re not going to allow that,” DeSantis promised.
Earlier this month, it was reported that an effort to start a Turning Point chapter was briefly resisted at a high school in Suwannee County, but soon enough the student who wanted to start one was allowed to. The partnership will ensure such miscommunications don’t happen again.
“We want to make sure that we’re providing the pathway if people want to do this” DeSantis said. “And again, we’re not going to tolerate any administrators or school districts who are trying to put the kibosh on it just because they represent ideas that they may not like.”
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