A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis promised flags would be lowered for a fallen radio talk show host. But one Cabinet official will resist.
Nikki Fried, a Democrat who serves as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, announced Monday she will not comply with any directive from Republican DeSantis to lower flags under her control when the order is finally issued. DeSantis plans to order flags at half-staff to honor conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh once funeral arrangements have been made.
“Lowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes and patriots. It is not a partisan political tool. Therefore, I will notify all state offices under my direction to disregard the Governor’s forthcoming order to lower flags for Mr. Limbaugh – because we will not celebrate hate speech, bigotry, and division. Lowering the flag should always reflect unity, not division, and raising our standards, not lowering them. Our flags will remain flying high to celebrate the American values of diversity, inclusion, and respect for all,” Fried vowed.
A media release from Fried’s Cabinet Office also contends that lowering flags for Limbaugh would run counter to flag protocols from the Governor’s Office itself, as Limbaugh is not a former federal or state official or an armed forces or law enforcement member killed in the line of duty.
In West Palm Beach Friday, DeSantis confirmed expectations that he would order flags to half staff to memorialize Limbaugh’s death.
The lowering will happen when funeral arrangements are announced, which DeSantis spokesperson Meredith Beatrice confirmed was protocol.
Announcing the lowering of the flags came at an event flush with enthusiastic partisans. DeSantis clearly timed it to please a stacked crowd.
But Fried was among the first Democrats to voice displeasure with the decision.
“DeSantis is lowering Florida’s flags to half–staff for Rush Limbaugh. But he had no words for Congressman John Lewis. Priorities,” she tweeted Friday.
With Fried expected to run for Governor next year, the fight over flags in the wake of Limbaugh’s death on Ash Wednesday appears to be just one of many Plaza Level back and forths in the time between now and next November.
Meanwhile, other leading Democrats in the state are following Fried’s lead.
“Not lowering flags for Rush. In St. Pete we don’t honor hatred, racism, bigotry, homophobia, or anything else he has spewed over the years,” tweeted St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman Monday.
42 comments
Ron Ogden
February 22, 2021 at 1:56 pm
That’s mere bit–iness, and she plays that role well.
Shellie Boyd
February 22, 2021 at 1:57 pm
I’ll make sure not to vote for her!!!
Tom Morgan
February 23, 2021 at 11:14 am
Same here!
David Rosenthal
February 22, 2021 at 2:06 pm
This site is all about partisan politics. Screw that useless sack of dung Fried. She needs to be voted out of office.
Tjb
February 22, 2021 at 3:18 pm
Thank you Nikki for doing what is right. Why honor a man filled with hatred and bent on dividing American with his vitriol.. And a note to Shellie, you were not going to vote for Nikki regardless, and Ron, calling Nikki a bitch, does it make you feel like a manly man?
Ron Ogden
February 22, 2021 at 4:02 pm
It makes me feel like I can tell the truth about motivations.
G8rEd
February 22, 2021 at 6:20 pm
In other words you never listened to Rush…..
Harold Kennedy
February 22, 2021 at 9:12 pm
You do realize one of Rush’s closet employees, and employee of many years was Black? Right! You knew that – I’m sure.
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 3:07 pm
HAROLD I FAIL TO SEE WHAT HIM BEING BLACK HAS TO DO WITH HIM HELPING RUSH IN THIS CAPACITY.
Melinda S Juliano
February 22, 2021 at 9:46 pm
The governor never called her a bitch. Rush was not filled with hate. You obviously never listened to his show.
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 3:56 pm
Democrats are not known very well for tolerating any other views besides their own. I don’t know if that is good or bad. I am up in yrs.so I remember a time in this country, when you could like who you did & dislike who you wished but not a good idea now. We must all think alike. That is the PC way of looking at things now.
RAYMOND CASCELLA
February 22, 2021 at 10:43 pm
Tjb:
Stop the rant and grow up little man.
KNOWINGLEFTFROMWRONG
February 23, 2021 at 12:03 pm
Hey, gay Ray. Who’s going to do your thinking for you now that the scumbag LIEmbaugh is deep sixed :-))
Let’s fly the flag at half staff for the death of the Capitol police officer killed by Trump’s insurrection mob. And while you’re at it Cracker(s) perhaps award his widow, children and parents his Medal of Freedom. Because, if anyone lost their life in the name of freedom it was he who did.
BTW, climate deniers (I say this b/c LIEmbaugh was a climate denier) and you are b/c you can’t think for yourself. How long will it be before the global ice glaciers melt enough for Florida to be underwater? Time for you to man up useless Cracker
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 4:18 pm
Knowing LFW I guess you got your news from CCN or NB NBC I do not get my news from these sources, but I read on the internet, recently that the policeman that was supposedly shot by someone, had a heart attack on the scene. Don’t know the authenticity of the story, since at the time I did not see a need to try to find out more but I’m sure someone can verify this with the newspaper article, & then I don’t know if you would get the true story even then.
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 4:39 pm
knowing LFW Are you saying because you are a denier, one is a suspect for “sudden climate denier” ? You have really upset me, I’m afraid I may die sooner rather than later. I think they are just getting over a flood of biblical proportions from flooding in Fla.not too long ago. What can I do? Someone let Dr. Cassi know, Perhaps he can stop this “Global Warming” while he is fixing the Virus. Help get the word out, “The sky is falling.” (say that 3 times.” bak to bak.
james garrett
February 24, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Al Gore said in a speech in Copenhagen 2009 that the Poles would be ice free in five years. Did it have something to do with crackers? I think it was the work of yard apes and sh*t skins.
Ann Rudolph
February 24, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Y’all don’t know what your saying! Have you even listen to the GOAT of Radio! Probably NO! Y’all stupid idiot with hate!
Oldtreker
February 24, 2021 at 5:33 pm
Really, I listened to Rush for thirty years. Did he make mistakes, of course. But he wanted this country to unite. Tell me Biden and Pelosi want that?
James Young
February 22, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I’m not sure I agree with the order itself, given Limbaugh’s status as a private citizen, but I’m pretty sure that someone should tell this Democrat moron who the Governor of Florida is.
James Young
February 22, 2021 at 3:39 pm
Oh, and John Lewis had nothing to do with Florida. Limbaugh was a resident.
Carol Wendlandt
February 22, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Rush Limbaugh was something you could not understand as you are a herd Democrat inside and out, aren’t you? Perhaps you could start listening and learning and honor a great man like Rush.
DARRIN ERICKSON
February 22, 2021 at 4:15 pm
THE ONLY STATE ELECTED DEMOCRAT IN FLORIDA AND SHE HAS TO DRAW NEGATIVE ATTENTION TO HERSELF LIKE THAT–A LIBERAL JEW BY THE WAY.
FloridaMang
February 22, 2021 at 4:19 pm
The flag should not be lowered for a divisive partisan figure.
However this article publishes a lie by Fried. Fried claims DeSantis had no words on John Lewis death. This is false. DeSantis made an online statement honoring Lewis. This should be included in the article.
KNOWINGLEFTFROMWRONG
February 23, 2021 at 11:57 am
I beg your pardon though, DeSantis never read the online statement. His staff wrote it. Let’s fly a flag for the death of Elvis Presley, why don’t we? It’s bad enough Con Man Don gave the LIEmbaugh the Medal of Freedom, but a goon doesn’t get the honor reserved for heros!
Reggie
February 22, 2021 at 4:29 pm
Fried said “Lowering to half-staff the flag of the United States of America is a sacred honor that pays respect to fallen heroes and patriots”
Doesn’t Fried know that Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom? To make matters worse, Fried declares that lowering the flag to half-staff “is not a partisan political tool”. Hmmm, who made this partisan Nikki?
Jackass move Nikki!
Gillflapper
February 22, 2021 at 8:46 pm
She should stick to doing her job along with all the other Dems that have forgotten what they were elected for and it wasn’t opinionated resistance like the last 4 years.
John Hutchison
February 23, 2021 at 12:05 am
Rush Limbaugh was over highly rated in life and now in death. I never understood his appeal. Good things are happening. Rush Limbaugh can talk no more and Donald Trump can tweet no more.
Douglas Bryan Warren
February 23, 2021 at 1:37 am
You are a bitter little man who probably is making a judgement based on never listening to Rush and the fact that you think this moron illegitimate,racist, corrupt POS Biden is your kind of leader tells me a lot about you.
Rush was 1,000 times more of a man then you’ll ever hope to be
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 2:53 pm
You would not appreciate Rush, because you are not a true American. You are not proud to be an American, if you were, you would not feel this animosity against a great man. Rush as well as the greatest POTUSA, Senior Don Juan Trump. We need him now, but I understand the way our nation operates. I hope we are on the right track, but time will tell, whether we are on the right track or not.It has stood for over 200 yrs. I hope you will be happy in your new country, I prefer a country where we are more free to live our lives as we wish, w/o the government having to be our nannies.
DeSantis is far better than Nikki
February 22, 2021 at 8:53 pm
Grandstanding. Running for Governor already. It will be interesting to see if she can out-pander Charlie Crist.
John Hutchison
February 22, 2021 at 11:38 pm
Rush Limbaugh was over highly rated in life and now in death. I never understood his appeal. Good things are happening. Rush Limbaugh can talk no more and Donald Trump can tweet no more.
Linda Cebrian
February 23, 2021 at 1:10 am
It’s “good” that a fellow human being lost his life to a devastating disease? And it’s a “good” thing that a handful of Big Tech masterminds can control the flow of information in our country? You sound like a total reprobate. That doesn’t bode well for your parents.
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 5:01 pm
Whatever lights your fire John. I expect you are a marxist/socialist/globalist. You are not aware of what the democrats & big corporations are up to.Mr Trump had this country independent of foreign oil, we were respected by China & others, We were in the process of ending all these democrat wars, which have gone on for yrs, & yrs. Yet the dems turn right back & vote the same B/S back into power, except they will be on steroids this time.
Douglas Bryan Warren
February 23, 2021 at 1:32 am
You are the one full of hate. You probably never listened to Rush or you wouldn’t be such a loser. Rush was no bigot. He loved even people like you because unlike you he fully believed in freedom of speech and thought which you would rather cancel
hpinnc
February 23, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I AGREE WITH YOUR POST, MR. WARREN. i LISTENED TO HIM MANY YRS. HE WOULD SAY HE DISAGREED WITH YOU, & TELL YOU WHY. i HAVE TO SAY, HE ALWAYS WAS FAIR & SQUARE WITH PPL. AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER. HE DIDN’T HOLD BACK WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO A DEMOCRAT, HE WAS VERY POLITE, BUT COULD BE NASTY IF HE WANTED TO. i DON’T RECALL HIM TRYING TO CHANGE VERY MANY DEMOCRATS, HE WOULD JUST THANK YOU FOR CALLING & MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PERSON. OF COURSE I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH HIM BECAUSE I AGREED WITH HIM ABOUT 99% OF THE TIME.
William Joseph Lahey
February 23, 2021 at 6:56 am
My new hero. Nikki for Governor.
Tom Morgan
February 23, 2021 at 11:12 am
fried appears to be eaten up with the Trump Derangement Syndrome
Tom Morgan
February 23, 2021 at 11:16 am
Rush was a champion for the working Americans. lewis was a champion for the dependant Americans
Royal James
February 23, 2021 at 1:31 pm
Vote Her Out!!!
TrueAmericanPatriot
February 23, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Limbaugh was a hate practioner who only gave a dam about himself and what he cared for. I never saw him devote his mouthpiece for promoting help for the downtrodden. His Narciso is born from the same spirit that sent the devil to hell . The flag represents those who are for inclusion, citizens who care for each other. I’ve listen to this man and the one thing I know based on the words coming from his mouth he stood for principals that would demolished the core principals that keep that flag flying. From the abundance of the heart the mouth the heart speaks…..why should the flag be lowered to honor a man that didn’t honor and respect it….
James Young
February 24, 2021 at 10:31 pm
Try not to confuse your pseudo-compassionate socialist agenda with American constitutionalism. It just makes you look silly.
Steve
February 25, 2021 at 12:51 pm
You obviously never bothered to actually LISTEN to the show but only went with what your liberal sources TOLD you about Rush and his show. Nobody respected the flag and what it stood for more than Rush…certainly not you. As English is obviously not your primary language I had difficulty understanding what you were trying to say, but I think I got the drift. What Rush stood for was the ability of every American to raise themselves up through hard work and rugged individualism. Liberals want the government to pass out fish to everyone, Rush taught people how to fish for themselves. Hopefully you understand the difference.
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