Sheriffs endorse Gov. DeSantis’ re-election bid
Ron DeSantis. Image via YouTube/First Coast News.

sheriffs DeSantis
'That's a real law and order Governor. That's what they look like.'

Florida’s sheriffs are presenting a strongly united front, backing the re-election of Gov. Ron DeSantis in Jacksonville Monday.

A group of chief law enforcement officers conveyed the endorsement at the Florida Sheriffs Conference. DeSantis earned similar backing in the 2018 General Election, when he embraced the “law and order” argument against Democrat Andrew Gillum. Many sheriffs did not back DeSantis in the Primary four years ago, but there has been little daylight since.

DeSantis, who makes backing law enforcement a key part of his messaging, offered strong remarks in accepting the endorsements.

“People look at their sheriffs for guidance,” DeSantis said. “They respect them.”

The Governor expressed sentiments familiar to those who listen to him often. He contrasted Florida with the “predictable” results in places with less funding for police and prosecutors who deemphasize pressing certain crimes.

“We actually passed a law in Florida that says we’re not going to let local governments defund law enforcement,” DeSantis said.

“In Florida, we’ve got your back. And we’ll continue to have your back,” DeSantis said, noting that support has only just begun. The Governor touted a proposal for $5,000 signing bonuses for new cops.

“We’re telling you we’re doing this because you’re entering a noble endeavor and we support what you’re doing,” DeSantis said.

Sheriffs offered their own emphatic remarks.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey of Brevard County said the endorsement was on behalf of 58 of the state’s 67 sheriffs in what he called the “most freedom-loving state in the United States of America.” Ivey credited DeSantis with “real American leadership.”

“That’s a real law and order Governor. That’s what they look like,” Ivey said.

Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County was no less forceful, in introducing the man he called “my Governor.”

“We’ve seen far too many leaders who want to be politically correct,” Judd said.

The sheriffs offered a written statement also, which read in part: “Law enforcement and first responders have sadly become the targets of ridicule and contempt from elected officials across the country, but Florida remains a sanctuary of support for men and women in blue. We know our governor has our backs. Other cities and states are defunding police departments while Florida, under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, is supplying law enforcement officers with the resources and backing we need to keep Floridians safe.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


6 comments

  • Impeach Biden

    January 24, 2022 at 10:56 am

    Of course they support DeSantis. All of you defund morons will get what you deserve in November

  • Ron Ogden

    January 24, 2022 at 11:08 am

    Who would you expect them to endorse? Unlike the typical 9-to-5 bureaucrat sitting comfortably in an office far removed from reality, sheriffs and their teams slug it out with Satan itself every day and night, and they need all the help they can get.

    The first job of government at every level is to keep my sorry butt safe, and Dems AIN’T got a clue as to how to do that. Remember “defund the police” and use all the cop money to fund social workers who would hold the criminals’ hands try to help them cope? What happened to all that B-S anyway, Democrats?

    • Impeach Biden

      January 24, 2022 at 11:17 am

      The “defund the police” movement is going to come back to haunt the liberal, empty all the prisons Democrats come November. They deserve the blowout due to their idiocy.

  • Ron Ogden

    January 24, 2022 at 11:13 am

    Hey, AG–how ’bout interviewing yer buddies Fried and Farmer and ask them how the “defund the police” effort is coming. I am WAITING to read that story.

  • zhombre

    January 24, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    From Politico:
    The DGA, which spent more than $15 million in Florida over the past two gubernatorial election cycles, is starting to deprioritize the state and is expected to have a much smaller footprint during the midterms, said two Florida Democratic consultants who have been in contact with the DGA.

    It’s a move driven, in part, by the DGA’s need to use its limited resources to protect incumbent governors elsewhere, as well as the growing sense that Democrats can’t win statewide elections in Florida, these people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to characterize the private discussions.

  • politics

    January 24, 2022 at 3:51 pm

    And i thought this was about you get a house and you get a house and you get a house.
    plus you do not get one and you do not get one.

Comments are closed.


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