DeSantis Has Held Up Florida Under His Tenure As A Model For Law Enforcement. According to the American Independent, “Ron DeSantis is touting his law-and-order bona fides as he runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. But his record as governor of Florida does not match his rhetoric. […] After signing a bill in April 2021 aimed at combating public disorder, he tweeted, ‘HB 1 protects Floridians against attempts by local govts to defund law enforcement, provides the means to hold local govt. accountable for failing to protect people & property from rioting, & enacts strong penalties against those engaged in rioting, looting & violent assemblies.’ […] That November, DeSantis tweeted, ‘While other states defund their police, in Florida, we will always support our law enforcement.’” [American Independent, 6/12/23]
DeSantis Said He Believes “Law And Order Must Be Maintained,” And That Lawmakers Must “Reject Attacks On The Men And Women Of Law Enforcement.” According to the American Independent, “Ron DeSantis is touting his law-and-order bona fides as he runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. But his record as governor of Florida does not match his rhetoric. DeSantis, who kicked off his campaign on May 24, warns on his website, ‘Our cities are being hollowed out by spiking crime — the result of weak, ideologically-driven policies.’ Borrowing a phrase from President Warren Harding’s 1920 campaign, he promises to ‘return normalcy to our communities.’ ‘The public deserves safe communities and law and order must be maintained. We cannot permit the inmates to run the asylum,’ DeSantis says, ‘and we must reject attacks on the men and women of law enforcement.’” [American Independent, 6/12/23]
Under DeSantis’ Tenure, The Budget For Law Enforcement Has Not Kept Pace With Inflation, Resulting In An Adjusted Drop. According to the American Independent, “Ron DeSantis is touting his law-and-order bona fides as he runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. […] But after he became governor in 2019 with full Republican control of the state Legislature, the state budget for public safety and corrections actually decreased, when adjusted for inflation.” [American Independent, 6/12/23]
Florida Spent $4.86 Billion In 2019-2020 On Law Enforcement Programs, And Keeping Pace Would Have Meant At Least $5.56 Billion In 2022-2023, But There Was Only $5.39 Billion In 2022-2023. According to the American Independent, “But after he became governor in 2019 with full Republican control of the state Legislature, the state budget for public safety and corrections actually decreased, when adjusted for inflation. In the budget year 2019-2020, the state of Florida spent $4.86 billion on those programs; in 2022-2023, the amount of funding is $5.39 billion. To keep pace with inflation between 2019 and 2022, it would have needed to spend $5.56 billion on corrections and public safety.” [American Independent, 6/12/23]
DeSantis Used Budget Veto Power To Cut $12 Million In Grants For Local Law Enforcement Over His Tenure. According to the American Independent, “After the Legislature approved its spending legislation, DeSantis used his power to veto $12 million in grants for local law enforcement.” [American Independent, 6/12/23]
DeSantis Vetoed $4.8 Million For The Pinellas County Sheriff To Create A Driver Pursuit Training Facility, A $3.5 Million New Police Station For South Miami, And $750,000 For Expansions At Broward County. According to the American Independent, “After the Legislature approved its spending legislation, DeSantis used his power to veto $12 million in grants for local law enforcement. […] The vetoed line items included $4.8 million for the Pinellas County sheriff’s driver pursuit training facility, $3.5 million for a new police stationfor [sic] South Miami, and $750,000 for the Broward County sheriff’s office to reduce its crime backlog and expand its real-time crime center.” [American Independent, 6/12/23]