DeSantis Warns Rioters ‘Stay Out Of Florida!’ Consequences ‘Will Be Swift, They Will Be Severe’
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned rioters not to come down to Florida saying that anyone who would injure an individual, their property, or police officers in the state will face “swift” and “serious” consequences.
The Republican governor noted that if rioters start protesting in Florida, as they have in Oregon and other parts of the country, they will face “serious consequences” for their destructive behaviors.
DeSantis also vowed to stand behind law enforcement and protect its residents against rioting, vandalism and violence which have become more apparent in places such as Oregon and Minneapolis.
“I think if you look around the country, what happens is, like in Portland , these people riot every night,” the GOP governor told a press briefing on the same event that the state announced a $1,000 bonus to first responders in Florida.
“They go, they get their mugshot, and then they get put right back on the street to do it again. That’s what we don’t want.”
“The minute you harm somebody else or you harm somebody’s property, you do those types of things, the only way we’re going to put a stop to it is to have very swift penalties for it,” DeSantis said.
He noted that crime is on the rise in areas across America due to a lack of police protection, citing Portland, Oregon as an example.
Gov. Ron DeSantis warns Antifa to stay out of Florida: Consequences ‘will be swift and they will be severe’ – TheBlaze https://t.co/9ZqBFo18Ez
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) May 11, 2021
“There’s a lot of places around this country that have not stood by law enforcement, and the tragedy of it is, you’re seeing crime spike in certain parts of our country like we haven’t seen in decades,” DeSantis said.
He warned that a continuation of such violence would mostly impact the “most vulnerable members of our society.”
The Republican governor went on to explain the statewide incentives being issued — noting that it is important for law enforcement and first responders to continue to work and support the nation as they have in the past.
Some want to defund the police.
In Florida, we’re funding them & then some by providing all of our heroes $1,000 bonuses. This represents more than 174,000 first responders across the state!
🚔🚒🚑 pic.twitter.com/ZMcB9T620g
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 5, 2021
“One of the reasons we are here today with the bonuses is because we know just how important that is. It tells people, ‘Hey, if you are in Portland and you think you can come down to Florida and do this, stay out of our state!’ We don’t want you coming down here and causing problems,” DeSantis warned.
“If anyone does cause these problems, if you try to burn something down, try to harm anybody, but particularly a police officer during one these violent assemblies, there will be consequences. They will be swift and they will be severe.”
DeSantis noted that Florida will also make sure that the ramifications for such actions would discourage people from committing the same acts.
“They will be such that people who see that happening will know that’s not something that we want to do going forward,” he added.
Anti-riot legislation signed
Last month, DeSantis also praised an anti-riot legislation which the state passed as a win for Florida residents saying this will help maintain peace and order in the state — as Democrats slammed the measure for what they claim is an attempt to infringe on the First Amendment’s rights.
#Florida's @GovRonDeSantis signed a bill that intends to crack down on violent riots and protests in the state.
DeSantis called the bill “the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country.” https://t.co/GMxx1XRMjn
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) April 21, 2021
“If you look at the breadth of this particular piece of legislation, it is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country,” DeSantis said when he signed the measure. “There’s just nothing even close.”
