FIRST ON FOX: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is being endorsed by 60 Florida bipartisan law enforcement officers on Thursday, a larger number than he received during his 2022 gubernatorial race.
At an event in Tampa, Florida on Thursday afternoon, the campaign is set to announce that 60 law enforcement officers in Florida, both Republican and Democrat, are backing DeSantis in his 2024 presidential race.
“The endorsements come as DeSantis has been recognized in early nominating states for his actions as governor to back the blue and sign strong anti-crime laws, resulting in a 50-year low crime rate in Florida,” the campaign said in a press release.
In the press release, the campaign touts DeSantis’s record as governor supporting law enforcement including enacting “numerous laws” backing the police and a signing bonus of up to $5,000 for new officers that the campaign says has brought officers from across the country to the Sunshine State.
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Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at the Lakeland, Florida Police Department to announce a new proposal that would provide $5,000 signing bonuses to those who sign on to be law enforcement officers from within the state of Florida ((Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images))
“Ron DeSantis has been unwavering in his support for law enforcement, which is why I am proud to endorse him today to be the next president of the United States,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, one of the officers to endorse DeSantis, said in the press release.
“Our nation needs a leader who will bring back law and order to our communities. The people in the major metropolitan areas deserve to be safe, too. As President of the United States, he will fight to curtail runaway violent crime.”
Florida Governor and 2024 Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis waves as he arrives for his campaign kickoff event at Eternity Church in Clive, Iowa, on May 30, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
DeSantis was endorsed by 59 sheriffs during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign after they dubbed him the “Law and Order” governor, the campaign said.
“Ron DeSantis doesn’t just talk about backing the blue, he has delivered results for law enforcement officers and their families, from pay raises and bonuses to ensuring they have what they need to do their job and being very clear that he is on the side of law and order,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in the press release.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Crime has gotten out of control in this country, but not in Florida,” the release continued. “America desperately needs Ron DeSantis to go into the White House on Day One and replace Joe Biden’s soft-on-crime policies with his agenda to back the blue and protect our communities.”
In June, DeSantis earned the endorsement of the Florida Police Benevolent Association President, the largest police union in the state.
“For the over 30,000 men and women in the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the choice for us could not be clearer,” the association’s president, John Kazanjian, said in a statement.
“Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration have made Florida a law-and-order state, by investing in and supporting the thousands of law enforcement officers, who serve on the front lines in keeping our communities safe and secure.”