Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Tuesday that state law enforcement has successfully shut down riots in the Sunshine state with “no significant law enforcement or civilian injuries or deaths.”
Many Democrat-run states and cities are struggling to control the catastrophic explosions of violence prompted by the death of George Floyd last week, but DeSantis’ quick action has kept the state relatively free of the destruction.
DeSantis tweeted on Tuesday “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local officials, law enforcement, @FLGuard, and Florida Highway Patrol @FLHSMV, over the past 24 hours @fdlepio reports no significant civilian or law enforcement injuries and no widespread property damage.”
De Santis indicated that peaceful protests continued throughout the same timeframe, but no additional violence occurred.
“Florida will not tolerate rioting, looting, or violence. We encourage all residents and visitors to continue abiding by local curfews and directives and thank everyone for their cooperation,” DeSantis concluded.
As demonstrations across the nation turned violent over the weekend, DeSantis did not hesitate to call in his state’s national guard. Most of Florida’s violence was concentrated in the Tampa Bay area, but was rapidly quelled after DeSantis ordered the “mobilization of 700 Florida National Guard soldiers who are specially trained to support law enforcement.”
A new Morning Consult poll found that the vast majority of American voters — on both sides — support calling in the national guard to keep demonstrations from devolving into riots.
Despite the fact that large swathes of the US population are disturbed by the outbreak of violence that resulted from initially peaceful protests against police brutality, several Democrat leaders have refused to call up the national guard.
Most notably, as protests spiraled into chaos in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio refused to accept assistance from the state’s national guard. Looting, fires, and violent attacks on police officers across the city have run rampant for multiple nights in a row.
