Governor Ron DeSantis sent a stern message to looters now that they have been seen terrorizing Floridians and stealing what little they and their devastated communities have left as the state attempts to get back on its feet following Hurrican Ian ripping through the state from the Southwest.
Speaking during a press conference on the stance Florida would be taking on looters, DeSantis didn’t hold much back, saying:
“They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot.’ At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you’re going to go take advantage of people who’ve suffered misfortune.”
“I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we’re a Second Amendment state.”
Joining Governor DeSantis in sending a stern message to looters was the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, which said, on Facebook:
Sheriff Carmine Marceno means business and has taken a zero tolerance stance on looting. We are patrolling and you will be arrested if you partake in criminal activity.
Marceno also spoke during the same press conference as DeSantis and said:
“We are not going to tolerate — and I mean zero tolerance — when we say anyone that thinks they’re going to thrive on the residents of this county or state when we just took a horrific hit, I can guarantee you that is not going to happen.”
Adding to that, Sheriff Marceno also said:
“Most importantly, safety and security as always. I guarantee you, we will be out here in full force, and any person that makes that horrific error that thinks they’re going to do something to one of my residents in my county, I guarantee you it’ll be swift incarceration immediately with no tolerance.”
Also joining in was AG Moody of Florida, who tweeted:
“Florida will not tolerate looters taking advantage of (Hurricane Ian) to prey on vulnerable Floridians. They will be arrested and I have asked state attorneys to seek the longest pretrial detention possible to keep them locked up so they cannot commit new crimes.”
The looting and resulting speech by DeSantis followed the hugely devastating Hurricane Ian, which brought with it flooding, whipping winds, and torrential downpours of rain.
In fact, the Category 4 hurricane obliterated certain areas in southwest Florida as it ripped through the state this week and left a bitter trail of death and destruction in its wake. As of now, the hurricane has killed almost four dozen people, but the death toll is expected to rise.
The Blaze, commenting on the power of Hurricane Ian when it hit Florida, noted that:
Hurricane Ian made landfall near the island of Cayo Costa with winds of 155 mph – just 2 mph short of a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Only three other hurricanes that hit Florida were stronger: Labor Day Hurricane (1935): 185 mph, Hurricane Andrew (1992): 165 mph, and Hurricane Michael (2018): 160 mph.
The monster storm reduced the coastal areas to rubbish and tossed yachts like toys.
By: Gen Z Conservative
This story syndicated with permission from Will, Author at Trending Politics