Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, put his campaigning efforts on hold this week, prioritizing state issues as Florida faces the imminent threat of Tropical Storm Idalia and copes with the aftermath of a racially motivated shooting in Jacksonville.
The approaching Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to intensify into a hurricane and make a potentially devastating landfall along the Gulf Coast as early as Wednesday. The governor has declared a state of emergency for 33 counties and called in more than a thousand members of Florida’s National Guards to prepare for search and rescue operations in areas where Idalia is expected to hit.
DeSantis also attended a vigil on Sunday for the lethal, racially motivated attack that occurred Saturday near Edward Waters University, a historically Black university in Jacksonville. The assailant, identified as a 21-year-old White male, killed three Black individuals with his AR-15 before taking his own life. Police said the shooter wrote a racist manifesto and drew swastikas on his firearm.
“Perpetrating violence of this kind is unacceptable, and targeting people because of their race has no place in the state of Florida,” said DeSantis in condemning the attack. He called the shooter “a deranged scumbag.”
DeSantis’ return to Florida to address the two crises comes after his criticism of President Joe Biden’s response to the catastrophic Maui wildfires in early August. At the first Republican primary debate last Wednesday, the governor said, “Biden was on the beach while those people were suffering. He was asked about it and he said no comment. Are you kidding me?”
“As somebody that’s handled disasters in Florida, you’ve got to be activated,” DeSantis added. “You’ve got to be there. You’ve got to be present. You’ve got to be helping people who are doing this.”
DeSantis originally scheduled campaign events in South Carolina on Monday, including a morning town hall meeting and a keynote address at South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan’s 12th annual Faith & Freedom BBQ in the evening. DeSantis’ wife, Casey, will reportedly speak on his behalf tonight.
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