(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) Governor Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., honored a fallen police officer instead of attending a scheduled fundraising dinner.
Politico produced a rare piece of positive press for a MAGA Republican. The mainstream outlet reported that DeSantis was scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner for gubernatorial hopeful Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., but canceled that event to attend the funeral mass of Special Agent Jose Perez.
Perez died of wounds he suffered while on duty at the hands of a drunk driver. DeSantis declined to comment on the decision top skip the fundraiser, an honorable refusal to politicize a fallen hero.
Indeed, Politico had to rely on “two people familiar with the decision” to report that DeSantis canceled the fundraising event to attend the funeral.
Florida’s First Lady, Casey DeSantis, tweeted about the funeral. She wrote, “Today we mourn the tragic loss of FDLE Special Agent Jose Perez, who died in the line of duty.” Mrs. DeSantis continued, “With over 20 years in the U.S. armed forces & more than 30 years in law enforcement, he lived a valiant life serving our nation & state. The entire @fdlepio community is in our prayers.”
Today we mourn the tragic loss of FDLE Special Agent Jose Perez, who died in the line of duty. With over 20 years in the U.S. armed forces & more than 30 years in law enforcement, he lived a valiant life serving our nation & state. The entire @fdlepio community is in our prayers. pic.twitter.com/uLabr70SJh
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) August 29, 2022
DeSantis’s cancellation was honorable but expensive. Politico reported that Zeldin was anticipating bringing in almost a million dollars with the fundraiser.
DeSantis had more reasons than most to support Zeldin. Zeldin’s opponent, Governess Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., has repeatedly attacked DeSantis and Zeldin. Specifically, according to Politico, she attacked DeSantis by suggesting Florida was not adequately educating its students.
DeSantis, of course, has taken education very seriously. Prior to the tragic death of Special Agent Perez, DeSantis pushed to incentivize veterans to become educators. Recently, he has proposed waiving testing fees and providing bonuses for police officers and first responders who wish to teach in Florida, according to Fox News.
He was also a significant force behind the anti-grooming bill that protected the rights of parents. Desantis also recently suspended school board members not performing their duty.
DeSantis was correct not to politicize attending the funeral of Special Agent Perez, and Florida voters should note his consistent habit of supporting law enforcement officers and placing Florida first.
