FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – Palm Beach County on Wednesday challenged Gov. Ron DeSantis, who refused to lower the flags of his half-staff court in honor of the popular Conservative chain Rush Limbaugh. a move that the governor’s office called “petty.”
County court flags remained in full condition, ignoring Governor Ron DeSantis’ Tuesday afternoon order ordering U.S. and Florida flags to be thrown at half-staff. He also ordered the city of Palm Beach and the Tallahassee State Capitol to fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. These flags were lowered.
Palm Beach County would only say it was following “normal protocols” Wednesday, but Commissioner Melissa McKinlay posted a message statement on Twitter saying, “The lowering of flags should be a unifying gesture on solemn occasions, such as to remember the young lives lost during the Parkland High School massacre or the first response to forced deaths.” He was referring to the 2018 shooting against Marjory Stoneman Douglas in nearby Parkland that caused 17 deaths.
McKinlay continued, “While Rush Limbaugh was a significant public figure, he was also an incredibly divisive person who hurt many people with his words and actions.”
The governor’s press office issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying, “It is unfortunate that Palm Beach County prefers to pursue small policies than honor the death of one of the most prominent residents of its counties and states. a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom “.
A year ago, then-President Donald Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, during his final speech on the State of the Union. The day before, Limbaugh had announced that he was battling advanced lung cancer. Limbaugh had championed conservatism for decades, often stridently at the expense of liberals and Democrats.
Officials in the city of Palm Beach, the rich river enclave where Limbaugh lived for two decades, issued a statement saying his policy is to comply with the governor’s orders to lower the flags. Trump also lives in Palm Beach at his Mar-a-Lago club and he and Limbaugh were close friends.
Typically, flags are lowered to honor prominent government officials, as well as police officers and members of the military killed in the line of duty. DeSantis has said Limbaugh’s stature justified the honor.
Limbaugh, 70, died of lung cancer on Feb. 17. DeSantis described Limbaugh as a legend during a press conference two days later and indicated that he would direct flags at half-staff to honor him.
But many Democrats opposed it. Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and the only incumbent Democratic incumbent, said Monday she would not comply with the Republican governor’s orders. He said he would notify all the state officials he oversees so that they do not respect the governor’s order.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman posted on Twitter that his city would not honor hatred, racism, bigotry, homophobia, or anything else Limbaugh has thrown up over the years.
The governor’s order does not apply to any of Fried’s controlled offices or to the city of St. Petersburg.
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Calvan reported from Tallahassee, Florida.