FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – Palm Beach County challenged Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, refusing to lower court flags to half the team in honor of the late conservative presenter Rush Limbaugh – a change that the governor’s office called “petty”.
The county court flags remained with the full team, ignoring Governor Ron DeSantis’ order on Tuesday afternoon, requiring the US and Florida flags to be flown at half-mast. He also ordered the city of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to raise their flags with half mast from sun to sun on Wednesday. These flags were lowered.
Palm Beach County just said it followed “normal protocols” on Wednesday, but Commissioner Melissa McKinlay posted a demonstration on Twitter, saying: “Lowering the flags should be a unifying gesture during solemn occasions, such as in memory of the young lives lost during the Parkland High School massacre or the deaths in the line of duty.” She was referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas near Parkland, which left 17 dead.
McKinlay continued: “Although 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 on Wednesday, saying: “It’s a pity that Palm Beach County prefers to get involved in petty policies than to pay tribute to the death of one of the most prominent residents of their county and state and 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 greatest civilian tribute, during his final State of the Union speech. The day before, Limbaugh announced that he was battling advanced lung cancer. . Limbaugh had defended conservatism for decades – often stridently at the expense of liberals and Democrats.
Officials in the city of Palm Beach, the wealthy enclave on the island where Limbaugh lived for two decades, issued a statement saying his policy was 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.
Flags are normally lowered to honor prominent government officials, as well as police and military personnel killed in the line of duty. DeSantis said that Limbaugh’s stature justifies the honor.
Limbaugh, 70, died of lung cancer on February 17. DeSantis called Limbaugh a legend during a press conference two days later and indicated that he would send flags to be flown at half-mast in honor of him.
But many Democrats were opposed. Nikki Fried, Florida’s agriculture commissioner and the only Democratic ruler in the state, said on Monday that she would not heed the Republican governor’s orders. She said she would notify all state officials she oversees to disregard the governor’s order.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman posted on Twitter that his city would not honor hatred, racism, intolerance, homophobia or anything that Limbaugh has vomited over the years.
The governor’s order does not apply to any of the offices controlled by Fried or the city of St. Petersburg.
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Calvan reported from Tallahassee, Florida.