DeSantis campaign announces 60 bipartisan Florida law enforcement officer endorsements
TAMPA, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign announced endorsements from 60 bipartisan Florida law enforcement officers as he runs for U.S. president.
“Our nation needs a leader who will bring back law and order to our communities. The people in the major metropolitan areas deserve to be safe, too. As President of the United States, he will fight to curtail runaway violent crime,” Republican Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
Out of the 60 law enforcement official endorsements announced Thursday, two of them are Democrats. They include Democrat Calhoun County Sheriff Glenn Kimbrel and Democrat Gadsden Sheriff Morris Young.
The campaign touted that he received more endorsements for president than in his 2022 gubernatorial reelection, where DeSantis won by nearly 20 points.
The governor received 59 sheriff endorsements during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign.
A main focal point of the DeSantis administration has included law enforcement recruitment, retention and support.
Florida lawmakers approved the creation of the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program, which provided more than 2,200 law enforcement bonuses in its first year.
The governor also supported the Hometown Heroes down payment assistance program. It originally helped law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees and active military personnel or veterans in purchasing their first home in Florida. The program has since been expanded.
“America’s Governor will take this same action focused and common-sense approach to Washington as President,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said.
Here is the full list of endorsements:
Sheriff Emery Gainey (R – Alachua)
Sheriff Scotty Rhoden (R – Baker)
Sheriff Tommy Ford (R – Bay)
Sheriff George Paul “Gordon” Smith (R – Bradford)
Sheriff Wayne Ivey (R – Brevard)
Sheriff Glenn H. Kimbrel (D – Calhoun)
Sheriff William G. “Bill” Prummell, Jr. (R – Charlotte)
Sheriff Mike Prendergast (R – Citrus)
Sheriff Michelle Cook (R – Clay)
Sheriff Kevin J. Rambosk (R – Collier)
Sheriff Mark A. Hunter (NPA – Columbia)
Sheriff James F. Potter (R – Desoto)
Sheriff Darby Butler (R – Dixie)
Sheriff T.K. Waters (R – Duval)
Sheriff Chip Simmons (R – Escambia)
Sheriff Rick Staly (R – Flagler)
Sheriff A.J. Smith (R – Franklin)
Sheriff Morris A. Young (D – Gadsden)
Sheriff Bobby Schultz (R – Gilchrist)
Sheriff David Hardin (R – Glades)
Sheriff Mike Harrison (R – Gulf)
Sheriff J. Harrell Reid (R – Hamilton)
Sheriff Vent Crawford (R – Hardee)
Sheriff Stephen H. “Steve” Whidden (R – Hendry)
Sheriff Al Nienhuis (R – Hernando)
Sheriff Paul Blackman (R – Highlands)
Sheriff Chad Chronister (R – Hillsborough)
Sheriff John Tate (R – Holmes)
Sheriff Eric Flowers, (R – Indian River)
Sheriff Donald L. Edenfield (R – Jackson)
Sheriff Alfred Kenneth “Mac” McNeill, Jr. (R – Jefferson)
Sheriff Brian N. Lamb (R – Lafayette)
Sheriff Peyton C. Grinnell (R – Lake)
Sheriff Carmine Marceno (R – Lee)
Sheriff Robert “Bobby” McCallum (R – Levy)
Sheriff Buddy Money (R – Liberty)
Sheriff David Harper (R – Madison)
Sheriff Charles R. Wells (R – Manatee)
Sheriff Billy Woods (R – Marion)
Sheriff William Snyder (R – Martin)
Sheriff Rick Ramsay (R – Monroe)
Sheriff Bill Leeper (R – Nassau)
Sheriff Eric Aden (R – Oklaloosa)
Sheriff Noel E. Stephen (R – Okeechobee)
Sheriff Chris Nocco (R – Pasco)
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri (R – Pinellas)
Sheriff Grady Judd (R – Polk)
Sheriff H. D. “Gator” DeLoach III (R – Putnam)
Sheriff Robert Johnson (R – Santa Rosa)
Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman (R – Sarasota)
Sheriff Dennis M. Lemma (R – Seminole)
Sheriff Robert A. Hardwick (R – St. Johns)
Sheriff William O. “Bill” Farmer, Jr. (R – Sumter)
Sheriff Sam St. John (R – Suwannee)
Sheriff Wayne Padgett (R – Taylor)
Sheriff Brad Whitehead (R – Union)
Sheriff Mike Chitwood (NPA – Volusia)
Sheriff Jared Miller (R – Wakulla)
Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. (R – Walton)
Sheriff Kevin Crews (R – Washington)
