Criminals are always looking to find a way to exploit a tragedy.
But they are going to get more than they bargained for in Florida.
And looters got one scary message from Ron DeSantis that they are going to hate.
Ron DeSantis lays down the law before the hurricane hits
Hurricane Helene slammed into the Big Bend region of Florida and created a record storm surge up and down the state’s Gulf Coast.
But there is no rest for the weary in the Sunshine States.
Hurricane Milton began to head toward Florida just as the state began picking up the pieces from Helene.
This storm looked to be even more destructive than Helene before it made landfall.
A second major hurricane making landfall near the most heavily populated area of the Gulf Coast could be an opportunity for looters in the aftermath.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a simple message for anyone thinking about looting in his state.
“If you think you’re going to go in and loot, you got another thing coming,” DeSantis said at a press conference at Florida’s Emergency Operations Center.
DeSantis laid out the reality facing potential looters in Florida.
“If you go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, think that you’re going to be able to commit crimes, you’re going to get in really serious trouble,” DeSantis explained. “And quite frankly, you don’t know what’s behind that door in a Second Amendment state.”
DeSantis has warned looters before
Being Governor of Florida means having to lead the state through hurricane season each year.
DeSantis has warned potential looters before that they could find themselves tangling with armed Floridians.
He noted a sign he saw after Hurricane Ian during a visit to Matlacha after the storm.
“They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot,’” DeSantis said. “At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you’re going to go take advantage of people who’ve suffered misfortune.”
DeSantis had a similar message after Hurricane Idalia in 2023.
“People have a right to defend their property — this part of Florida, you got a lot of advocates and proponents of the Second Amendment,” DeSantis said at the time.
“You never know what’s behind that door if you go break into somebody’s house and you’re trying to loot, these are people that are going to be able to defend themselves and their families,” DeSantis continued. “We are going to hold you accountable from a law enforcement perspective at a minimum, and it could even be worse than that depending on what’s behind that door.”
The message has been sent loud and clear to would-be looters during DeSantis’ governorship.
Some of the most memorable images of Hurricane Katrina were the looting afterward.
Florida has proven itself as a law and order state where taking advantage of hurricane victims will not fly.
Desantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
