Law enforcement in Florida does not coddle criminals like some states.
One lawman made it known what is in store for them.
And a Florida sheriff has one scary sign that struck fear in the hearts of criminals.
Would-be looters get a blunt message from a Florida sheriff
Hurricane Milton was the latest storm to slam into Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The Category 3 hurricane killed more than 25 people and caused an estimated $35 billion in damage to the state.
Criminals are always looking to exploit a tragedy to their advantage.
Looting is a potential problem after any natural disaster.
One Florida sheriff went out of his way to let criminals know that looting would not be tolerated in his county.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd had his office put the word out before Hurricane Milton hit that would-be looters would be hit with the full force of the law.
His office took a hardline before the storm with a sign aimed at anyone considering looting in Polk County.
“We published this FAFO [sign]. ‘Fool Around and Find Out,’ or other words,” Judd said. “And we have zero tolerance.”
The results speak for themselves in the county of more than 800,000 people located between Tampa and Orlando.
“A massive county of 800,000, there’s no reported looting. None,” Judd.
A grim fate awaits potential looters in Florida
Judd let residents of Polk County know they had the right to shoot someone who broke into their home to loot “graveyard dead.”
“I like to tell folks that using deadly force is the last decision. Take them into custody. Hold them immediately,” Judd explained. “Call us and we’ll come pick them up. However, you have the right to protect yourself and your home from a violent, dangerous felon who may be breaking in or coming into what’s left of your home.”
He said that would-be looters could find themselves in an unlucky situation depending on whose home they decided to break into.
“You don’t have to take time to ask them, ‘What are you doing in my house?’ When they walk into your house, you own them,” Judd declared. “And if you shoot them graveyard dead, that’s too bad for their luck. They should have stayed out of your house.”
Judd thought that taking a hardline approach caused criminals to stay out of Polk County.
“Fortunately, our looters listened to what we said. Or our would-be-looters,” Judd said. “We don’t fool around here.”
The sheriff warned he was ready to lay down the law no matter what the crime in his county.
“The message I deliver is if you want to commit crime, stay out of Polk County unless you want to go to jail, because we’re going to lock you up quick, and we’re going to keep you there,” Judd stated. “And I don’t care if you steal a $2.50 soda from a convenience store or you rob somebody at gunpoint, …we’re going to arrest you. You’re stealing somebody’s stuff. We’re going to arrest you. There’s no crime too small to go to the county jail in Polk County.”
Judd made national headlines in 2020 when he encouraged Polk County residents to turn home invaders into “grated cheese.”
“I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns,” Judd said at the time. “I would highly suggest that if a looter comes into your home, breaks into your home while you’re there, to steal stuff, that you take your gun and you shoot him. You shoot him so that he looks like grated cheese.”
Florida lawmen have a no-nonsense approach to dealing with criminals.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
