On Wednesday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stern warning aimed at individuals looting in areas hit by Hurricane Idalia: "You loot, we shoot."
"Residents retain the right to protect their possessions. In this specific portion of Florida, there exists a significant number of advocates and supporters of the Second Amendment," DeSantis remarked during a press conference, according to Politico.
"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," the governor added.
"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."
It's not the first time the governor acknowledged the serious threat.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian's deadly impact on Florida in September 2022 — over 140 people were killed — the governor commented on a sign bearing the phrase "You loot, we shoot."
Temporarily suspending his presidential campaign, DeSantis has assumed the role of overseeing Florida's response to Hurricane Idalia.
Throughout the day, he convened multiple press briefings to update the public regarding the storm's advancement and effects.
The hurricane's aftermath has resulted in extensive power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals and is expectred to cost millions of dollars in damages. Having made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning, Idalia exited the state of Florida by midday and proceeded into southeastern Georgia. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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