Ron DeSantis: Any municipality that 'defunds' police will lose state funding; tougher laws

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and some of the state’s top Republicans want to crack down on people who are involved in what DeSantis called “disorderly assemblies.”

DeSantis, speaking at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Winter Haven on Monday, called for a law that would give felony penalties to protesters who block traffic without a permit and to protesters who participate in gatherings of seven or more people that result in injuries or property damage.

Flanked by law enforcement officials and top legislative Republicans, DeSantis said the proposal, the “Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” would be a “focal point” of the state’s next legislative session. The session begins March 2021.
Related: Tampa Bay drivers have run into protesters. Why haven’t they been arrested?

DeSantis also attacked calls to “defund” the police, saying any municipality that moves to do so would lose any state funding. The term “defund the police” can mean many different things, including redirecting money for police departments to other governmental agencies for housing, mental health interventions and other social services.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2020/09/21/ron-desantis-any-municipality-that-defunds-police-will-lose-state-funding/