Florida State Senator Loranne Ausley (D) continues to find herself embroiled in controversy. After receiving scrutiny over a mailer released in support of her reelection campaign, Florida Rising, a progressive grassroots group that endorsed Ausley is now under fire from 30 Florida Sheriffs.
The 30 Sheriffs released a memo this week denouncing Florida Rising, calling it an “anti-law enforcement hate group.”
The Florida Sheriffs “strongly urge Floridians to reject this organization and their hand-picked candidates up and down the ballot, as they are a threat to Florida law enforcement and the safety of this great state.”
The organization has called for defunding the police, and it has endorsed a number of Democrats in their upcoming elections including Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) for Governor, Florida Rep. Val Demings (D) for Senator, State Senator Annette Taddeo (D) for Congress, Janelle Perez (D) for state Senate and Ausley for reelection among others.
In the memo, the Florida Sheriffs define Florida Rising as “a self-described socialist organization that espouses anti-law enforcement sentiments and believes in defunding the police as the only way to keep our communities safe."
The Sheriffs note Florida Rising’s endorsements for the upcoming election, saying that “many Florida Democrats have already begun scrubbing their websites and social media in an attempt to publicly distance themselves from Florida Rising.”
Signing the memo, the “Sheriffs denounce Florida Rising’s anti-law enforcement hate speech and defund the police agenda.”
The letter comes after Rep. Crist denounced Ausley’s mailer during an interview.
When asked about the mailer, Crist responded by saying that Democrats “can do better.”
The following is the full list of Florida Rising’s endorsements:
Governor
US Senate
Val Demings
US House
Maxwell Frost
Kathy Castor
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
Christine Alexandria Olivo
Annette Taddeo
State Senate
Lorrane Ausley
Joy Goff-Marcil
Janet Cruz
Eunic Ortiz
Janelle Perez
The following is a full list of the Sheriffs that signed the memo:
Baker Sheriff Scotty Rhoden
Bay Sheriff Tommy Ford
Bradford Sheriff George Paul "Gordon" Smith
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey
Clay Sheriff Michelle Cook
Columbia Sheriff Mark A. Hunter
DeSoto Sheriff James F. Potter
Dixie Sheriff Darby Butler
Escambia Sheriff Chip Simmons
Franklin Sheriff A.J. Smith
Gilchrist Sheriff Bobby Schultz
Glades Sheriff David Hardin
Gulf Sheriff Mike Harrison
Hardee Sheriff Vent Crawford
Hendry Sheriff Stephen H. "Steve" Whidden
Highlands Sheriff Paul Blackman
Holmes Sheriff John Tate
Indian River Sheriff Eric Flowers
Jackson Sheriff Donald L. Edenfield
Lafayette Sheriff Brian N. Lamb
Lake Sheriff Peyton C. Grinnell
Lee Sheriff Carmine Marceno
Liberty Sheriff Buddy Money
Martin Sheriff William Snyder
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco
Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri
Santa Rosa Sheriff Robert Johnson
Sarasota Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman
Washington Sheriff Kevin Crews
