A left-wing radical assassinated Charlie Kirk in front of a crowd in September.
Now Florida's top law enforcement agency is telling the Legislature that Ron DeSantis faces the same kind of threat after he leaves office.
But the Legislature just said no.
FDLE Looked at the Threat Files and Got Serious
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement – the agency that has protected DeSantis around the clock since 2018 – formally asked lawmakers to fund security for the governor, Casey DeSantis, and their children for up to twelve months after he leaves office in January.
This wasn't DeSantis asking for a perk.
He said flat-out he didn't request it.
FDLE Director Mark Glass – a law enforcement professional who reads those threat files every day – looked at the intelligence and concluded the danger doesn't stop on inauguration day.
Senate President Ben Albritton agreed, noting DeSantis has "built a national profile" that has produced "an unprecedented amount of threats."
The Florida House tabled it anyway.
DeSantis, to his credit, didn't demand anything.
"The Legislature's got to do what they've got to do," he said Wednesday in Tampa. "I think that there's concern from FDLE what that looks like going forward."
https://twitter.com/DeSantisville/status/2059638559577985229?s=20
That's a man who fought eight years for Florida while the left put his name on every protest sign in America – and he's being gracious about lawmakers who just declined to protect his kids.
Florida Is Cutting Spending While Washington, DC Lights Money on Fire
DeSantis used the same press conference to explain what he's about to do with the $114.5 billion budget the Legislature finally passed, and the picture he painted is one no other governor in the country can match.
Florida is about to spend less next year than it spent this year.
It already spent less this year than last year.
And less the year before that.
DeSantis has vetoed hundreds of millions every budget cycle – $567 million cut last year alone – four consecutive years of declining state spending in a country where that simply doesn't happen.
"How many other places in this country or in the world, for that matter, could actually say that?" DeSantis asked.
He announced a third special session of the year focused on property taxes, set for next week in Tallahassee.
"When I'm done with my veto pen, it will be less than current-year budget," DeSantis said.
"I think that's a safe assumption."
The Left Has Already Shown You What Comes Next
Kirk's assassination on September 10 didn't come out of nowhere.
U.S. Capitol Police reported a 58% surge in credible threat cases against members of Congress from 2024 to 2025 – and that was the third consecutive year of increases.
Someone tried to assassinate Josh Shapiro in April of last year.
Two men tried to get Donald Trump in 2024.
DeSantis has been in FDLE's threat briefings for eight years.
When he says political violence is "going in one direction, by and large, unfortunately," he isn't editorializing.
He's reading the same intelligence that made professional law enforcement officers walk into the Legislature and ask for money to protect his family.
The Florida House said no anyway.
Kirk's family learned what happens when security is treated as optional.
DeSantis's family shouldn't have to.
Sources:
- Christine Sexton, "DeSantis discusses push for taxpayer-funded security after he leaves office, budget vetoes," Florida Phoenix, May 27, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Ron DeSantis has 'no idea' what security he'll need after leaving office, won't take position on state paying for it," Florida Politics, May 15, 2026.
- "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Florida Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget," Executive Office of the Governor, July 1, 2025.
- "Key Political Violence and Resilience Trends From 2025," Bridging Divides Initiative, 2026.
