Gov. Ron DeSantis is condemning a "culture of lawlessness" elsewhere in the country and reaffirming Florida as a "law and order" state.
And his illustrative example: a dental cleaning product that many of us use daily.
"One of the things that I've noticed is that if you go into, like, a pharmacy and the toothpaste is behind lock and key. Like, it's almost like Fort Knox, some of these places, just for normal items," DeSantis said.
"You've got some problems and what you've seen in different cities, whether it's San Francisco, L.A., New York. All these places, they've effectively enacted policies that legalize shoplifting. So people just go in, they take what they want, they leave," he added in Cape Coral on Tuesday.
DeSantis talked of "illegal aliens" stealing items in New York and coming to Florida, saying that the bulk of the $126 billion problem nationally is because of the collapse of "rule of law."
The Governor supports Rep. Bob Rommel's legislation to "deter retail theft," which would impose third-degree felony penalties for theft rings "who go and blitz a store" with five or more people, a second-degree felony if "you use social media to solicit others," and a first-degree felony for "aggravated retail theft" committed with a gun or by repeat offenders.
Additionally, the bill is increasing penalties for people stealing packages off porches, DeSantis noted.
Attorney General Ashley Moody spoke more to those themes. She said the bill would help "keep Florida Florida," giving law enforcement "tools" that will help continue to "bust up criminal rings" and thwart "porch piracy," which she said violated the "rule of law" that Floridians expect. She also suggested that parents who use children to steal packages will be subject to charges.
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