DeSantis to lower Florida flags in honor of Limbaugh

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday that he would order flags to fly at half-staff in honor of conservative talk radio star Rush Limbaugh, who died this week at the age of 70 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. 

“I know they’re still figuring out arrangements. But what we do when there’s things of this magnitude, once the date of internment for Rush is announced, we’re going to be lowering the flags to half-staff,” DeSantis said during a political event in Palm Beach County, where Limbaugh lived.

The governor made the announcement during an event to announce election reforms he would support. He kicked off the event by honoring Limbaugh.

“There’s not much that needs to be said, the guy was an absolute legend,” DeSantis said. “He was a friend of mine and just a great person.”

In a statement shortly after Limbaugh’s death, DeSantis praised him as the greatest of all time “of radio, of conservative media and of inspiring a loyal army of American patriots.”

Earlier this week, Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) sent a letter asking for DeSantis to bestow the honor to “a great Floridian.”

“Mr. Limbaugh was a champion of the constitution, civic engagement, and a true American patriot,” Sabatini wrote.

DeSantis most recently ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the police victims of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to The Miami Herald.

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democratic official, criticized DeSantis’s “priorities.”

“But he had no words for Congressman John Lewis,” she said, referring to the civil rights icon and longtime Democratic lawmaker from Georgia who died in July.

Republicans have been mourning the loss of the radio pioneer this week, who was lauded for his key role in amplifying conservative messaging and helping shape the direction of the party during more than 30 years on air.

Limbaugh was a close ally of former President Trump, who awarded the syndicated radio host the Presidential Medal of Freedom during last year’s State of the Union address.

During an appearance Wednesday on Fox News, Trump called the late radio host a “great man.”

“The Rush Limbaugh Show” had more than 15 million listeners at its peak, an audience size that added to Limbaugh’s political influence.

However, he was a controversial figure who angered and offended many with his incendiary remarks on race and gender, many of which resurfaced this week.

Tags Conservative talk radio Donald Trump Flags Florida Florida Republicans half-staff John Lewis Nikki Fried Palm Beach Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantis Rush Limbaugh Rush Limbaugh Talk radio The Rush Limbaugh Show

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