“Once the date of interment for Rush is announced, we’re going to be lowering the flags to half-staff,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday at a news conference in West Palm Beach.
The governor said the honor is “what we do when there’s things of this magnitude.”
DeSantis said Limbaugh, a Palm Beach resident who died Wednesday at 70, “was an absolute legend, he was a friend of mine and just a great person.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) called the governor’s decision “an embarrassment to Florida.”
“Rush Limbaugh weaponized his platform to spread racism, xenophobia and homophobia across the nation,” she said in a tweet. “His constant hateful rhetoric caused untold damage to our political landscape.”
“I condemn the governor’s decision in no uncertain terms. Any move to lower our flag in deference to a man who helped drive the hatred and inflame the prejudices against marginalized groups, people of color, women, and anyone who did not look like him or think like him is wrong, and should be rescinded,” Farmer said.
Announcement made at mostly maskless event
DeSantis’ announcement on honoring Limbaugh wasn’t the only reason his news conference sparked controversy.
“We have spoken to Hilton management and will be following up with them and event organizers in accordance with our normal compliance procedures,” Jamason said.
A Hilton Palm Beach Airport spokesperson said in an email to CNN that, in part, “We have been made aware of video that appears to show a group of individuals within close proximity of one another and not wearing masks. We are disappointed in their apparent failure to comply with our mask regulations which are prominently displayed throughout the hotel. Moving forward, we will continue to do our best to monitor and enforce these guidelines as long as they remain in place.”