Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) wanted guns banned from the Election-night party in Tampa last year but wanted to blame city officials, according to a new report.
Emails obtained by The Washington Post reveal sensitive requests made by the DeSantis campaign to city officials in Tampa ahead of the Nov. 8 election party. DeSantis, who received a 100% rating from the National Rifle Association last year, did not want a gun at the event. He also didn’t want anyone to know that was his decision, according to a recent email.
“DeSantis/campaign will not tell attendees that they are not allowed to do it because of political optics,” Chase Finch, Tampa Convention Center’s safety and security manager, in an email on October 28 to other city officials about the request.
In another email to city employees, Finch said, “it sounds like he wanted to say that it’s our policy not to allow firearms in the event space if someone asks.”
Finch received another response less than half an hour later from Nicole Travis, the city’s economic development and opportunity administrator:
“We don’t say anything about concealed carry. That’s the renter’s responsibility. We follow State Statutes that allow concealed carry.
Travis then sent a follow-up, according to a copy of the email obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
“Just to be clear, we didn’t sign this form,” Travis said.
In an email to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Finch said banning guns would put the city in a “legal quagmire,” a response that FDLE officials agreed with, according to The Washington Post. Guns were finally allowed at the event.
Read the full story at The Washington Post.