Ron DeSantis pledges $1M to boost security at Jacksonville HBCU … – Florida Politics

Gov. Ron DeSantis promised Jacksonville residents that “help is on the way” after three Black people were killed by a White man at a Dollar General near Edward Waters University.

On Monday, he outlined what some of that help will look like, with funding coming to a local historically Black university.

“I’m pleased to be able to announce we’re going to be able to do $1 million to Edward Waters (University) to increase security on campus,” DeSantis said.

“As I’ve said for the last couple of days, we are not going to allow our HBCUs to be targeted by these people. And so we’re going to provide security help with them.”

In addition to the financial commitment, the state has the Florida Department of Law Enforcement “on site today evaluating security on campus and making recommendations for any additional infrastructure improvements.”

Additionally, $100,000 from Volunteer Florida will go to “the charity that’s supporting the victims’ families,” DeSantis said, vowing to “continue to work with those folks in the days and weeks ahead.”

The Governor said Sunday that his administration had “already identified funds from the state of Florida” and that he would be “announcing some stuff tomorrow morning, which I think will help not only with security but also an attempt to help these families.”

DeSantis’ first visit to the New Town neighborhood in years was not without controversy. He was booed by some attendees at the vigil, which was attended by a variety of local and state leaders. The jeers only abated when Jacksonville City Council member Ju’Coby Pittman appealed to the crowd to quiet down so he could speak.

The Governor said Sunday that a “major league scumbag (came) from Clay County up here,” and that “what he did is totally unacceptable in the state of Florida.”

“We are not going to let people be targeted based on their race. We are going to stand up and we are going to do what we need to do to make sure that evil does not triumph in the state of Florida. And that means we are going to work with Edward Waters so that they have whatever security they need in Florida,” DeSantis said.

“We’ve already given a lot of money to Jewish Day schools because they’ve been targeted with anti Semitism. Well, let me tell you this. You are not going to target HBCUs in the state of Florida and get away with it. We’re going to hold you accountable,” DeSantis added. “Just know that the state of Florida stands with the community. Help is on the way.”

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