Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Brevard County Wednesday to make it clear he doesn’t want the FBI investigating threats against school officials in Florida.
The county is getting national attention after school board member Jennifer Jenkins, who supported a mask mandate, described her experience of repeated confrontations at her home, threats and a falsified abuse report.
Sarasota County school board member Shirley Brown described a similar incident in which she was recently targeted by protesters who came to her home and called on her to resign.
DeSantis says local law enforcement can handle any complaints and that the Justice Department is trying to silence parents.
“We’re not going to be cooperating with any types of federal investigations into parents,” he said during the press conference in Titusville. “And we’ll do whatever we can to thwart such investigations.”
In a memo earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed threats of violence to school officials around the country. He said spirited debate is constitutionally protected but not threats and intimidation.
He said there would be meetings with local and state agencies. DeSantis says those haven’t happened in Florida.
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