Palm Beach County refuses to lower Rush Limbaugh’s flags

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – Palm Beach County on Wednesday defied Ron DeSantis’ government and refused to lower its court building flags to half-staff in honor of the late Conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh.

The province’s court flags remain on full staff, ignoring the order of the government, Ron DeSantis, on Tuesday afternoon to turn its American and Florida flags on half-staff. He also ordered the city of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to have their flags flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. Those flags were lowered.

Palm Beach County would only say on Wednesday that it followed ‘normal protocols’, but Commissioner Melissa McKinlay posted a statement on Twitter saying: young lives lost during the massacre at Parkland High School or deaths in the first reaction. “She was referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in nearby Parkland that left 17 dead.

McKinlay continues: “Although Rush Limbaugh was an important public figure, he was also an incredibly divisive person who hurt many people with his words and actions.”

Officials in the city of Palm Beach, the affluent island where Limbaugh has lived for two decades, have issued a statement saying the policy is to comply with the governor’s orders to lower the flags.

The governor’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Flags are usually lowered to honor prominent government officials, as well as law enforcement officers and members of the military who have been killed in the line of duty. DeSantis said Limbaugh’s stature justified the honor.

Limbaugh, 70, died of lung cancer on February 17. DeSantis called Limbaugh a legend two days later during a news conference, indicating that he would show half of the flag to honor him.

But many Democrats have objected. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only rural Democratic official, said Monday she would not obey the Republican governor’s orders. She said she would notify all government officials she oversees to disobey the governor’s order.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman posted on Twitter that his city will not honor hatred, racism, generosity, homophobia or anything else that Limbaugh has expressed over the years.

The governor’s order does not apply to any offices controlled by Fried or the city of St. Petersburg.

President Donald Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil honor in the country, during his last State of the Nation address a year ago. The previous day, Limbaugh had announced that he was battling advanced lung cancer.

Limbaugh has been campaigning for conservatism for decades – often at the expense of Liberals and Democrats.

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Calvan reports from Tallahassee, Florida.