County won’t lower flags for Limbaugh

FOR T LAUDERDALE — Palm Beach County defied Gov. Ron Desantis on Wednesday, refusing to lower its cour thouse flags to half-staf f in honor of the late conser vative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh — a move that the governor’s of fice called “petty.”

The county’s courthouse flags remained at full staff, ignoring Gov. Ron Desantis’ Tuesday afternoon order directing its U.S. and Florida flags to be flown at half-staff. He also ordered the Town of Palm Beach and the State Capitol in Tallahassee to fly their flags at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Wednesday. Those flags were lowered.

Palm Beach County would only say it followed “normal protocols” on Wednesday, but Commissioner Melissa Mckinlay posted a statement on Twitter saying, “The lowering of flags should be a unifying gesture during solemn occasions, such as in remembrance of the young lives lost during the Parkland High School massacre or first responder line of duty deaths.” She was referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjor y Stoneman Douglas in nearby Parkland that left 17 dead.