Flags ordered half-staff Saturday as DeSantis declares Pulse Remembrance Day in Florida
To mark the passage of five years since the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered state flags be flown at halfstaff from sunrise to sunset Saturday and asked Floridians to observe a moment of silence that morning.
In Thursday’s proclamation, DeSantis named June 12th as Pulse Remembrance Day and asked Florida residents to take a moment of silence at 9 a.m. to recognize the 49 people killed and dozens wounded in the mass shooting.
“The State of Florida will not tolerate hatred towards the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities, and together we stand united against terrorism and hate of any kind,” it read.
DeSantis has issued similar proclamations annually in the five years since the tragedy. In 2019, he faced criticism after initially failing to mention the LGBTQ+ community in his proclamation, though he later reissued the document to correct the omission.
Calling the nightclub shooting “one of the darkest moments in our state’s history,” DeSantis named the 49 victims in Thursday’s order and recognized first responders for their “tremendous courage” in risking their lives to help survivors and victims.
DeSantis said Floridians and the Orlando community “stand united and resilient in the face of great tragedy” and decried the actions of “an ISIS-inspired terrorist” in attacking these communities.
This year’s proclamation comes as LGBTQ+ advocates have called out DeSantis in recent weeks for failing to support the communities affected by the mass shooting.
In early June, DeSantis vetoed $150,000 in state funds for counseling for Pulse survivors, a move advocates say denies survivors access to necessary resources as they heal from the tragedy. He also eliminated $750,000 approved by the Legislature for the Orlando-based Zebra Coalition to create housing for homeless gay and transgender youth, a move advocates described as “war” on LGBTQ+ Floridians.
DeSantis also recently signed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s school sports.
After the counseling-funds veto, Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf said DeSantis reneged on a promise to take care of the survivors he made during a 2019 remembrance ceremony.
“Almost two years later to the date, he vetoed mental health services for us. I will never forget,” he said.