The costs for protecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his family and visiting officials rose sharply over the last year as the Republican presidential hopeful embarked on an aggressive travel schedule and entered the GOP primary.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a report released this week that it spent more than $8 million to protect the governor from July 2022 to June 2023. That went up nearly 70% from the $4.8 million reported the previous year. FDLE's total protection costs to include Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, their family, the governor’s mansion and visiting dignitaries were $9.9 million, up from $6.1 million the previous year.
