Donalds, who has also been endorsed by President Donald Trump, touted the endorsement on Monday, as 15 Florida sheriffs publicly threw their support behind the gubernatorial hopeful. Notably, DeSantis cannot run again due to term limits.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, one of the 15 who endorsed Donalds, said in a statement detailed in the emailed press release that Donalds is the “leader that Florida needs in this moment, as we work and stand with President Trump to implement the mandate he received from the American people and the citizens of our great state of Florida.”
File/U.S. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) as he posthumously awards Medals of Sacrifice to fallen officers during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on May 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
He expressed confidence that Donalds will stand with law enforcement and added that he believes the congressman will “be innovative in his ideas to create jobs, improve education and make our economy more competitive.”
“Florida has been blessed to have a fantastic legacy of Governors with Governor Rick Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis. I know future Governor Byron Donalds will continue that legacy and he will keep making Florida great,” he added.
Similarly, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a statement that Donalds is a “proven no-nonsense champion for law enforcement who will always put our citizens, our cops, and our constitution first!”
“He is committed to being tough on crime and even tougher on criminals and will never tolerate woke policies that let criminals roam free!” he pointed out.
The 15 Florida sheriffs are:
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk
Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters
Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers
Jackson County Sheriff Donnie Edenfield
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek
Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro
Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller
Donalds expressed gratitude at the endorsement and reemphasized that he will be “100 percent committed to law and order and keeping Florida the safest state in the nation.” That includes protecting Floridians from “criminal illegal aliens” and more, he added.
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The endorsement comes on the heels of polling success for Donalds, as a September survey from the American Promise showed the gubernatorial hopeful dominating his potential primary opponents, as Breitbart News detailed:
The survey first looked at a “theoretical” ballot with Donalds, Collins, and Renner as options. That resulted in 40 percent choosing Donalds, while two percent went for Collins and Renner. However, the vast majority, 54 percent, remained unsure.
The pollster then looked at an “informed” ballot, where voters know more about each candidate, including the fact that President Donald Trump has endorsed Donalds to take Gov. Ron DeSantis’s place, the latter of whom is constrained by term limits.
In that scenario, Donalds receives a majority support — 57 percent — while Collins stays consistent with two percent support, and Renner drops a percentage point with one percent support. In that scenario, 38 percent remain unsure.
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Speaking to Breitbart News Saturday this month, Donalds brought up the radical element in the Democrat Party and made the argument that they need to take it seriously and address the issue.
“The radical left is just crazy. They have no policy. All they do is blame shift, deflect, call names. You know, their latest thing is trying to, you know, call us all fascists. It’s a lie. It’s obviously not true. But they don’t care, and they don’t care about the ramifications,” he said.
“They need to fix this in their party. They have a rogue element that does not believe in the Constitution, does not believe in free speech, does not believe in the Bill of Rights, but then does believe in dehumanizing people to the point where, obviously with what’s happened with Charlie, people lose their lives just for speaking their mind and having a political viewpoint, having a religious viewpoint, having a Western civilization worldview,” Donalds added.
Breitbart News
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