DeSantis Sends Guard Troops To Keep Florida Ports Open

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to this week’s dockworkers' strike by deploying National Guard troops to ports to keep them operational, while also criticizing the Biden-Harris administration for failing to address the strike and its effects on global and domestic trade.

DeSantis made the announcement early Thursday, stating that the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard were being sent to "critical ports affected to maintain order and, if possible, resume operations which would otherwise be shut down during this interruption."

This move comes after Hurricane Helene swept through several southern states late last week, causing significant flooding, devastating communities, and claiming over 200 lives.

"And I would say that this is something that would have significant impacts on the nation's economy anyways, but to have this happen in a way that could negatively impact people that are reeling from a Category 4 hurricane, that is just simply unacceptable," DeSantis said.

"So it really is incumbent upon the Biden-Harris administration to do everything in their power to ensure that these goods are where [they] need to be, that people are not left hanging out in the cold waiting for these goods if they're sitting in the ocean somewhere and they’re not being able to be used here in the state of Florida or in Georgia or in North Carolina, or where people are going to desperately need this," he added.

DeSantis further emphasized that the Biden-Harris administration has a "responsibility to stand up for the storm victims, stand up for the people who have had their homes damaged or who have lost their homes, and make sure they have what they need to get back on their feet."

He also announced additional measures to help expedite the movement of goods from ports to the market:

• "The Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard will be deployed to ports affected by the strike to maintain order and, where possible, resume operations at ports which are otherwise shut down."
• "The Florida Department of Transportation will waive the collection of tolls and fees as well as size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles, which will help expedite the transportation of goods from our ports while offsetting operational costs."
• "The Florida Highway Patrol will manage the flow of traffic from all Florida seaports as needed to further expedite the flow of goods held up by the strike. FHP will provide law enforcement escorts for commercial motor vehicles upon request."

DeSantis concluded: "Unlike the federal government, Florida is taking decisive action to ensure that our economy continues to function and that victims of Hurricane Helene will have access to what they need to rebuild."

Meanwhile, DeSantis has also warned that if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected president, her economic policies could lead to the next "depression."

The former 2024 GOP presidential candidate criticized Harris' proposal to lower rising food prices by preventing price gouging, calling it a blatant "lie." He argued that her approach ignores the root causes of supply chain disruptions and the "massive" amount of printed and borrowed money.

He also expressed concern that Harris' policies could push the country "into a depression."

"Supply chains are interrupted, and there's massive amounts of printing money, which has had huge impacts," DeSantis said at a press conference in Bradenton on Friday morning, according to The Floridian, referring to the nation's $35.27 trillion debt and the 2025 money printing order valued between $83.2 billion and $113 billion.

"Harris was there for this—she cast the vote for some of these major spending initiatives that really fueled inflation," he added.

Harris has pointed out that the U.S. inflation rate is currently at 2.5%, the lowest since March 2021. However, prices are still over 20% higher than they were at the start of the pandemic in February 2020, indicating that prices are rising at a slower pace but remain elevated.