FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a South Florida stop where he announced a crackdown on voter fraud and confirmed the arrests of 20 people in five different jurisdictions in connection to the 2020 election.
The governor made the announcement during a news conference held Thursday at the Broward County Courthouse.
DeSantis was seen marching into Chief Circuit Court Judge Jack Tuter’s chambers as supporters held up signs that read, “My vote counts.”
“The State of Florida has charged and is in the process of arresting 20 individuals across the state for voter fraud,” said the governor.
Two men were arrested in Miami-Dade County. They were identified as 56-year-old Robert Lee Wood of Opa-Locka and 57-year-old Ronald Lee Miller of Miami.
Two men in Broward County were also taken into custody. Seventy-one-year-old Nathaniel Singleton and 65-year-old Eugene Suggs have been booked at the Broward County Jail.
“They are being charged and arrested today with election fraud. This is a third-degree felony in the State of Florida. They could face a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison for illegally voting in our elections,” said DeSantis.
A third person, 63-year-old Terry Hubbard of Pompano Beach, was issued a notice to appear.
The arrests come a month after a new unit, called the Office of Election Crimes and Security, was established. The unit can independently launch investigations into voting irregularities.
“It’s not just going to be 20 arrests. It’s the opening salvo of an office that was set up on July 1st,” said DeSantis.
DeSantis tapped Peter Antonacci to lead the unit. When he was the governor of Florida, U.S. Rep. Rick Scott in 2018 appointed Antonacci to replace Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes. Scott had suspended Snipes for mishaps.
“This is the day that we begin to take fraud seriously,” said Antonacci.
“They did not go through any process. They did not get their rights restored, and yet they went ahead and voted anyway. That is against the law, and now they’re going to pay the price for it,” said DeSantis.
“There will be more arrests to come, and anyone out there who is thinking about engaging in illegal ballot harvesting or other election crimes, don’t do it,” said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried, a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination aiming to unseat DeSantis in the November election, issued a statement about the governor’s Broward stop. It reads, “Ron DeSantis went to Broward County today for one reason and one reason only: to intimidate voters and suppress turnout in the most Democratic counties in Florida. My message is this, if you’re eligible and registered, vote. It’s your right!”
The other 15 people were arrested in Hillsborough, Orange and Palm Beach counties.
A total of 11,144,855 people in Florida voted in the 2020 election.
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