First posted on Instagram · @profilopolitics
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has a message for anyone thinking about looting in the wreckage of Hurricane Isaias: don't do it.
Speaking in a video message from the State Emergency Operations Center on Saturday, Uthmeier warned that during this emergency, breaking into homes or stealing is charged as a first-degree felony carrying up to 30 years in prison. Florida is a Second Amendment state, he added — homeowners have every right to defend their families and their property.
"If you survive the encounter and get arrested, you're still facing the full enhanced penalty. Zero tolerance."
Isaias made landfall near Destin on Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency covering 27 counties, and by Sunday morning some 448,000 customers were still without power across the Panhandle. State and local law enforcement are deployed across the affected counties as recovery work begins.
Uthmeier's warning reaches beyond looters. The same emergency rules hit price gougers and scammers, who face fines of up to $25,000 a day for exploiting storm victims — the attorney general made clear his office will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
The message to anyone eyeing an empty house or a dark storefront is simple: Florida will come down on you with everything the law allows.
Never miss a story. Join our Telegram channel and get every article link the second it's published.
Join Telegram Channel