Florida politicians speak at Republican National Convention

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Republicans made the trek up north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and took center stage at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum Tuesday night in a show of unity and support.

Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio and Gov.Ron DeSantis all pledged themselves to former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator-turned-Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance under the theme “Make America Safe Again.”

The speeches by Rubio and DeSantis were seen as especially important, as both have been critical of Trump in the past — who made another unscheduled visit to the convention again with Vance.

“They support open borders, allowing millions and millions of illegal aliens to pour into our country and to burden our communities,” said DeSantis. “But just don’t send any to Martha’s Vineyard, then they get really upset.”

DeSantis, a former primary rival for Trump, also hit his culture war talking points.

“The left is in retreat, freedom reigns supreme, the woke mind virus is dead,” DeSantis said. “Florida is a solid Republican state.”

Rubio reminded the crowd of the now-famous image of Trump after the attempt on his life.

“We will not be alone in this fight,” Rubio said. “For leading us in this fight will be a man who, although wounded and facing danger, he stood and raised his fist and reminded us that our people and our country are always worth fighting for.”

Scott compared his view of the Biden administration to America four years ago.

“Think about it,” Scott said. “Under Trump, we had a booming economy, we weren’t at war, our enemies feared us, our allies respected us, we had a secure border, inflation and mortgage rates were low, and families had money in the bank.”

Vance will address the convention tonight, and Trump will officially accept his party’s nomination on Thursday.

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