Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) traveled to Naples to perform the opening coin toss at a local high school football game on Friday, just days after Hurricane Ian ravaged the area.
Naples High School faced off against Barron Collier High School at their home stadium on Friday evening. As Gov. Ron DeSantis walked towards the center of the field to perform the coin toss, the crowd erupted with loud applause and cheer.
Friday Night Lights in Southwest Florida https://t.co/yPFFOa75hi
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 7, 2022
The game’s announcer noted that schools in Florida’s Collier County reopened on Thursday, eight days after Hurricane Ian made landfall causing record flooding, power outages, and catastrophic damage to southwest Florida.
DeSantis, who previously called Hurricane Ian a “500-year flood event,” briefly addressed the crowd after the stadium held a moment of silence for the lives lost due to Hurricane Ian.
DeSantis said the Friday night game is a “testament to the resiliency” of southwest Floridians.
“Thank you so much, and I think this game and the school being open is a testament to the resiliency of our southwest Florida communities,” DeSantis said. “We absorbed a really significant blow with Hurricane Ian. It’s changing the face of this region, and it’s gonna take some time to fully recover, but we will recover.”
DeSantis also noted that Florida raised over $40 million for charity to help those impacted by the hurricane.
“We will bounce back, and part of the reason we will is because we have Floridians uniting to stand with the people that have been affected by this,” DeSantis said. “And I know many of you have gone to floridadisasterfund.org to donate.”
“So I want to wish the players and both teams great luck today, and I look forward to seeing these games just like this in our northern neighbors in Lee County and Charlotte very very soon,” DeSantis concluded. “God bless you all.”
The governor then performed the coin toss, which used a navy seal coin to commemorate DeSantis’s service as a Navy JAG lawyer in Iraq.
Despite everything #HurricaneIan threw our way, Floridians have come together to rally and support each other.
The football game between Naples High School and Barron Collier High School shows that SWFL is determined to bounce back.
Thanks for the great efforts! pic.twitter.com/VUKz5scqKz
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 8, 2022
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
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