The City of Orlando was forced to shut down its Police Review Board following the adoption of a new law that was passed at the beginning of the month by the State of Florida.
According to the governor, the legislation was meant to help “prohibit municipalities from using political entities like Civilian Oversight Boards to drive an anti-police agenda.”
“I am proud to support the men and women of law enforcement throughout the state. Today’s legislation will ensure law enforcement can do their jobs without the threat of harassment. While blue states vilify and defund the police, Florida will continue to be the friendliest state in the nation towards our law enforcement community.”
– GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS
Orlando’s Citizens’ Police Review Board had been around since 1992, and mostly focused on reviewing citizen complaints and reviewing department internal procedures. They were already restricted from investing police misconduct cases on the State of Florida Police Officer’s Bill of Rights.
The board met for the final time on February 7, 2024.
This is just one of many steps DeSantis and the GOP Legislature have taken to weaken local governments and make Florida more authoritarian. In the old days, no respectable Republican would support laws that took power from local governments and vested that power with the state government. Today’s MAGA-drenched GOP is a perversion of Republican values.