Dave Kerner, PBC Democrat, supports DeSantis’ re-election

On Tuesday, Democratic candidate Dave Kerner, who has won four elections in the largely Democratic Palm Beach County, enthusiastically endorsed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

Additionally, Kerner, a former police officer who is widely considered to have aspirations of one day holding the position of sheriff in Palm Beach County, reiterated the Republican claim that Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor, favors cutting money to the police.

Kerner and DeSantis praised one another during a gathering held at the PBC Police Benevolent Association specifically to make the endorsement announcement.

We are a state that is improving, and I give our governor a lot of credit for that, according to Kerner.

I have never been constrained by the rigid and erroneous boundaries of partisan politics, he said.

I had no trouble making this choice. As the expression goes, this was hardly the “lesser of two evils.” Governor DeSantis has demonstrated that he is more than capable of handling the modest duties of his job. He has done it with a level of decency, respect, and intent that is missing from the public debate of today.

Law enforcement, according to Kerner, is behind DeSantis. “Everyone agrees. You nevertheless carry it out. There are six total. You’ve got them covered, Kerner said. “That was never spoken to me by a governor while I was a police officer. But having it right now definitely is awesome.

In Alachua, Florida, Kerner worked as a police officer from 2004 until 2007. For much of that period, Republican Jeb Bush was governor, before he was succeeded by Crist in 2007.

According to Kerner, Crist is in favor of “reallocation, which to me, by the way, is code for taking resources away from the people that look out for us. It is a code phrase for cutting off police financing.

After looking into a Republican TV campaign against Crist that began airing the day after he secured the Democratic primary in August, the neutral fact-checking website Politifact came to the conclusion that Crist does not support a plan to “defund the cops.”

Terrie Rizzo, chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, said it wouldn’t matter “because Dems alredy know exactly who Ron DeSantis is. Dems are fully aware of his accomplishments. And Charlie will receive Dems support. Democrats in the ranks are reacting by saying that this is outrageous, from what I hear.”

“I am utterly and completely stunned by Dave Kerner,” Rizzo said. “I am tremendously unhappy — that’s not a strong enough term — that Kerner could endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis.”

Democrats, according to Rizzo, would not take a Kerner candidacy well.

A little over 40% of the county’s registered voters identify as Democrats, 31% as independents or minor parties, and 29% as Republicans.

A lawyer, Kerner was elected to the County Commission in 2016 after serving two terms in the Florida House of Representatives. He was re-elected to the commission in 2020, although he cannot run again in 2024 due to term restrictions.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who is in his sixth term, will retire, and Kerner, 39, has long been considered a potential contender to succeed him. The following sheriff’s race is scheduled for 2024.

This year, Bradshaw has struggled with his health. The Sheriff’s Office disclosed in May that he underwent a cardiac operation and missed a significant amount of time at work.

Bradshaw’s voice and a collage of old photos were featured in a video that the sheriff posted to the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on July 18. In the video, the sheriff said, “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts during the past few weeks while I was dealing with a health issue. I am out of the hospital and recuperating at home despite all the rumors and false information about my health. I’m in fantastic health and am eager to get back to work.

Bradshaw’s successor would be chosen by the governor if he were to step down before the conclusion of his tenure.

Kerner, who was serving in the rotating office of Palm Beach County mayor in the early days of COVID-19, lauded DeSantis’ strong performance.