Florida’s costs for protecting Gov. Ron DeSantis rise as he became GOP presidential hopeful
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By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON
Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — The cost of protecting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his family and visiting officials has significantly risen from $6.1 million to $9.9 million as the Republican presidential hopeful embarked on an aggressive travel schedule to outflank former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement outlined in a report this week that the salary of agents and expenses to protect DeSantis from July 2022 to June 2023 totaled more than $8 million. That figure is significantly higher than the $4.8 million reported the previous year. DeSantis has been traveling widely since he announced he was running for the GOP presidential nomination.