DeSantis says Republicans surged past Democrats in Florida voter rolls. Is that true?
Yes.
In a fiery speech on Aug. 2, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Republicans have overwhelmingly overtaken the once purple state. “We were 300,000 in the hole in 2018 in terms of voter registration. Now, we’re like 1.3 million more Republicans than Democrats,” he touted.
The state’s Republican voter base grew from 4.7 million to 5.5 million voters during that timeframe, while the voter registrations among Democrats fell from more than 4.9 million to under 4.2 million, according to state records.
However, many political experts have attributed this to Florida’s closed primaries. In past elections, some Republicans have even argued non-GOP voters weighed in on primary elections after switching parties to vote in races decided by Republican primaries.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Josh Salman
Did the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office website remove its warrant search feature?
Yes.
It’s no longer possible for the public to search for active warrants on the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office website.
An SCSO spokesperson said the decision was made to protect officers and prevent interference in police searches.
The feature had allowed anyone to search for active warrants and stay informed. However, there were concerns that the service “tipped off” serious offenders and better prepared them to evade capture, authorities said.
The spokesperson said people can still reach out to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s front desk or contact their attorney to confirm if they have a warrant out for them.
The Florida Crime Information Center also has a free warrant search feature, where anyone can search for wanted or missing persons, stolen vehicles and more.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Clinton Engelberger
