ORLANDO, Florida – Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a State of Emergency for Orange County, Florida in following the mass shooting by Omar Mateen at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando that left 50 dead and 53 wounded, many of which remain in critical condition.
“This is clearly an act of terror that happened in Orlando this morning,” Governor Scott said. “It sickens me and makes me angry. Of course, this is a time of great tragedy, and in every tragedy, there is a flood of sadness, confusion and despair. But, this is an attack on our people. An attack on Orlando. An attack on Florida. An attack on America. An attack on all of us.”
“We still have a lot of questions that are unanswered. Our prayers are with the families and loved ones of everyone touched by this senseless tragedy. I want to urge the people of our state to pray for the victims, families of those who have been killed and wounded. Pray for our city, state and country.”
“We are a great state. We are a diverse state and we have wonderful people here in Florida that will respond with dignity, strength and fortitude in the days ahead.”
“To the people who did this or may be thinking about doing something similar: you don’t want to commit an act of terror in our state. In Florida, our justice system is swift and our penalties are severe. We are at a 45-year crime low and proud to be a safe state for our 20 million residents and 100 million tourists.”
