Gov. DeSantis may address Russian election hacking at news conference on Monday
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 6/17/2019, 2:06 p.m.
By Matt Sczesn, WPTV Webteam
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WPTV) -- Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to make a 'major announcement' on Monday that could deal with the security of Florida's elections.
According to his office, the governor will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. at the Florida State Capitol building in Tallahassee.
Details are limited, but he'll be joined by Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee and Supervisors of Elections officials.
Last month, Gov. DeSantis said two Florida counties were hacked during the 2016 election by Russian military intelligence. The governor wouldn't confirm which counties were targeted, but did say the cyber attack did not have any impact on the outcome of the election.
In response to the hacking, Gov. DeSantis directed Secretary of State Lee to review the security of state and county elections systems.
In a one-page letter to Lee, the governor indicated the review will focus on cybersecurity and involve all 67 counties.
"We just think it's important that we're doing what we can to get ahead of any potential threats," Gov. DeSantis said at a news conference last month in Lake Park. "We may be able to recommend some changes locally."
The governor's letter read, in part:
"The Department (of State) shall develop a plan to identify and address any vulnerabilities. You are further directed to make this a top priority of the department and report your findings to the Executive Office of the Governor upon completion of your review." The Washington Post and Politico both reported that rural Washington County in the Florida Panhandle was one of the targets of the Russian cyber attack.
WPTV confirmed through Supervisor of Elections offices that Palm Beach, Martin, and Okeechobee Counties were not hacked. St. Lucie County would neither confirm or deny if it was hacked, and Indian River County never got back to us.
WPTV will provide updates about the governor's announcement online and on air.