Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' team is spearheading an investigation into a holiday-themed drag show that allegedly exposed children to sexually provocative content, including lewd dancing and nude fake prosthetic body parts.
"A Drag Queen Christmas," which took place at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 26, sparked inquiry into a possible legal violation, with DeSantis' office writing Tuesday that "exposing children to sexually explicit activity is a crime in Florida."
"Such action violates the [Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's] licensing standards for operating a business and holding a liquor license," press secretary Bryan Griffin said.
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The state's Attorney General Ashley Moody sounded off on the event Thursday on "Fox & Friends First," telling co-hosts Todd Piro and Ashley Strohmier that DeSantis' administration is not taking the incident lightly.
"This governor and our executive branch will not sit back while children or anyone else is harmed," she said. "We're going to look at [this case] very carefully and make sure we're doing our jobs. That's what people elected us to do."
Any evidence gathered would be shared with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for potential criminal liability, DeSantis' office said. Moody, a former prosecutor and judge, said she is no stranger to handling similar incidents.
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"When there are complaints being made, when there's an allegation that children are being exposed to inappropriate material, whether that's with a parent or not… that doesn't exempt anyone – a parent or a business – from liability for such behavior," she said, adding the investigation will boil down to particular facts and circumstances that could determine whether the event broke state law.
DeSantis has been a conservative fighter on various cultural fronts throughout his administration. He took executive action to ban public and private vaccine mandates in the state of Florida, signed legislation banning critical race theory in public schools, and prevented young elementary school children from being taught gender ideology in classrooms.
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"This is a great example of Gov. DeSantis and his perspective on leadership," Moody said. "Look at the two differences between President Biden and Gov. DeSantis. The energy in the executive in Florida is on full display."
DeSantis, who won re-election in a landslide this past November, is considered a prospective 2024 presidential candidate. While former President Trump still has wide support among Republicans, a recent Wall Street Journal poll showed the Florida governor leading Trump in a head-to-head matchup.
Fox News' Joe Silverstein contributed to this report.
