President-elect Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis were among dignitaries attending a memorial service for three Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies who died in a roadside crash west of Wellington last month.
Trump arrived by motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago estate, while DeSantis arrived from Tallahassee. Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez and Attorney General Ashley Moody were also in attendance. Eric Trump, the president-elect’s second-eldest son, sat with his father.
The service began at 11 a.m. as thousands of people gathered at the iThink Financial Amphitheater at the South Florida Fairgrounds to pay tribute to PBSO Cpl. Luis Paez, Deputy Ralph “Butch” Waller and Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz.
The three motorcycle officers were fatally injured on the morning of November 21 when they were struck when a Jeep SUV turned off Southern Boulevard and struck the officers as they waited on the side of the road for a set of jumper cables to jumpstart a stalled PBSO motorcycle to start. .
All three belonged to the agency’s traffic division. The impact killed Paez and Waller and seriously injured Diaz, who died four days after the crash.
Trump and DeSantis arrived without fanfare for Tuesday’s commemoration, taking their seats on stage behind a slate of bulletproof glass. Trump stood and saluted as members of the PBSO honor guard carried the coffins of Paez, Waller and Diaz onto the stage. DeSantis stood with his hands at his sides.
A glass partition stands in front of the speaker stage at the iThink Financial Amphitheater at the South Florida Fairgrounds, where the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is holding a memorial for three deputies killed in a Nov. 17 crash west of Wellington.
Neither was scheduled to speak. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, who represents parts of western Palm Beach County, delivered remarks and recalled meeting with deputies during Veterans Day parades and along motorcade routes.
“They were always present and always on guard because it was their calling to protect everyone in this community from danger,” Mast said. “Even those of us who barely knew them. Nothing is more selfless.”
Writer Hannah Phillips contributed to this report.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @JuliusWhigham. Support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump, DeSantis lead dignitaries at PBSO memorial to fallen deputies
