ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — On Tuesday, Florida Senator Rick Scott announced he would donate a portion of his 4th quarter senate salary to the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg.

“Ann and I are proud to support the mission of the Florida Holocaust Museum and its dedication to educating Floridians on the horrors of the Holocaust. Our country is witnessing a disgusting rise in antisemitic events, and these terrible incidents have only grown more frequent and vile since Iran-backed Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7^th. The Florida Holocaust Museum serves as a beacon of light and a reminder that while the Jewish people have endured thousands of years of hate and persecution, we will never let hate win and destroy Israel or the Jewish people. The Florida Holocaust Museum was also a cause so important to our dear friend, Mel Sembler, who we lost earlier this year. Mel spent so much of his life as a voice for the Jewish people and supporting Israel. We are proud to honor his legacy with this donation today.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott

The museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the horrors of the holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism.

“Amid skyrocketing antisemitism worldwide, learning and applying the lessons of the Holocaust have never been more important. The Florida Holocaust Museum thanks Senator Rick Scott and Mrs. Ann Scott for this generous gift in memory of Ambassador Mel Sembler, which will directly support our efforts to share those lessons with people of all ages to promote Upstanding, affirm human dignity, and prevent future genocides. In 2013, Senator Scott became the first sitting Governor to visit the Museum, and we appreciate his continued allyship as our institution evolves to meet new challenges and reach new communities.”

Michael Igel, Board Chair of the Florida Holocaust Museum

In a press release Tuesday, Senator Scott said he has donated his Senate salary since taking office in 2019 and promised more donation announcements would be coming later in the week.