Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Thursday, issued a memorandum to Pinellas County officials, calling for all state and U.S. flags to be flown at half staff Friday in honor of wrestling icon, adulterer, and self-proclaimed racist Hulk Hogan. A week earlier, DeSantis publicly eulogized Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, at a Manatee County press conference, prompting a heckler to remind the world of the governor's questionable past. Hogan died in Clearwater on July 24, following a cardiac arrest.
On rare and solemn occasions, the governor may direct flags to be lowered to half-staff, according to Florida flag protocol. DeSantis most recently issued that directive for Senator Geraldine Thompson, the first woman Democrat and Black representative to serve District 44; U.S. Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, who served northeastern Palm Beach in Florida's 21st Congressional District; and on the anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
"His larger-than-life personality will be missed, as the 'Hulkster' was an icon for many who grew up in the '80s and '90s, as well as today," DeSantis wrote in a memo to Pinellas County officials. "He was a true Floridian through and through."
DeSantis declared Friday, August 1, 2025, "Hulk Hogan Day" in Florida.
The decision has prompted some social media users to question why other notable Floridians, State Rep. Joseph Casello, a Democrat who represented Palm Beach and served as a firefighter for 30 years, haven’t received the same honor. (Casello died on July 18 at the age of 73.)
If great acting, adultery, and racism are characteristics DeSantis wanted to uplift in Florida's name, lowering flags for Hulk Hogan was a no-brainer. DeSantis didn't respond to a request for comment by the time of publication..@GovRonDeSantis is ordering FL flags flown at half-staff to honor late wrestling great #HulkHogan.
— Jesse Scheckner (@JesseScheckner) July 31, 2025
BTW, it's been almost 2 weeks since the death of state Rep. #JoeCasello, an ex-Air Force NCO and retired firefighter.
No lowered flags for him -- for... some reason. pic.twitter.com/qJp8AgClI9
While Hogan's contributions were a major factor in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling becoming household TV for families nationwide, his status in pop culture is forever marred by a recorded tirade that surfaced exactly 10 years to the day before he died.
On July 24, 2015, news outlets around the world reported on a leaked Hogan sex tape in which he can be heard liberally using the N-word. As if a white man's use of a derogatory, slavery-era slur wasn't enough to confirm his bias, he added, "I am a racist, to a point, fucking (N-word)."
The tirade happened during a conversation between Hogan and Heather Clem, the wife of his former friend Bubba "The Love Sponge," and the woman with whom he was covertly filmed having sex with in 2012, according to reporting by Radar Online.
The repercussions were immediate for Hogan. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE; formerly WWF) officials terminated his contract and removed his Hall of Fame profile from its site.
