TALLAHASSEE — Florida Democrats vow they will try to block a proposal from Gov. Ron DeSantis aimed at cracking down on violent protesters, and they criticized the governor for linking it to the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump last week.
“This is about power, and it’s about race,” Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Windermere, said during a video teleconference with reporters Monday. “This particular bill is about maintaining power for certain people and denying power to other people.”
DeSantis unveiled his proposal last September, but it wasn’t filed until Wednesday evening after thousands of Trump supporters breached the Capitol as Congress was preparing votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.
DeSantis has made the bill a major priority ahead of the legislative session that starts March 2.
“Governor DeSantis has made it clear that violence or rioting of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Florida,” spokeswoman Meredith Beatrice said in an emailed statement. “This legislation is about two things: protecting law enforcement and combatting violence and disorder.”
The bills, SB 484 and HB 1, would increase penalties for protesters who engage in violent acts that include assaulting a police officer and destroying or damaging property. It also bans the practice of blocking roadways, a tactic of some Black Lives Matter protests, and protects drivers who drive through such protests from criminal liability.
The measure also requires state approval for cities seeking to cut funding for police departments and makes local governments civilly liable if they “obstruct or interfere” with police’s ability to restore order during a civil disturbance.
Thompson and other Democrats said the measure would be applied disproportionately against African-Americans by police, since it was developed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests last summer against police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
“This law is overkill … it promises selective enforcement against people of color,” said Sen. Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale. “This bill stokes division and should not even be heard.”
“As a father trying to raise four young Black men and boys in this state, this terrifies me,” said House Minority co-leader Bobby DuBose, D-Fort Lauderdale.
Democrats also took issue with DeSantis’ citing of the Capitol riot as evidence his bill is needed.
“In light of today’s events at our United States Capitol, we have no time to waste to uphold public safety,” DeSantis said in a statement on the day of the riot.
He did not, however, blame Trump for inciting the unruly mob or for himself, even though he called for Trump not to concede to Biden and for state legislatures in swing states to overturn their Electoral College votes in Trump’s favor.
“Following the repugnant display of treason that we saw during last week’s assault on our nation’s Capitol, this bill has been rebranded and the governor’s office is now saying that it’s in response to that,” said Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point. “Now this is just a blatant attempt to obfuscate their own responsibility for that violence that occurred.”
Democrats, though, could have a difficult time preventing the bill from reaching DeSantis’ desk.
He and his fellow Republican legislative leaders, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson have endorsed the idea, meaning it could get fast-tracked in the GOP-controlled Legislature when the session begins.
grohrer@orlandosentinel.com
