TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Florida law enforcement officials are issuing a strong reminder that the Sunshine State is an anti-riot state.
At a press conference Thursday in Titusville, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier emphasized that Florida law clearly prohibits rioting and includes enhanced penalties for those who break that law.
“We want to put the public on notice in Florida and remind everybody we have a law that says you cannot riot,” Uthmeier said.
He was joined by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Florida’s first state-embedded representative for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, plus others who delivered a unified message about maintaining order as protests erupt nationwide.
“We invite people to share their opinions. That’s what our country’s is all about. The key word in that is peaceful,” Ivey said.
The announcement comes amid growing unrest in California over immigration policies and ahead of the planned “No Kings” protests of President Donald Trump’s policies this Saturday.
“If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you graveyard dead, Ivey said.
Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, encourages people to engage in peaceful civic action. He says he’s concerned that heated messaging only creates a culture of intimidation and provocation.
“I encourage people to go out, make their voices heard, to participate in our civic process, safeguard our democracy, just in a nonviolent way,” he said.
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