Protest

A 62-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of groups such as the Dream Defenders and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP contends that the law (HB 1), which DeSantis signed on April 19, will have a “chilling” effect on protected speech and violates equal-protection and due-process rights.

A single Republican, Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, crossed party lines and joining Democrats in voting against the bill.

Civil rights advocates are angry at Republican efforts to crack down on protests. Frustrations boiled over recently during a hearing on House Bill 1. Pushback against the bill is growing but Republicans are determined to get the bill through the legislative process.

An official analysis concludes the bill would impact the right to free speech, but within acceptable boundaries. Opponents say it is severely overreaching.

The measure is backed by the state’s three most-powerful Republican leaders but was decried as unnecessary and divisive by Democrats and other critics --- many of them young or Black --- who unsuccessfully urged the House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee to reject the proposal.

DeSantis' comments were in response to an FBI report that groups were planning to protest at all 50 state capitols leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

It's in response to a bill that would increase penalties on violent protesters after some supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.

It would crack down on protests and make it difficult for local government officials to trim spending on law enforcement.

The proposal comes as Republicans double down on efforts to deliver a second presidential victory to Trump in Florida, a battleground state with 29 prized electoral votes, on Nov. 3.

DeSantis called for local governments that attempt to defund law enforcement to be denied state money while protecting law enforcement officers from "professional agitators."