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Gov. Ron DeSantis signs anti-riot bill into law; puts local governments on notice
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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Monday morning in Winter Haven, where he signed an anti-riot bill into law.
“It is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country, and there’s just nothing even close,” DeSantis told reporters.
The governor said the new law does multiple things, including providing stiffer penalties for those arrested during riots and holding local governments accountable if they order police to stand down during protests that turn chaotic.
According to the governor, this will allow people to sue local governments for injuries or property damage sustained during these types of incidents.
Local 10.
“It is the strongest anti-rioting, pro-law enforcement piece of legislation in the country, and there’s just nothing even close,” DeSantis told reporters during a press conference in Winter Haven. HB 1, the “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” was passed in the state Senate Thursday (April 15) by a vote of 23-17 along party lines.
The new law outlines new criminal offenses and heavier penalties for those arrested during riots or assembles that turn violent. Reporters also said the bill gives drivers the right to legally plow through protestors if they feel threatened.
Local governments and their actions during protests were also a subject in HB 1. DeSantis said people can sue local governments for injuries or property damage sustained from violent protests. It also penalizes these governments if they defund law enforcement agencies or order authorities to stand down during demonstrations that turn chaotic.
Florida Senate passes controversial anti-riot bill, sends it to DeSantis to sign By Spectrum News Staff & Associated Press Florida UPDATED 8:08 PM ET Apr. 15, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:16 PM ET Apr. 15, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:16 PM EDT Apr. 15, 2021
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STATEWIDE The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a controversial bill aimed at curbing violent protests in the state by a vote of 23-17.
House Bill 1, known as the Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk for his signature. Passage of the bill was a key legislative priority for DeSantis heading into this year’s legislative session.
What You Need To Know
Robyn PennacchiaApril 16, 2021 12:18 PM
Screenshot of James Alex Fields driving into protestors at Unite the Right Rally.
On August 12, 2017, neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. In 2019, Fields was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years.
But if it were up to Republicans in the Florida legislature, he d be free. Not because they believe in prison abolition (this is, after all, Florida) or are concerned about the wider effects of inflating prison sentences beyond a natural human life nope! They just want what he did to not be a crime