TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (AP) — An “anti-mob” legislation drafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and aimed at police brutality protests sprouting up in other cities would expand Florida's Stand Your Ground law.
DeSantis announced the proposal Tuesday, continuing his pledge from September to “crack down on violent and disorderly assemblies" in response to police brutality protests in other cities that occurred after the death of George Floyd.
The proposal titled “anti-mob legislation draft” would expand the list of “forcible felonies” under Florida’s self-defense law to include property crimes. It would justify the use of force against citizens who are “interrupting or impairing” business during “violent or disorderly assembly.”
The proposal would also increase criminal penalties for people involved in “disorderly assemblies,” make it a third-degree felony to block traffic during protests and provide immunity to drivers who “unintentionally" hit protesters blocking traffic.
Incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson and Sarasota Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters both said they were interested in the proposal but have not said whether they will sponsor the bill.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said the proposal “sounds like an invitation to incite violence.”
Gelber has been a critic of the Stand Your Ground law since it passed in 2005.
As of Tuesday, the proposal is still a draft. No bills have been filed in either the House or Senate.
