No major incidents during white nationalist Richard Spencer's speech at University of Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Thousands of people flooded the University of Florida campus on Thursday.

Some were there to protest white nationalist Richard Spencer, and others were there to support him.

The tension was thick as hundreds of students, protestors and supporters flooded the campus for the controversial visit by Spencer.

There was no violence due to heavy security. Action News Jax crews spotted officers on top of buildings and SWAT members on the ground.

“There are a lot of officers from different areas here,” Tatonya Speed said.

“I think they did a really good job, because there is a barrier between us and the cops and there's a ton of them, so I think they did a really good job,” Patrick Morano said.

Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency ahead of the speech, which allowed for extra coverage by law enforcement officers to make sure things ran smoothly.

The extra protection came with a hefty price tag for taxpayers: $600,000.

Ron Rawls, a pastor from St. Augustine, thinks the speaker should pay the bill.

“When they use those resources, they should be billed for those resources,” Rawls said.

But high cost or not, at the end of the event, most people said safety was most important.

Police said only five minor injuries were reported at the event. Two people were arrested during the course of the event and protests.

Cox Media Group