Florida

DeSantis to crack down on violent protesters

FLORIDA — Governor Ron DeSantis said he wants to crack down on violent protesters.

DeSantis says this includes assemblies that shut down roads and threaten the safety of the public and law enforcement officers.

“They are systematically eliminating future voters,” Kevin Conner said.

That’s how Kevin Conner feels after DeSantis announced that he is getting tough on violent protesters.

“I was protesting yesterday in Starke. We just had our first action for Black Lives Matter in Starke. I have not stopped. Every day this is my life now,” Conner said.

At a news conference today and on Twitter, DeSantis announced the Combating Violence, Disorder, and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act.

“This is a very robust package and I think what it’s saying is Florida is not going to go down the road that some of these other places have gone,” Governor Ron DeSantis said.

Action News Jax first told you in July when Kevin Conner was arrested while he was peacefully protesting in Clay County.

“So, then you have all of these people in with felonies, it messes up their record and let’s push that even further — what are the consequences further down the road?” Conner explained.

DeSantis says anyone who damages property, causes injury or destroys public property during a protest will end up with a felony.

“Safe communities are the foundation of everything else we care about as Floridians,” said DeSantis.

We took the governor’s legislation to Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson who said the governor’s move has already been in place for years.

“Frankly all of these laws exist already. All that remains is for them to be effectively enforced,” Carson said.

In Jacksonville, there were mostly peaceful protests and only a handful of protesters were arrested.

“The difficulty arises when other people who have another agenda involve themselves in it and do things that are clearly illegal,” Carson said.

According to the governor’s office, the next legislative session commences in March 2021 but committees will begin meeting later this year to begin the process of crafting the language of the bill and finding sponsors.