Florida Legislature sends antisemitism crackdown bill to DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – The Florida Legislature passed a bill that would increase penalties for intimidating or threatening someone based on religious or ethnic heritage.

The next step for the bill is Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature.

The Senate unanimously gave final approval to the House bill Wednesday, following the House’s approval last week.

Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, carried the bill in the Senate.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-South Brevard County, and Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, carried the bill in the House. Fine gave a heartfelt and passionate speech on the floor minutes before it passed April 20.

“There is no right to intimidate. There is no right to threaten,” Fine said.

He elaborated on how he has “learned to deal” with threats over the years.

“It’s not fun. The kind of hate mail you get, that’s an average Tuesday in my office,” Fine said. “My aides just don’t pay attention to most of it. Unless they really say they’re going to kill me, we don’t send it on.”

Caruso described hateful acts across the state, including giant swastikas projected on buildings, violent attacks on church dwellings and hateful flyers being thrown in people’s yards.

The bill would prohibit someone from intentionally dumping litter onto a private property in order to threaten or intimidate. The person could face a first degree misdemeanor, and if there is a credible threat, it bumps to a third degree felony.

A person who maliciously harasses, threatens, or intimates another person because of religious or ethnic heritage heritage would face a first degree misdemeanor. If a person makes a credible threat, they would face a third degree felony.

The legislation also targets projections. It would be a first degree misdemeanor to display or project onto a building without written consent of the owner.

If a person displays an image of a credible threat, that person would commit a third degree felony.

“We are saying to the face of evil that we will not be silent. That we will not put up with these things,” Fine said. “And in Florida when we say ‘never again,’ we mean it.”