On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an “anti-riot bill.” The legislation enhances penalties for crimes committed during a riot. HB 1, nicknamed the “Anti-Riot Bill” by Florida Republicans, passed the Senate on Thursday evening.
According to WFLA, it includes several measures introduced by DeSantis last summer as race protests and violent attacks on federal and police buildings made headlines.
The Florida bill features many changes to the state’s criminal and administrative law.
- Makes it difficult for cities and counties to reduce funding for the police.
- Allows governments to be sued if they fail to stop a riot.
- Grants civil legal immunity to people who drive through protesters blocking a road.
- Creates a new “aggravated riot” second-degree felony charge for crimes stemming from riots of over 25 people.
- Doesn’t allow rioters to bail out of prison prior to their first court case.
What is not to love about this bill? Some don’t love it because people are uncertain when a riot starts by definition. It would seem that once they start looting, destroying property, or hurting people — such as police, that would be a riot. The Police make that call.
We have a President whose staff, and a Vice President who personally, contributed and strongly encouraged contributing respectively to the bail of the violent communists in Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
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