Florida Rep Angie Nixon Arrested After DeSantis Office Sit-In Protest

A Florida state lawmaker was arrested on Friday after staging a sit-in protest outside Governor Ron DeSantis’s office at the state Capitol in Tallahassee. State Representative Angie Nixon, a Democrat from Jacksonville, was taken into custody by Capitol Police on a trespassing charge after refusing to leave the building at closing time.

Nixon began her protest around noon, stating she would remain until she could speak with the governor about the state’s newly enacted congressional district map and economic issues facing residents. She remained seated on the lobby floor for approximately five hours. Two other protesters who joined her were also arrested.

In statements to reporters before her arrest, Nixon criticized the Republican-controlled legislature and the governor’s office for prioritizing redistricting over addressing rising costs of living, property insurance, and gas prices. She called for a special legislative session to redraw the maps, which she described as illegal and gerrymandered.

The protest followed a formal reprimand issued to Nixon by the Florida House Rules and Ethics Committee just one day prior. That disciplinary action stemmed from an incident last month...