Jim Rosica
A House member has filed proposed legislation to add violence based on “political affiliation or beliefs” to the state’s list of hate crimes.
Rep. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, first filed his 1-page bill Thursday. The bill is being redrafted to correct some technical errors and will be re-filed shortly, he said.
The measure as filed (HB 201) would require the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to gather information on such “criminal acts” in addition to those “based on race, religion, ethnicity, color, ancestry, sexual orientation, or national origin” under existing law.
Under the bill, “all law enforcement agencies shall report monthly” any politically-based hate crimes to FDLE.
As of this March, at least four other states—California, Iowa, South Carolina, and West Virginia—prohibited “bias-motivated violence or intimidation” against someone because of “political affiliation” or “political opinions,” either under a hate crime law or under general law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In a phone interview, Gruters said the legislation was not solely in response to Charlottesville, Virginia—where a car last month plowed into a group of counter-protesters to a white nationalist rally, killing one woman and injuring dozens of others.
But he added that he’s been troubled by what he sees as a growing trend toward violence during public protests of all types.
“I want to protect people’s right to stand up for what they believe in,” Gruters said. “People should be respected and protected on all sides in who they support and what they believe in … Violence is never the answer and I want to create some additional deterrence.”
