Ban on protests in front of properties signed by Gov. DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Anybody who protests in entrance of a personal residence in Florida can face jail time and fines beneath a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Monday.

The legislation makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to protest in a fashion that is aimed toward deliberately harassing or disturbing someone in their residence. Violators face 60 days in jail and fines of as much as $500.

Protesters can solely be arrested after ignoring regulation enforcement’s orders to disperse, however.

The governor stated the new legislation will forestall protests in Florida like these waged by abortion rights protesters in front of U.S. Supreme Court docket justices’ houses in Virginia.

“Sending unruly mobs to private residences, like we've seen with the offended crowds in entrance of the properties of Supreme Court docket justices, is inappropriate,” DeSantis mentioned in an e mail to information agencies. “This invoice will provide safety to those dwelling in residential communities and I'm glad to sign it into regulation.”

Some Democrats opposed the invoice, arguing it infringes on individuals’s First Modification rights to free speech.

The legislation is scheduled to take impact Oct. 1.