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

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

The legislation makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to protest in a fashion that's geared toward intentionally harassing or disturbing someone in their house. Violators face 60 days in jail and fines of up to $500.

Protesters can only be arrested after ignoring law enforcement’s orders to disperse, nonetheless.

The governor stated the brand new law will stop 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 non-public residences, like we now have seen with the offended crowds in front of the properties of Supreme Court docket justices, is inappropriate,” DeSantis said in an e mail to information companies. “This invoice will provide safety to those dwelling in residential communities and I am glad to signal it into regulation.”

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

The regulation is scheduled to take impact Oct. 1.