capitol riot aftermath
Florida has highest number of Capitol riot cases
One year after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Florida has had more residents arrested in connection with the riot than any other state.
Since last January, 76 Floridians have been charged with participating in the assault on the Capitol, and at least 12 have pleaded guilty. Pennsylvania and Texas have 63 cases each, followed by New York with 53 cases and California with 50 cases. In total, about 700 people have been arrested so far.
The Floridians arrested range in age from 20 to 72, and include former political candidates, veterans, and stay-at-home parents, the Tampa Bay Times reports. More than 20 of those arrested are allegedly part of the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys extremist groups, with court records stating that one man from Marion County held a leadership role with the Oath Keepers.
Jon Lewis, a fellow at the George Washington University Program on Extremism, told the Times that "we've seen a lot of domestic violent extremist movements flourish in Florida. I don't know that there's any particular societal or socioeconomic reason." It's important that Jan. 6 be "understood as a foundational threat to our democracy," Lewis added. "Trying to downplay it makes it that much likelier that this will happen again."
In the summer, the Capitol Police opened a regional office in Tampa, but a spokesperson told Axios they planned to set up the outpost "long before Jan. 6, 2021." Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has ignored calls for an investigation into Florida's role in the Capitol attack.