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

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

The laws makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to protest in a way that's aimed at intentionally harassing or disturbing someone of their house. 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 law will forestall protests in Florida like those waged by abortion rights protesters in front of U.S. Supreme Courtroom justices’ homes in Virginia.

“Sending unruly mobs to personal residences, like we have now seen with the angry crowds in entrance of the homes of Supreme Court docket justices, is inappropriate,” DeSantis mentioned in an e mail to information agencies. “This bill will present safety to these residing in residential communities and I'm glad to sign it into law.”

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

The law is scheduled to take impact Oct. 1.