TAMPA BAY, Fla. — While protests in Los Angeles continue on despite President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard, Tampa Bay is preparing for rallies of its own.
Floridians across the state are expected to participate in "No Kings" protests on June 14, part of a nationwide event that will coincide with the president’s scheduled military parade in Washington.
Called a national day of "action and mass mobilization," the group No Kings Tampa said the protests are in response to "increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption from Trump and his allies."
WATCH: 'No Kings' protests will take place in Tampa Bay. Here's what to know
"We’ve watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political views, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts," the Tampa group's event page states. "They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies."
It's not just Tampa, either. Other cities, like Sarasota, Lakeland and St. Petersburg, are planning to participate as well. Locations and times vary, but all will take place this Saturday, all over Florida.
The official No Kings group noted that a core principle behind the events is a commitment to nonviolent action. Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey threatened his community on Thursday during an "anti-riot" press conference, stating that if they get violent or break the law, they will be killed.
"If you spit on us, you're going to the hospital and then jail. If you hit one of us, you're going to the hospital and jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs that we have here," he said. "If you throw a brick, a fire bomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you graveyard dead. We're not gonna play."
"No Kings Day" will come after days of nationwide protests against federal immigration raids in multiple states, including California, Texas and New York.
On June 8, the No Kings group posted a statement on their website in response to Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
President Trump wants you to believe that the people of Los Angeles are destroying their own communities. That’s false. Here’s the truth: people are peacefully and lawfully protesting the Administration’s abuses of power and the abduction of their neighbors by ICE.
Instead of listening, the Trump Administration is escalating tensions. Against the guidance of local leaders, they are deploying military force to suppress free speech. They do not care about our safety—it’s about silencing opposition. It’s a blatant abuse of power designed to intimidate families, stoke fear, and crush dissent.
The No Kings mobilizations on June 14 were already planned as a peaceful stand against authoritarian overreach and the gross abuse of power this Administration has shown. Now, this military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people. From major cities to small towns, we’ll rise together and say: we reject political violence. We reject fear as governance. We reject the myth that only some deserve freedom.
On Saturday, more than 1,800 rallies will take place across the country—peaceful, organized, and united. Join your community. Bring a sign. Make it clear: we don’t do kings in this country.
A federal judge then issued a restraining order on Thursday, ruling that President Trump acted illegally in deploying the National Guard. On Friday, however, the order was put on pause until a June 17 hearing by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reacted to the Los Angeles protests at a press conference on Monday.
“You have some of these people, they're objecting because they don't want to get kicked out of America, and yet they're burning the American flag, and yet they're waving the flag of the country that they don't want to get sent back to,” said DeSantis at a press event in Crawfordville. “Can you please make this make sense to me?”
A fundraising email from the Florida GOP also warned supporters that if similar protests erupted in Tampa, they would be “met with the FULL force of the law.”
“Fellow Conservative,” the email reads, “please help us fight back and show the radical Left. We will NOT let them California our Florida by making a donation today to help keep Florida Free.”
According to the Associated Press, DeSantis also offered to send Florida State Guard troops to Los Angeles, which California Governor Gavin Newsom declined.
Though not a part of the "No Kings" series of protests, a similar protest happened on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa on Friday afternoon.
People like Pastor David Cantillo gathered for the protest because they disagree with President Trump’s immigration policies and mass deportations by ICE.
Cantillo wants changes and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who are working essential jobs in industries like farming, hospitality, and construction.
“Initially, it was said that criminals, violent criminals, sexual predators, human traffickers are going to be deported. I’m in favor of that. I’m in favor of a closed border. I’m in favor of deporting criminals," he said. "But instead, anybody’s being deported.”
Thursday, President Trump said he is open to change.
“We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think. We can’t do that to our farmers, and leisure too — hotels," the president said. "We’re gonna have to use a lot of common sense on that."
However, that promise wasn’t enough to stop the Friday afternoon protest, which will be the first of many across Tampa Bay this weekend.
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