Last week, the Appropriation Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice voted favorably on SB 1632 and SB 1634, bringing it to its last stop: the Senate floor. With their companion bills also on the House floor, this is our last chance to protect dissent and free speech in Florida.

These bills are a direct threat to Florida’s budget and our First Amendment rights. SB 1632 creates sweeping new felonies for "interfering" with state assets: language so vague it could turn a peaceful protest at a monument into a life-altering felony. SB 1634 goes even further, creating "treble damages" (triple the cost) and massive civil liability for organizations, effectively allowing powerful interests to bankrupt non-profits and community groups into silence.

We know these bills are legally flawed and fiscally irresponsible. We must flood the state legislature's inboxes now to ensure that when these bills come back up next week, they are voted down or tabled permanently. Don't let them quiet the voices of Floridians.