In between a box car, once used to transport Jews to concentration camps, and Thor, a Danish fishing boat which smuggled Jewish refugees to Sweden, Sen. Rick Scott and an entourage of political and community leaders gathered at the Florida Holocaust Museum Monday and denounced rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye \u2013 pronounced \u201cyay\u201d), who has back-to-back concerts scheduled later this month.<\/p>\n
Scott et al. are calling on the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel Ye\u2019s performances at Tampa\u2019s Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n
Ye has garnered negative media attention since 2022 after making a series of antisemitic remarks. Among the most controversial moments was his May 8, 2025 release of the song \u201cHeil Hitler,\u201d which coincided with the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany\u2019s defeat. The song was widely panned. Australia barred his entry over it. Yet Ye continues to tour, selling out venues at premium ticket prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond James Stadium is a publicly funded venue,\u201d said Scott. \u201cTaxpayers should have a say in what happens \u2026 wherever that money goes, whatever we do with it, we as public officials are responsible, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott contends that allowing Ye\u2019s concert is akin to giving the public\u2019s \u201cseal of approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott continued, \u201cIf you have a public venue you don\u2019t get to go \u2018Oh, I have to let everyone go.\u2019 No, you do not. There\u2019s no law that says you have to let people that hate Jews show up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott\u2019s claim that taxpayers are funding Ye\u2019s concert is only partially accurate. While taxpayers financed the construction of Raymond James Stadium, the venue largely operates through user fees and event revenue rather than ongoing taxpayer support.<\/p>\n
However, there is a caveat: taxpayer funds may be tapped for approved renovations of the stadium or used to subsidize the venue if it fails to be profitable.<\/p>\n
The debate creates a catch-22 for taxpayers: barring Ye\u2019s performance could cost the venue revenue, while allowing it may anger some of the same taxpayers who helped finance the stadium\u2019s construction.<\/p>\n
So, to Ye or not to Ye?<\/p>\n
Ticket prices for Ye\u2019s June 26 and 28 concerts range from roughly $150 to nearly $500. Raymond James Stadium seats more than 50,000 people. A sold-out show would generate millions in revenue, though the bulk of that money would flow to the artist, promoters and production costs rather than directly to the Tampa Sports Authority.<\/p>\n
Despite potential losses for the venue, Scott contended there is a \u201cclear moral duty to reject hate at every level\u201d and that booking Ye\u2019s show was a mistake from the beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo fix it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Sen. Ashley Moody echoed Scott\u2019s argument, framing the issue as accountability to taxpayers, \u201cThe Tampa Sports Authority evaluates, approves, and hear my last word,\u201d said Moody, \u201cprioritizes the events that it books.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are a taxpayer-funded body, and you are prioritizing hate and antisemitism, you have a lot of explaining to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Moody contextualized Ye\u2019s antisemitism within broader national events, drawing on the current conflict between Israel and Iran, anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses and rising attacks against Jewish people. Moody has previously pushed the RECLAIM Act, legislation that would claw back federal funding from colleges that fail to protect Jewish students.<\/p>\n
The Tampa Sports Authority sees the issue as a free speech matter, not an endorsement of Ye. Following the press conference, the agency released an official statement:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe condemn antisemitism from any source. However, we also respect free speech rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, even when we disagree with that speech. In addition, no taxpayer money is being used for staging the Ye concerts. To suggest otherwise is false.\u201d<\/p>\n
The central tension surrounding the controversy: Scott and Moody argue that a publicly owned venue has a responsibility to reject artists who promote hate, and that condemning speech and protecting speech are not mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n
For now, Ye remains scheduled to perform in Tampa later this month, on June 26 and 28.<\/p>\n
Despite the robust rhetoric from politicians, attorneys and community leaders, the most memorable statement of the afternoon came from Holocaust survivor Toni Rhinde, who taciturnly stated: \u201cLet\u2019s go and tell Kanye to F-off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other speakers included Rhinde\u2019s nephew Michael Igel, the former interim CEO of the museum; former Gov. Charlie Crist; Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Leo Terrell; Florida Holocaust Museum President and CEO Eric B. Stillman; Commissioner Chris Volkmann; and Pastor Scott Thomas.<\/p>\n
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