![\"Roughly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/34b4d328-eb69-43d8-be36-01ea00302548.jpeg\" "\\"Roughly")
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Roughly 2,000 demonstrators gather outside the Florida Capitol to voice their opposition to the Trump administration by participating in a No Kings protest Saturday, March 28, 2026.<\/p>\n
Alicia Devine\/Tallahassee Democr<\/p>\n
USA TODAY Network, Reuters<\/p>\n
No Kings will return to Tallahassee Oct. 17, bringing protesters across the Big Bend to the grounds of the Florida Capitol. <\/p>\n
This time, the message is: Vote early.<\/p>\n
This will be the fourth planned protest in the No Kings movement, which began last summer and has mobilized millions across the country for peaceful protest. Throughout these protests, the movement’s goal has been to bring visibility to the “chaos, corruption and cruelty” in the White House.<\/p>\n
Protesters will gather in more than 70 demonstrations in Florida, but this time organizers are emphasizing and encouraging the voting-age public to cast ballots early.<\/p>\n
Many states and counties have already began early voting, but in Florida, early voting begins Oct. 24 across the state and on Oct. 19 in Leon County. Various counties may have different start dates for early voting. <\/p>\n
In Tallahassee, organizers plan to have speakers to get attendees excited about voting, along with focusing on easing concerns people may have about voting, like long lines, bad weather or stress.<\/p>\n
“Our focus this time is really upon the fact that were going to be doing this right before early voting starts in Leon County,” said Susan Gage with Indivisible Tallahassee. “So we’re making a real push to emphasize the importance of voting.”<\/p>\n
Know your protesting rights<\/p>\n
The First Amendment protects the freedom to assemble, but attendees must make sure demonstrations stay peaceful. Otherwise, protesters won’t have Florida law on their side.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ron DeSantis has said rioting won’t be tolerated at any demonstrations, citing a 2021 “anti-riot” law. It also requires that someone arrested for unlawful assembly be held without bail until a first court appearance.<\/p>\n
Protesters can hold signs, chant and wear costumes. But it’s important to be mindful of location, since they need to stay off roadways and private property.<\/p>\n
Sidewalks or plazas in front of government buildings are often allowed protest zones, according to guidelines from the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.<\/p>\n
Additionally, people have the right to record and observe law enforcement under the First Amendment, but a Florida law adds some stipulations.<\/p>\n
Florida law requires that if given a verbal warning by law enforcement or first responders in the course of their duties, people must stay at least 25 feet away. Otherwise, a person could face a second-degree misdemeanor charge and get potentially up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.<\/p>\n
What does it take to organize a protest?<\/p>\n
Organizing a protest takes a lot of volunteer time, Gage said. Responsibilities vary by county and size of the protest, but Gage said in Tallahassee it involves ensuring the Capitol space is available and that police are alerted about the event.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Gage said there’s more than having people show up, but also organizing speakers, sound systems, musicians and tables. There’s also nationwide trainings with Indivisible, for specifically No Kings protests.<\/p>\n
What the community’s local protest will include varies on a community’s needs, Gage said. Tallahassee has a big turnout since it’s the state capital, but some smaller, rural areas may have fewer spaces to organize protests and may gather in indoor community centers.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of support offered to people in more rural, more isolated areas, to help them figure out how they can also be part of this movement,” Gage said. <\/p>\n
How can you find nearby events?<\/p>\n
More than 70 protests are planned across Florida, in cities like Tallahassee, Gainesville, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Jacksonville. Learn more about where events are being held at the No Kings website, www.nokings.org. <\/p>\n
Stephany Matat’s role covering First Amendment issues at the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida is made possible by a collaboration among Freedom Forum, Journalism Funding Partners and the USA TODAY Network. Freedom Forum does not provide editorial input. Reach Matat at smatat@usatodayco.com and @StephanyMatat on X.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: No Kings returns to Tallahassee Oct. 17. What to know<\/p>\n
Reporting by Stephany Matat, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida \/ Tallahassee Democrat<\/p>\n
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
This story was originally published October 12, 2026 at 12:04 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Roughly 2,000 demonstrators gather outside the Florida Capitol to voice their opposition to the Trump administration by participating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-425779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}