CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A man arrested this week in Brevard County is accused of hanging swastikas and other antisemitic banners above Interstate 4 near Orlando, what the Florida Department of Law Enforcement described was in violation of a state law signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Jason Brown, 48, was taken into custody Tuesday by FDLE officers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers at his residence in Cape Canaveral, complying with an out-of-county search warrant and being placed under arrest around 6:35 p.m., according to the FHP.
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DeSantis in April signed HB 269, “Public Nuisances,” while he was touring Israel. The legislation, in part, made it illegal in Florida to display or project images onto a building, structure or property without permission.
According to an FDLE news release, Brown was one of at least four individuals wanted for hanging the hateful signs over Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge on June 10. As such, three outstanding warrants remain for the other demonstrators present, all of whom were described as living out of state, FDLE said.
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“Florida is a law-and-order state. Today’s arrest demonstrates Florida’s commitment to protecting residents from attention-seeking extremists,” Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles executive director Dave Kerner said in a statement.
Brown will face a charge of criminal mischief for his alleged involvement in the June 10 incident, the release states.
Brown in early 2022 was accused of stealing and destroying a Jewish student’s cellphone while participating in an antisemetic demonstration in Orange County, arrested on a charge of grand theft.
Charges were never formally filed by the state attorney in that case, which has since been closed, court records show.
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