GOP Florida Congressman’s bill to allow drivers to run down rioters, says he ‘doesn’t care about protesters’
Florida – A Republican lawmaker from Florida is pushing a controversial bill that would protect drivers from being sued if they hit protesters who are blocking the road. Rep. Randy Fine has called the bill called the “Thump Thump Bill,” and it has already gotten a lot of attention across the country for its aggressive stance on public demonstrations.
Fine, a longstanding supporter of former President Donald Trump, introduced the bill earlier this month. Its official name is the Reinstating Orderly Access for Drivers Act. If a driver hits or kills someone while trying to drive through people “acting in furtherance of a riot,” the law would create what is called a “affirmative defense.” This would protect the driver from being charged with a crime or civil liability.
In a recent interview with Breitbart News, Fine claimed that his goal is to keep the streets free and accessible, not barricaded by demonstrators.
“When a pregnant woman can’t get to the hospital to have a baby, when an ambulance can’t get through traffic to get to the hospital, that’s a form of terrorism,” Fine said. “It disrupts our lives. And it’s not a reasonable form of protest.”
Fine’s remarks underscore his broader reputation as a hardline conservative who often welcomes confrontation. He has often fought with people from all sides of the political spectrum, even members of his own party. At one point, he called Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky a “embarrassment.” Recently, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called him “disgraceful.”
Asked whether he worried about the safety of the demonstrators his bill could affect, Fine was blunt.
“I don’t care about that because they’ve chosen to do that,” he said. “They’re not confused about what they’re doing. If you stand in the middle of a highway, you shouldn’t be surprised when you get run over.”
The proposal fits with a pattern in Florida politics where state leaders have become more and more hostile toward public protests. The bill is similar to laws that Gov. Ron DeSantis has already passed that protect drivers in specific situations when protests get out of hand and cars are surrounded. Fine, who backed that earlier law while he was in the state legislature, seems to be trying to get those safeguards to apply at the federal level.
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Critics of similar laws say they could lead to violence and make people less likely to demonstrate peacefully. Supporters, on the other hand, say they are vital to stop what they see as dangerous disruptions of public order. Fine’s law doesn’t go so far as to let vehicles hit demonstrators, but the safeguards it gives would make it much harder to hold drivers responsible in court if someone gets hurt or killed during a protest.
The bill’s nickname, the “Thump Thump Bill,” reflects the unapologetic tone Fine has adopted in defending his proposal. He calls protests on the road “terrorism,” which makes the law seem like more than just a question of convenience; it’s also about public safety. Still, the phrase and what it means have already provoked strong reactions from both supporters and opponents.
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The measure is still in its early stages, but its introduction adds to the national debate about how far governments should go in limiting protests. The debate about finding a balance between free speech and public safety is certain to get louder if Fine moves forward with his bill.
It remains to be seen how far Fine’s bill would go.
