Rick Scott Warns Socialists Not to Come to ‘Free’ Florida

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) wants socialists, communists, and people who “believe in big government” to “think twice” before traveling or moving to Florida. “We’re the free state of Florida,” he said in a video on Twitter. “We actually don’t believe in socialism. Some people in our state lived under it, and we know people lived under socialism—it’s not good. It’s not good for anybody.” In a video posted to Twitter, Scott made it clear that socialists and communists are “not welcome in the Sunshine State” while reiterating a few points to really drill in the warning: “We like freedom, liberty, capitalism, things like that.” Scott’s message follows a series of travel advisories issued by the NAACP, League of United Latin American Citizens, Equality Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition, and the Human Rights Campaign—the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group. The organizations have declared a state of emergency for Black Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ individuals in Florida, citing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive campaign of anti-trans laws, a harsh new law on undocumented immigrants, and book bans.