11th Circuit Asks Florida Supreme Court to Define Terms of Anti-Riot Law
Before it can decide whether a 2021 anti-riot law in Florida violates the U.S. Constitution, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is asking the Florida Supreme Court to define “public disturbance.”
The “Combatting Violence, Disorder, and Looting, and Law Enforcement Protection Act” (pdf), also known as HB 1, was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 19, 2021. The measure was drafted in response to the riots that erupted in 140 cities across 20 states following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in 2020.
Property Claim Services, a company that calculates property losses caused by catastrophes in the United States, estimated the damage from the riots at $1 billion to $2 billion between April and July 2020, making it the most expensive insurance payout in U.S. history, Axios reported….