Lake Worth Beach part of a DeFund Police Lawsuit

Lawsuit against anti-riot bill’s ‘defund the police’ provision advances

If Lake Worth wants to proceed, they must appeal the ruling

The hell with state law. If you are a city ruled by Democrats, they want to do their own thing. Home Rule, they say.

A Tallahassee circuit judge is letting a lawsuit against the “defund the police” provision in Florida’s anti-riot law move forward. Judge J. Lee Marsh of the 2nd Judicial Circuit on Tuesday allowed five of the eight cities that sued the state to continue their challenge against a provision that creates a pathway for the state to overrule a city’s decision to reduce its law enforcement budget. The three remaining cities will have an opportunity to appeal to be added to the case.

Gainesville, Lake Worth Beach, Lauderhill, Miramar, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Tallahassee and Wilton Manors sued DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and the state Administration Commission over the law, which the Legislature passed at the Republican Governor’s behest.

Marsh dismissed the case against Moody and determined that Lake Worth, North Miami and North Miami Beach had only expressed a “generalized chilling fear” and did not face a threat of harm.

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Don't waste any more of taxpayer money, Commissioners, on filing an Appeal.

Lake Worth Commission predictably votes against Ron Desantis-Joins lawsuit

Lake Worth Beach first city in county to join lawsuit against DeSantis' 'anti-riot bill'

Trying to curb riots, HB1 passed in Florida Legislature and voted into law

The new law also allows local governments to be sued if a riot happens and they fail to stop it and creating the potential for a civil liability for damages leveled at the governing body.

“A municipality has a duty to allow the municipal law enforcement agency to respond appropriately to protect persons and property during a riot or an unlawful assembly based on the availability of adequate equipment to its municipal law enforcement officers and relevant state and federal laws.”

BUT and as predicted, this Democrat Lake Worth Commission voted 5/0 to join the lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis at their September 21 commission meeting.

They blabbed about Home Rule. Sarah Malega, Commissioner District 1 said it was "bully" tactics.

What they did was believe the snow-job by the racist hate group, the Southern Poverty Law Center. They tell us it has nothing to do with de-funding the police.

I seriously doubt if they can have any influence on the PBSO when it comes to public rioting.

The Law:
Combating Public Disorder; Authorizing specified elected officials to file an appeal to the Administration Commission if the governing body of a municipality makes a specified reduction to the operating budget of the municipal law enforcement agency; providing that a municipality has a duty to allow the municipal law enforcement agency to respond to a riot or unlawful assembly in a specified manner based on specified circumstances; reclassifying the penalty for an assault committed in furtherance of a riot or an aggravated riot; prohibiting cyberintimidation by publication; prohibiting a person from willfully participating in a specified violent public disturbance resulting in specified damage or injury; creating an affirmative defense to a civil action where the plaintiff participated in a riot, etc.