From abortion and marijuana, to Medicaid and minimum wage … activists in Florida have been ahead of the curve for years.
Like many others across the nation, people gathered outside the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla., on Oct. 18, 2025, to send a message: No Kings. People played music and danced. Kids found space to throw a football. People ran into old friends.
“What really stood out to me was how much fun it was. I mean, people were enjoying themselves. You had people in frog costumes and other things. You had some pretty funny signs,” says Larry Hannan, communications and policy director for State Voices Florida, who attended the No Kings rally outside the courthouse in Jacksonville.
When we’re militarizing our cities under the guise of safety, it’s really just about terrorizing communities, including immigrant communities.
Mishara Davis
Hannan, who also attended the first iteration of No Kings back in June, estimated a 50 percent increase in attendance. Jacksonville’s protest mirrored other mobilizations across the country. On Sept. 18, it’s estimated that 7 million people turned out at 2,700 No Kings events.
The protests come in response to the Trump administration’s increasingly authoritarian actions as Trump approaches the end of his first year in office. During his first 10 months back in the White House, Trump has weaponized federal agencies against the American people. Among the administration’s most egregious actions:
- It has refused to enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act as it was intended, which aims to protect those who work at and seek care at reproductive health clinics.
- Trump has deployed the National Guard into American cities where the majority of voters did not turn out to support him last November.
- The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to conduct a study on how the abortion pill may contaminate the water supply, despite the claim being discredited by environmental experts.
- Since the beginning of the summer, ICE officers have descended on immigrant communities, often masked and using unmarked vehicles.
“We’ve seen attacks on our right to vote, on freedom of speech, our identities and even when we think about the National Guard being deployed into predominantly Black cities, we’ve seen these attacks consistently,” says Mishara Davis, the electoral and issue organizing director at State Voices. “We’re seeing the National Guard deployed to many of these cities that are predominantly Black and brown. And when we’re militarizing our cities under the guise of safety, it’s really just about terrorizing communities, including immigrant communities.”
No Kings in Florida
While Florida has trended red in the last decade, its voters have consistently favored progressive measures. In 2024, Florida’s Right to Abortion Initiative, as well as the state’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative, received 57 and 56 percent of the vote, respectively. Even though both measures were supported by the majority of voters, both initiatives were struck down because they failed to meet Florida’s 60 percent supermajority.
“In a lot of ways, the better we fight back here, the better the country is. Because a lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, I can’t believe this is happening.’ And us in Florida are saying, ‘Yeah, this happened a few years ago,’” says Hannan, who noted that Florida has served as a rough draft for the conservative MAGA movement, since many of the president’s advisers are former Florida officials.
The better we fight back [in Florida], the better the country is. Because a lot of people are saying, ‘Oh, I can’t believe this is happening.’ And us in Florida are saying, ‘Yeah, this happened a few years ago.’
Larry Hannan
Regardless of the conservative leanings in the U.S. South, people in Florida care about Medicare and Medicaid—federal insurance programs that provide low-income families, people with disabilities, and people over 65 with free or discounted health insurance. It’s estimated a supermajority of 67 percent Florida voters support state Medicaid expansion.
“We have … a recent history of electing Republicans while simultaneously approving progressive measures like the $15 minimum wage,” says Hannan. “I think it’s a very weird time, because obviously there’s a lot of bad stuff going on, and yet, I think there is a sense that the needle is moving.”
Before people took to the streets on Oct. 18, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) referred to the No Kings protest in a press release as the “hate America” rally. For Hannan, these words represent the opposite of his experience that Saturday. “Seeing the kids running around and having fun was the thing I’ll remember most, because it was just so the opposite of what Mike Johnson and the others were saying a few days before. … This is America in a lot of ways.”
Protests at the National Level
“When we think about the No Kings protests, the goal is for them to be nonviolent, peaceful protests. And they have been,” says Davis. In New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., police departments reported zero arrests at the No Kings protests that became one of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history.
“No Kings really is about rejecting the idea that the ultra wealthy can rule this country, right? We don’t believe in crowning the king here in America. It’s all about democracy,” says Davis.
Anger is necessary and needed, but joy is just as important.
Larry Hannan
Since 1980, wealth inequality in the U.S. has increased dramatically. Combined, the net worth of the country’s top 12 billionaires is over $2 trillion. This number has skyrocketed in recent years: While American families struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, the richest people in the country (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Elon Musk) saw a 125 percent increase in their collective wealth.
As communities across the country grapple with cuts to Medicaid and SNAP compounded with inflation and a higher cost of living, the economy remains a major kitchen table issue. The Real Change, Not Pocket Change campaign, an economic justice campaign fighting for policy solutions that benefit working people, was launched by State Voices with the understanding that the government should put the needs of people above the interests of the wealthiest people in the world.
Joining the Movement
Despite the large numbers of people who turned out at nationwide No Kings protests, the movement still has significant room for growth. The 3.5 percent turnout mark (a general yardstick for the number of people needed to prevail over authoritarianism) in the U.S. is 12 million people—5 million more than showed out at the most recent No Kings events.
“A lot of people have never protested, and I get that. I know for some people, it’s the fear of the unknown, but I would just encourage them to come by and enjoy themselves, enjoy the experience, understand that anger is necessary and needed, but joy is just as important,” says Hannan.
We don’t believe in crowning the king here in America. It’s all about democracy.
Mishara Davis
The number of Americans who have taken action against the Trump administration is large at 15 percent. The number of Americans who would like to take action, but haven’t yet, is even larger at 25 percent, according to data from Research Collaborative.
“Everyone is an organizer,” says Davis, noting that it’s important for people to continue to engage with their communities after they attend a protest by making sure their friends and family are registered and have a plan to vote.
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