More than 15 ‘No Kings’ events were taking place Saturday throughout Central Florida.
Central Florida Public Media is covering the day of protests in communities across the region.
Thousands turn out to peacefully protest in Orlando
Thousands of people piled onto the sidewalks and streets outside City Hall in Downtown Orlando Saturday, for a protest that remained peaceful throughout the duration of the scheduled event and afterward, when a couple hundred people chose to stay downtown to continue protesting the Trump administration.
Once permits for the public demonstration expired at 8 p.m., event organizers with No Kings and 5051 Orlando Latinos warned attendees to stay downtown at their own risk, advising groups of 100 or more could no longer legally congregate together in one place.
“As of now, everybody's been cool, peaceful. So we don’t have an issue with that,” one Orlando police officer told a small group of protestors. “We're just going around, just telling people that the permit's done … We’re trying to be proactive, keep it a good day and whatnot.”
As of just after 9 p.m., about 30 people remained in the event area downtown, with no conflicts or arrests reported.
“This isn’t a surprise”
Orlando resident Anna Pepper held up a sign Saturday afternoon reading, “No sign is big enough for all the reasons I’m here.” To name a few, she cited concerns about the environment, free speech protections and anticipated cuts to assistance for seniors and people with disabilities that would come from the spending bill currently advancing through Congress.
“I guess part of the irritation now is that people were warned,” Pepper said. “They were warned from people within the party, from even people who used to work for him, they were warned. This isn't a surprise.”
Another huge point of concern for Pepper is how divided people have become, a dynamic she said is being fueled by rhetoric from President Donald Trump and his supporters.
“I also hate the divide that he's created amongst family and friends,” she said. “We're at a point now where it's not really about a person, it's a difference in values. And it's finding out that people we loved, deep down, didn't have the same value system, and it's unfortunately different enough that it ends the relationship.”
Overall, Pepper said, she thinks just about everyone in the United States will ultimately be negatively affected by Trump’s approach to governing — even those who voted for him — with the possible exception of the handful of very wealthy people at the top of the income bracket.
“There's no one that can say, ‘Oh, I'll sit this one out,’” Pepper said. “This might really be it for the U.S., if we don't get this under control.”
“We’re all human”
Very few Trump supporters — about four or five — were present at Saturday’s demonstration in Orlando, organizers said.
One of them was Jimmy Rowe, a YouTuber who said he lives in the Orlando area. Rowe said he showed up thinking the event was a celebration for Trump’s birthday, not a protest, after seeing information about it on Facebook.
Rowe also said prior to last year’s election, he would visit events supporting one presidential candidate or the other — Biden or Trump — wearing the opposite candidate’s shirt, as a kind of experiment to see how people would react. He said Trump supporters would laugh and call him crazy, but Biden supporters were “a little more mean,” hurling insults and throwing water at him.
“I mean, we’re all human,” Rowe said. “I was just coming to have a good time … People are saying stuff to me and I’m saying stuff back, but I’m not going up and purposely harassing people.”
Rowe said he voted for Trump and supports his administration now, citing lower gas and food prices, compared to when former President Joe Biden was in office.
Although egg prices dropped by 10.5% from March to April, they were still 49.3 percent higher than in April 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA predicts egg prices will continue to rise this year, by nearly 40%.
Meanwhile, the price of crude oil has fallen 17.5% since Trump was sworn in earlier this year, but those savings haven’t yet been passed onto consumers, according to Politifact. Prices at the gas pump have remained relatively stable.
Rowe also said he does not understand concerns voiced by many Trump critics about how the administration is encroaching on freedom of speech.
“He’s literally the most free vocalizer there’s been,” Rowe said. “So how are they afraid of losing freedom of speech, when he always spoke what’s on his mind?”
“They want us to feel isolated”
For many out protesting Saturday, a chief concern was how the Trump administration is overseeing immigration. Many immigrants going through the legal process of becoming a citizen have reportedly been detained and in some cases deported, nationally and in Central Florida.
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Florida House Representative Anna Eskamani, a Democrat who represents Orlando, said Saturday that her office has been hearing from constituents about many “tragic” cases involving immigrants.
“A UCF student contacted us because their dad has been detained in South Florida. We have families contacting us [from] as far as Live Oak who are experiencing no due process, separation of families,” Eskamani said.
As a result, in some of these cases and others, some people who previously supported and voted for Trump are now regretting that choice, Eskamani said.
“We’re seeing this ripple effect, of folks who — for whatever reason — didn’t believe that what Trump said was going to happen,” Eskamani said. “And for me, it’s not about shaming them; it’s about welcoming them into this work. Because we’re not going to change the direction of this country by isolating people.
“They want us to feel isolated. They want us to feel like we’re alone, like we are the outsiders. But I think when you look around here, you realize that we are not alone, that we are the majority, and that we’re going to protect one another, because we’re all we have,” Eskamani said. “And in that process, build political power long-term, to change the direction of this state and country.”
Three arrested in Ocala
Ocala had a mostly peaceful No Kings protest Saturday morning. Hundreds of people were there, based on photos on Facebook and local news reports.
Police say three people were arrested. Two counter protesters accused of pushing protesters were charged with battery.
One of those men was wearing Proud Boy-related clothing, according to an Ocala Police Department spokesman. That suspect also had brass knuckles and was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
One protester was also charged with battery. Police say the woman struck someone with a cardboard sign.
‘No Kings’ in The Villages, but lots of signs and golf carts
Hundreds of Villages residents joined the national No Kings day of protests in opposition to President Donald Trump on Saturday morning near Lake Sumter Landing.
A few hours later, Trump supporters joyfully and noisily held golf cart parades converging on another Villages town square. They were celebrating Flag Day and Trump's 79th birthday.
Villagers 4 Democracy
At the No Kings event, well before its official 10:30 a.m. start time, many had lined up along Morse Boulevard, waving signs. They elicited the frequent honking of horns from drivers on the street, and some of those in the cars raised a thumbs up.
But some passers-by countered with support for Trump, and one of them held a large Trump flag out the car window.
"Today we are here in hopes of making a difference and pointing out Trump's policies that we believe are unfair, unjust, unconstitutional and criminal," said Rochelle Bosley Larson, one of the organizers with the Facebook group Villagers 4 Democracy.
The Villages, America's largest retirement community, is a conservative area that went for Trump in presidential elections since 2016.
Larson said their protests have grown in size. She said more and more Villagers who had never attended a protest and feared being "outed" by their conservative neighbors have discovered that there are a lot of like-minded people.
"And people come out and they are just amazed," she said. "They've been tearful. They say they are just surprised at how many people are participating."
She said 765 had registered for this No Kings event but others likely attended without registering.
Maryann Raines, 77, of The Villages, held a sign saying "Democracy not oligarchy." Trump's federal jobs cuts hit close to home for Raines. Her daughter worked for USAID.
"And she was one of the first to get fired, and so I'm out here supporting her," Raines said, "and because of the corruption in the government, I mean, he's out there making money off being president."
Seventy-nine-year-old Harriet Alexander was kicking back in a folding chair, holding a "Dump Trump" sign and wearing a rainbow-colored clown wig.
"So I think that Trump is a clown," she said by way of an explanation."He doesn't know how to speak. Every time he talks, he talks gibberish. If you ask him a question, he'll say, I don't know. I have to ask my lawyer, or I don't know ... if I have to follow the Constitution."
'Happy birthday, President Trump'
A couple of hours later and just around the corner in Lake Sumter Landing, dozens of golf carts festooned with patriotic bunting and pro-Trump posters were getting set for a parade through the retirement community.
They planned to join golf carts from two other parts of The Villages for a Trump birthday party in Wildwood.
Diana Hammond, president of the Republican Federated Women of The Villages, said they expected a total of around 600 golf carts.
"We're here as patriots to celebrate Flag Day and President Trump's birthday," she said. "It's an exciting day for us, and we're looking forward to celebrating with others. ... We believe in our God and our country. We believe in our First Amendment rights. We believe in military law enforcement."
Debbie Fleming of Sumter County clapped her hands as she explained why she had joined the parade.
"To celebrate President Trump's birthday!" she exclaimed. "And making America great again! Yeah! Yay, President Trump!"
Then she sang one verse of "Happy Birthday” for him.
Thousands in Brevard County join ‘No Kings’ protests
Brevard County joined a national movement Saturday, when thousands of people showed up in the City of Cocoa for the "No Kings" protest, opposing Pres. Donald Trump and his policies.
Activists said more than 2,000 people spread across the intersection of State Road 520, locally called King Street, and U.S.-1. Earlier this week Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey warned protestors that his deputies would not be afraid to use deadly force if things turned violent.
On Thursday, Sheriff Wayne Ivey took to a press conference to remind locals that running over protesters is protected under Florida law if drivers are harassed or feel unsafe. He warned riots or violence would be met with deadly force.
Dan McDowell is chair of the Brevard County Democratic Executive Committee. He said the for some, the threatening message worked.
“We had 108 cancellations and almost every one of those said, ‘I do not want a graveyard death,’ because that's the words the sheriff used,” said McDow.
Event organizer, Fara Megargee, with Awake Brevard said she felt the crowd was protected at all times by Cocoa Police. She said they were very helpful and ensured their safety.
Megargee said that, other than some drivers yelling obscenities at the demonstrators in support of Trump, and two of the protesters suffering from heat related illnesses, the protest went as well as could have been expected.
"We're taking a stand, showing the community that we are not going to be silenced, and we are going to be out here peacefully, doing this, and won't be intimidated by that kind of talk. We felt very strong,” she said.
The biggest obstacle the crowd faced, Megargee said, was “No Trespassing” signs on the lot she said they've been using for years to park and protest in this area, but a nearby church offered help and space.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
