Protesters found plenty to shout about outside the Florida Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, despite the fact that President Donald Trump was inaugurated less than a month earlier.
Hundreds of Floridians, mostly from Tallahassee, gathered on the grass in front of the old Capitol to protest the Trump administration’s “embrace of Project 2025.” It was part of the 50501 Movement, which consisted of 50 protests in 50 states on one day.
People held signs criticizing Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the founder of SpaceX, for allegedly taking over America’s federal workforce.
Other protesters called for LGBTQ rights and action against climate change. Others criticized Trump’s mass deportation plans.
“We have so many different colored people living in Tallahassee who are friends and require our protection against injustice.
That’s why I’m here,” said Sally Sperling, 80, who was walking with her oxygen tank and holding a sign protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the defunding of the United States Agency for International Development.
“I like seeing the young people, but (there are) a lot of gray heads (too) because we don’t have to be at work,” said she.
It was noon, but nearly 300 people, old and young, were chanting, “What do we do when we’re under attack? Stand up and fight back!”
Florida State University freshman Madelyn Propst, the event’s organizer, said planning the event felt like it took ten years off her life, but she remains optimistic.
“This many people are already fed up,” she said, gesturing toward the audience. “This many people are willing to put in the work. This many people are here for lunch on Wednesday. “I am extremely proud of my community.”
Virginia Weeks and Velma Proctor resolved to protest not only for themselves, but also for their children and grandchildren. “Our country was founded on immigration, on democracy, on human rights, and we’re going to let that go?” Proctor informed the USA TODAY Network-Florida.
She harshly criticized Musk, a “special government employee,” as well as the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Musk-led government agency established by Trump by executive order to examine federal infrastructure and reduce federal spending.
As previously reported, DOGE was established on Trump’s first day in office, with the president directing that the agency be given “full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems.”
“As a business owner, we have a responsibility to keep our clients information confidential,” Proctor told reporters. “We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year doing that, and Elon Musk walks in and gets all of this information despite having no authority to do so. It’s only the starting point. “Where does it end?”
Weeks and Proctor were encouraged by the loud honks and cheers from traffic, but they reported that a few drivers raised their arms in what appeared to be a Nazi salute.
“Did you miss that part of history?” “It contradicts everything I was ever taught in a Christian school,” Proctor stated.
During his presidential campaign, Trump attempted to distance himself from Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation’s 900-page report on conservative policy, personnel, and playbook recommendations for overhauling the government.
However, since taking office, Trump has named a few people with Project 2025 ties to his administration, including co-author Russell Vought as his nominee for the Office of Management and Budget.
Propst, the event organizer, stated that she will be prepared to protest for the next four years, but hopes that Trump will be impeached by then.
“If I don’t sleep for the next four years, and none of my community gets hurt, then I will be happy,” she went on:
Meanwhile, Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power, who lives in Tallahassee, was unconcerned about Wednesday’s demonstration.
“On November 5th, the American people spoke loudly and clearly. “It’s time to ignore the noise and make America great again,” he declared.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@gannett.com .
