Central Florida officials see no known threats
But are ‘constantly monitoring’ ahead of inauguration
With National Guard troops keeping watch over the nation’s capital as well as most statehouses, Central Florida law enforcement agencies say they’ll be ready for any local unrest surrounding Wednesday’s presidential inauguration, but are unaware of any threats.
Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Guard in Tallahassee to help state and local police keep Florida’s capital city safe, after an FBI bulletin warned “armed protests” could target all state capitals in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s swearing in.
But no unruly demonstrations materialized over the weekend at the Florida Capitol, with only a handful of protesters turning out. The Guard will remain on site through at least Sunday.
No Central Florida law enforcement agencies reached by the Orlando Sentinel on Tuesday had any specific concerns for Inauguration Day, but all said officers remain ready if something does occur, and continue to monitor social media and other mediums for anything that
could arise.
Osceola County Sheriff Marco López and Orange County Sheriff John Mina both said Tuesday, in different Facebook videos, their agencies have prepared increased patrols for Wednesday.
“We’re going to beef up these patrols to make sure that everyone is safe and law and order is maintained,” López said, noting he would be out as a part of the team Wednesday.
López said his office had received “numerous” calls from residents concerned about the inauguration. Most of the threats reference the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee or the U.S. Capitol but “nothing locally,” he said.
“Please resume life as normal,” López said in a video posted to Facebook.
In a Facebook Live video Tuesday, Mina said his agency works very closely with other law enforcement across the region as part of the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, making sure they don’t miss any possible threat.
“We are going to have extra personnel out for Inauguration Day and throughout the week,” Mina said. “We’ll be monitoring everything to keep our citizens safe”
Many Floridians have been linked to, and several arrested for their role in, the pro-Trump extremist mob that overwhelmed stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, attempting to interfere with Congressional ratification of the presidential election results. Among those arrested was Sanford firefighter Andrew Williams.
On Tuesday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced his agency had arrested one of its own deputies for making “written threats” related to the violence at the nation’s Capitol.
Peter Heneen, 29, is accused of threatening a mass shooting against federal officials in texts he sent to a fellow deputy the night of Jan. 6.
Heneen said someone needed to “shoot the feds” and “make the streets of D.C. run red with blood of the tyrants,” according to Judd. He also said he had a plan to “[expletive] kill them all,” the sheriff said.
“I have my stuff next to my bed ready to go,” Heneen said, according to Judd. “... I’ll slit their throats if they touch any of my family.”
Extremism experts warn the far-right rage that ignited the mob will not likely subside soon, and could possibly get worse after Biden takes office.
Local FBI spokeswoman Andrea Aprea said the Tampa region has not received any “specific and substantiated threats” to government buildings in the region, but agents continue to monitor the situation.
“Our efforts are focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity,” Aprea wrote in an email Tuesday. “As we do in the normal course of business, we are gathering information to identify any potential threats and are sharing that information with our partners.”
She asked for the public’s assistance, urging people to call FBI’s Tampa office or visit tips.fbi.gov to relay any tips about potential violence.
Orange Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Christian Marrero said, as of Tuesday, there were no current threats to the county.
“We are not aware of any scheduled events, but we are constantly monitoring to determine whether there is a potential for unrest in Orange County,” Marrero wrote in an email. “We don’t discuss security protocols, but we are prepared to ensure that the residents and visitors throughout our county remain safe.”
The Orlando Police Department said it has not found any specific concerns, but that offices “continue to monitor things very closely in conjunction with state, regional, and federal law enforcement partners.”
Sanford Police Department spokeswoman Bianca Gillett said agency officials have emergency operations plans and “are prepared in the event they need to activate those plans.” But she said there’s no current information of any event that could turn dangerous or violent, which Seminole Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Bob Kealing said was also true for the county.
Law enforcement agencies in Osceola County, including Kissimmee and St. Cloud, also said they were still not aware of any local threats related to the presidential inauguration.
“We’re continuing to monitor the situation,” said Sgt. José Nater, spokesman for St. Cloud police. “Currently, we’re not aware of any planned events in St. Cloud and we’re not anticipating any issues.”
In Lake County, Clermont police spokesman Malcolm Draper said the agency is not investigating any related threats, but he declined to answer when asked if the department was anticipating demonstrations.