Thousands of protesters from Sarasota to Largo to Lakeland spoke out against President Donald Trump on Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” movement.
The rallies started in the late morning and continued throughout the afternoon at more than a dozen local locations. All featured poster-waving residents chanting their dissatisfaction with the first six months of the president’s second term.
“No Trump, No KKK, No Racist USA,” was a common refrain.
In front of Tampa City Hall, thousands of people stood behind barricades along Kennedy Boulevard. Their concerns ranged from cuts to the National Weather Service to LGBTQ rights.
Navy veteran Robert Drollett came to the protest wearing his military uniform. He works at a construction company, and says he's lost co-workers to deportations, and watched prices for materials skyrocket thanks to tariffs.
"I am out here because I have given away years of my life fighting for this county only to have my rights taken away here," he said.
Another Tampa protester, Brendan Havens, said he's worried about the deportation of immigrants and potential cuts to Medicare. And another issue impacting families every day: Inflation.
PHOTOS: See No Kings protests around the country
"Grocery prices have continued to go up. It's a direct reflection of the tariffs," he said.
In St. Petersburg, hundreds of people lined a major intersection at Tyrone Boulevard just before noon. And like the rally in Tampa and others in Sarasota and Bradenton and at the state Capitol, protesters made a point of staying on the sidewalk and not obstructing traffic.
As of Saturday evening, there were no reports of arrests by area law enforcement.
A protest in front of the Pinellas County Jail featured several speakers who focused on recent deportation raids by Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents in Florida and across the nation.
“I'm here to speak up for the immigrants that cannot speak here today, and I'm here to support the immigrant community in our country,” said Sara Contreras of Clearwater.
Speakers highlighted the case of Rosa Patishtan-Gomez, who is at the jail and faces a hearing on Tuesday. Ruth Beltran from the Party for Socialism and Liberation said Patishtan-Gomez has no criminal history and was detained after dropping her two small children off with a babysitter.
Jessica Tatt of Palm Harbor said she was also protesting the war in Gaza.
“I am collaborating with my other fellow concerned citizens for the blatant disregard and attacks on our immigrant community,” Tatt said. “I am here in support of our Palestinian brothers and sisters who are undergoing a current genocide that has been going on for more than a year now, so we are here to speak out against the atrocity.”
Trump’s changes to health care and diversity policies also was a major reason why protesters came out. In Tampa, Jimmie Marshall says he came out because he's lived with a neuro-muscular disorder for seven years. He said he fears losing access to health care.
“The difference is a reduction of care,” Marshall said. “The difference is the denial of specialty help that I may need.”
Kendra Von Airheart says she is a transgender woman and attended to fight against President Trump's war on woke and diversity, equity and inclusion.
"He's turned that into some issue that doesn't really exist," Von Airheart said during the Tampa protests. “That's only helping the country grow and be stronger."
