Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey delivered an exceptionally forceful warning on Thursday to anyone considering violent protest in his Florida jurisdiction, declaring: “We will kill you graveyard dead.”
Sheriff’s Message: No Tolerance for Violence
Speaking at a press conference alongside Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Ivey drew a sharp line between peaceful protests, which he said are constitutionally protected and welcome, and violent behavior, which he said would be met with potentially lethal force.
“Throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at,” Ivey said. “Because we will kill you graveyard dead. We’re not going to play.”
The sheriff added that anyone attempting to mob a car in protest would likely be “run over and dragged across the street,” and those who strike deputies would not only be injured but also “bitten by one of the agency’s big, beautiful dogs.”
He emphasized that there would be no excuses accepted afterward:
“I don’t want to hear any whining later saying ‘we didn’t know’.”
Context: Rising National Tensions
The fiery remarks come ahead of planned nationwide “No Kings” protests scheduled for Saturday, in response to the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement operations, which have already triggered demonstrations across cities like Los Angeles. Protests are expected across Central Florida, including in Orlando, Apopka, Kissimmee, and Lake Mary.
Sheriff Ivey and AG Uthmeier stood behind a podium labeled “Florida: The Anti-Riot State,” invoking Florida’s laws aimed at curbing mass unrest. Ivey claimed riots are already unfolding in other states, where federal immigration officers have been targeted.
Attorney General James Uthmeier echoed the hardline stance:
“We are not California. We do not allow rioting in the state of Florida.”
Broader Law Enforcement Support for ICE
Both officials reaffirmed their support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sharply contrasting Florida’s stance with California’s, where National Guard troops and U.S. Marines have been deployed in response to civil unrest tied to federal immigration policy.
“We have a great collaborative operation with the feds, with ICE, and we’re very, very proud to support them,” Uthmeier said.
Final Warning
Before concluding, Sheriff Ivey emphasized one last time:
“Go protest all you want. Do it peacefully. Stand on the mountaintops and yell your opinion, your views… but don’t you dare break the law, because it won’t go well for you.”
Reaction and Implications
Ivey’s statements are likely to draw criticism from civil rights groups, who may argue that such rhetoric escalates tensions and threatens First Amendment freedoms. Supporters of the sheriff’s remarks will likely see them as necessary for maintaining law and order amid a volatile national moment.
With the protests looming, Florida appears poised to take a zero-tolerance approach, setting up a potentially contentious weekend in the state.
