Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon is exiting the House this year, but one of her last actions as a member will be scrutinized Thursday.
The House Rules and Ethics Committee will meet to discuss “member floor conduct” in the wake of the Jacksonville Democrat’s decision to use a bullhorn to protest congressional redistricting.
Nixon preempted the vote with a small, hot-pink megaphone, shouting, “This is a violation of the constitution.” The drama led Democratic Reps. Allison Tant of Tallahassee and Marie Woodson of Hollywood to initially cast “yes” votes that they had to change retroactively.
The alleged damage wasn’t just to the vote tally, though.
Republican Rep. Yvette Benarroch said the high-volume outburst damaged her ears. She filed a workers’ compensation claim, something that rarely, if ever, has happened on the floor of the House.
The Committee on Thursday is considering the incident under House Rule 15.2(b).
That rule governs the “integrity” of the House.
It requires members to “respect and comply with the law and … perform at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and independence of the House and of the Legislature.”
“Each member shall perform at all times in a manner that promotes a professional environment in the House, which shall be free from unlawful employment discrimination. Member conduct that causes a material disruption of official legislative business is grounds for discipline by the House,” the rule says.
Nixon could be reprimanded or subject to “further action” of an indeterminate type from Speaker Daniel Perez based on the Committee recommendation.
Nixon, a candidate for U.S. Senate who has gotten few bills passed in six years in Tallahassee, said “fighting for Democracy is more important than having decorum” after the incident.
She did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.
This is not even her first controversy regarding demonstrating against a congressional reapportionment vote. Nixon was involved in a sit-in protest during the 2022 redistricting effort as well.
A.G. Gancarski
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at AG@FloridaPolitics.com or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
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