Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, has resolved a trespassing case over her sit-in this year outside the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Nixon, an outspoken progressive state lawmaker, staged the protest at DeSantis’s state capitol office in May as she sought a meeting with him over the state’s new congressional maps.
His office pushed the maps through the state legislature, and he signed them into law in May, intending to help Republicans flip as many as four Democratic-held House seats.
After Nixon remained outside the office for several hours, she was arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. She was set for trial in Tallahassee this week and faced up to two years in prison.
But Nixon said Wednesday that she had resolved the case and will pay $250 and complete 15 hours of community service, all of which will be conducted outside her campaign. She did not plead guilty and maintains that she did nothing wrong.
“Elected leaders being accessible to the people they serve is fundamental to a functioning democracy,” Nixon said in a statement.
Nixon, who won an upset primary, faces long odds in November against Sen. Ashley Moody (R), whom DeSantis appointed to the role last year.
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