WASHINGTON — Supporters of President Donald Trump staged an insurrection Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, sending the building into a lockdown.
At the time, members of the House and Senate were in deliberation over challenges against the counting of Electoral College votes that would affirm Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Lawmakers and staff were evacuated or asked to shelter in place for hours. At least four people were killed, including one woman shot by police and three others who suffered medical emergencies, D.C. police said.
Florida leaders are among those impacted and have been sharing their experiences through social media and over the phone.
Here is what some of them, including state leaders, have to say:
Sen. Rick Scott: The Republican senator is thanking the Capitol police and others that are working to keep everyone safe.
Sen. Marco Rubio: The Republican senator called the situation "anarchy" and called the alleged patriotic nature of the incident into question.
Rep. Kathy Castor: The Democrat was waiting in her office to be called down to the House floor to vote when she saw protesters storm the U.S. Capitol. She denounces the violence and says Trump cannot remain in office any longer.
Rep. Greg Steube: The Republican congressman says he was in the area where a woman was shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol. He and his staff are safe. He was one of numerous Florida Republican lawmakers publicly objecting to the certification of the results in numerous states, including Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia.
Steube said he stands by signing on to the objections, citing a constitutional basis, and will "stay on the course that I was on." He referred to a December survey conducted in his district that he claims showed 77 percent of people felt fraud occurred in certain states in the November election, despite the lack of evidence to support it.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis: While the Republican senator is not at the US Capitol due to testing positive for COVID-19, he says his staff has been told to shelter in place. He also denounced the demonstration.
Rep. Vern Buchanan: The Republican representative is calling the action "sickening" and "unacceptable."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: The battleground state's governor called for those inciting violence and riots to face the "full weight of the law." He also thanked police for their efforts.
Rep. Charlie Christ: The Democratic representative called for President Trump's removal after reporting his safety.
Rep. Scott Franklin: The Republican representative said Wednesday would go down as a very darky in the nation's history. However, in a statement, Franklin said he still stands by his objection to the counting of Electoral College votes.
Mayor Rick Krisman: The St. Petersburg mayor released a statement Thursday morning saying in part, "I did not put out a statement or say anything on social media yesterday about Donald Trump, his enablers, his supporters and what happened at OUR Capitol because I've made my feeling about Mr. Trump well known."
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