TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s Capitol remained quiet Sunday evening, but security remains tight. Officials remain braced for potential violence at statehouses throughout the United States.


What You Need To Know

  • Amid concerns about armed protests, Florida’s Capitol quiet late Sunday afternoon

  • FBI warned of protests at state capitols after Trump supporters trashed U.S. capitol

  • Tallahassee’s mayor: “I hope that nothing happens … but we are prepared.”

  • Scroll down for live updates

Security officials patrolled from atop a Capitol office building, and a helicopter maintained a steady circle around downtown Tallahassee and the Capitol complex, but the area around the Capitol showed no sign of protesters.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey told Spectrum News on Sunday that the security effort included federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and that the city remained prepared for any possible trouble.

“I hope that nothing happens. I hope that it is a calm week in Tallahassee,” Dailey said. “But as I’ve said prior, hope alone is not a plan. We are prepared.”

The FBI warned of armed protests at state capitols from right-wing extremists beginning Sunday, after a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed and trashed the U.S. Capitol less than two weeks ago.

In an effort to “maintain peace,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard on Friday night. That followed a request from Dailey, the Tallahassee mayor, that troops be deployed around the state Capitol this weekend, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

News reports declared that state capitols nationwide locked down Saturday, with National Guard troops deployed, ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s Wednesday inauguration.

Yet early Sunday, Florida’s Capitol showed no sign of a lockdown and no sign of the National Guard. As night fell Saturday, a Spectrum News reporter walked the quiet Capitol grounds and encountered nobody who questioned his presence, or even visibly observed.

Security appeared to incrementally increase early Sunday, as the helicopter hovered, security patrolled from at least one rooftop, and at least one armored vehicle appeared in front of the Capitol.

Leon County Sheriff’s deputies late Sunday morning blocked streets behind the Leon County courthouse, across the street from the Capitol. Previous protests used the front of the courthouse as a staging point for demonstrations.

Keep checking with Spectrum News for coverage of any possible protests or unrest.