Florida man arrested for hanging swastika banner on highway overpass

Suspect taken into custody for violating new law barring display of images on buildings without permission, which was passed in response to antisemitic and racist incidents

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A Florida man who authorities described as being a member of an extremist group has been arrested for displaying a banner with swastikas on a highway overpass, a violation of a new state law that makes it a crime to display images onto a structure without permission.

The law was passed earlier this year in response to the distribution of antisemitic literature and the projection of racist and antisemitic words on buildings.

The man from Cape Canaveral was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Brevard County Jail on an arrest warrant from Orange County in Orlando.

According to the arrest warrant, the man, along with others dressed in black and camouflage, displayed the banner with swastikas and a “white power” flag over an overpass that crossed Interstate 4 in Orlando in June.

“The displaying of these signs and banners onto the fence was knowingly and intentionally done without the written consent of Orange County,” the arrest warrant said.

The man is part of an antisemitic extremist group, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a news release. He is facing a charge of criminal mischief.

There are three outstanding arrest warrants for other demonstrators who live out of state, the FDLE said.