JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida state representative who was in the House chambers when local state representative Angie Nixon used a bullhorn to protest a redistricting vote said she is now dealing with possible ear damage.
Recommended Videos
On X, Rep. Yvette Benarroch wrote that Nixon used a bullhorn next to her ear and she later “had to seek medical attention.”
"This is not acceptable. We must do better," Benarroch wrote, along with a picture of herself that appears to have been taken in a medical facility.
Benarroch told Florida Politics she has been referred to a specialist for further evaluation and has also filed a workers’ compensation claim.
“This is the second day and my ear’s still muffled...I feel that stuffiness in my ear there and it rings,” Benarroch told Florida Politics in a story published Friday.
Yesterday, Day 2 of Special Session began with us doing our job and ended in unacceptable behavior. Rep. Nixon used a blow horn next to my ear. I had to seek medical attention and am now dealing with possible damage to my ear. This is not acceptable. We must do better. pic.twitter.com/aVMff08fge
— Yvette Benarroch (@BenarrochYvette) May 1, 2026
Rep. Nixon of Jacksonville was vocal in her pushback as Florida lawmakers approved a new congressional map that could help Republicans retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
Take a look: How the proposal from Gov. DeSantis would change Florida’s congressional district map
The Florida Legislature passed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redistricting proposal on Wednesday after debate that included protests from Democratic lawmakers like Nixon.
“I had to disrupt the House proceedings yet again because they were trying to push through illegally drawn maps,” Nixon said.
Nixon said the new maps would diminish the representation of Black and Latino voters, among others.
“This is a slap in the face of voters everywhere in our state and Republicans are only doing this so that they can look out for Donald Trump and allow him to have unfettered power,” Nixon said.
DeSantis was critical of Nixon’s protest and told Fox News that the move was emblematic of the Democratic Party.
“To just scream and yell and try and disrupt the proceedings just because you don’t get your way,” DeSantis said.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Nixon, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, addressed all the people who are “talking trash” about her “peaceful protest.”
“Let’s get loud. It’s time to shake things up a bit,” Nixon said.
Nixon wrote on X that fighting for Democracy is more important than having “decorum.”