ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A popular conservative internet personality and gun rights activist posted a video on Wednesday that showed her receiving a federal citation for disobeying a lawful order during a protest in St. Augustine.
Kaitlin Bennett, who identifies herself as a member of the media and whose Liberty Hangout YouTube page has over 1 million subscribers, attended a protest against fascism organized by 50501 outside the Castillo de San Marcos on Tuesday.
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Bennett was not part of the protest and is known for confronting and posing questions to protesters with whom she disagrees.
Videos from Tuesday’s protest show Bennett interviewing protesters before at least one person in attendance asked for her to be removed from the area where permitted protesters were standing along South Castillo Drive.
Bennett and her camera operator were then told by a National Park Service (NPS) Officer that they needed to move to the “First Amendment area.”
I was charged with a FEDERAL CRIME by @NatlParkService in St. Augustine, Florida for committing the GRAVE offense of asking Democrats questions on public property! Keep federal agents out of our cities... unless they're locking up conservatives for different opinions! 🤔 pic.twitter.com/FhrxMhzGOL
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) January 22, 2026
“Yeah, this is a First Amendment area,” Bennett responded.
“You don’t have a permit here; they do, so it’s time to leave,” the officer responded. He then asked her to move multiple times.
“I want my rights to be respected. I am allowed to be on public property,” Bennett said later in the exchange.
“Right here is our First Amendment area No. 5 for small groups and counter protesters. You’re a small group, and you’re a counter protester,” the officer responded, to which Bennett said she is a member of the media.
Bennett was then told she was being detained for a ticket.
“You’re on federal land, I’m a federal officer, so you’re getting a federal ticket,” the officer tells Bennett.
“Great, I can’t wait to fight this,” Bennett says before facing the camera and saying, “The liberals here in St. Augustine, Florida, are cheering because this guy is trying to kick me off of public property.”
The exchange then got tense when the officer told Bennett to get the microphone out of his face.
The officer explained that Bennett was getting the ticket for disobeying a lawful order to leave the protest area, which he said comes with a possible $500 fine.
News4JAX emailed the National Park Service to get more information about the incident, but it has yet to respond.
A YouTube video of the heated exchange has been viewed more than 250,000 times in less than 24 hours.
In a post on Thursday, Bennett said she “will be fighting this bogus charge.”
News4JAX contacted the law firm she said is representing her to ask for a comment, but we did not immediately hear back.
It’s not the first time Bennett has had a run-in with law enforcement during a protest, which she has documented on her YouTube page.
The most alarming thing is that every single incident happened in FLORIDA! I'm grateful our Attorney General @JamesUthmeierFL has defended my rights against these tyrants, but the issues here are so deep that they've gone federal this time. The enemies of free speech won't win!
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) January 22, 2026
Last time an officer thought he could boot me from public property because of a permit, it backfired so hard that I got a personal (and public) apology from the police chief. I'll be waiting for your call @NatlParkService! https://t.co/HGZQ7eVoX7
— Kaitlin Bennett (@KaitMarieox) January 22, 2026
Bennett first made headlines in 2018 when she took graduation photos with a semi-automatic rifle on the Kent State campus.