HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – A political demonstration in Spring Hill turned into a legal battle this weekend following the arrest of Hernando County Democratic Party Chair Brian Stewart. The Republican Party of Florida is now putting intense pressure on Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried to strip Stewart of his leadership role after he was charged with misdemeanor battery for an alleged physical altercation with a disabled military veteran.
The incident unfolded Saturday morning near the intersection of Cortez and Mariner Boulevards during a “No Kings” protest.
According to Hernando Sun, the arrest followed a heated confrontation between Stewart and a counter-protester. While the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) and local conservative groups describe the event as an unprovoked attack on a veteran, the specific details of the scuffle remain a point of contention.
A 12-second video clip of the encounter, captured by Hernando County Conservatives Chairman Louis Johns, shows Stewart extending a megaphone toward a man who is initially off-camera.
In the footage, Stewart can be heard accusing the man of pouring a drink on him, asking, “Are you out of your mind?” before placing the megaphone against the man’s chest and pushing him backward. The counter-protester, identified by Johns as a disabled veteran and “MAGA supporter,” is seen shouting, “It’s on video!” while appearing to react defiantly to the contact.
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In a statement Monday, Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power called the silence from Democratic leadership “deafening.” Power argued that violence and political intimidation have no place in Florida and demanded Stewart’s immediate removal.
He characterized the event as a byproduct of “inflammatory rhetoric from the radical Left” and insisted that leadership is measured by swift action.
The Hernando County Conservatives also weighed in, telling the Sun that Stewart shoved the veteran and struck him in the head with the megaphone. While the veteran reportedly received on-site treatment from EMS and firefighters, the video evidence does not clearly show a strike to the head.
Stewart was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center and released later that afternoon after posting $1,000 bail.
Stewart is scheduled for a county arraignment on April 27. Under Florida law, a simple battery conviction carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a year of probation, and a $1,000 fine.
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