U.S. Senator Rick Scott held a press conference at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg today, urging the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel Kanye West’s upcoming concerts at Raymond James Stadium.
The push to cancel the shows stems from West’s history of antisemitic remarks and his public embrace of Nazism. Because Raymond James Stadium is a publicly funded venue, Scott and other leaders argue that allowing the event to proceed means taxpayer resources are indirectly providing a platform for hate speech.
Scott was joined at the museum by a group of officials and community advocates, including U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, and Holocaust survivor Toni Rinde. Leo Terrell, Chair of the Department of Justice’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, also attended alongside several local Jewish community leaders.
“Here’s the bottom line: Florida should not fund antisemitism,” Scott said during the event. “If we don’t stand up and vocally reject the hate from Kanye West, if we don’t stop this concert, we’re telling everyone that antisemitism is okay in Florida – as long as you can make some money with it.”
Scott warned that allowing the concerts to go forward would put the local Jewish population at risk, emphasizing that local government needs to draw a hard line.
“That puts an even bigger target on our Jewish community – more than anything Kanye West could say or do himself,” Scott continued. “Right now, it’s the Jews. If we let this continue, hate like this will undermine all western civilization. We should do everything in our power to keep public money and resources out of that kind of event.”
Today’s press conference follows a formal letter Scott sent to the Tampa Sports Authority Board of Directors on June 4, officially requesting the cancellation of the shows. The senator has focused heavily on similar issues during his time in Congress, recently leading the Senate passage of a bipartisan resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and frequently sponsoring legislation aimed at combating antisemitism on college campuses.
The Tampa Sports Authority has not yet released a statement regarding the status of the upcoming concerts.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
