Tampa police helicopters circled Curtis Hixon Park while 22 teenagers trashed the waterfront and attacked each other in the street.
That was three weeks ago – and Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback just showed up in Tampa with a question the media couldn't answer.
He asked them about January 6.
Fishback Drops the Euphemism and Picks Up the Statute Book
Fishback traveled to Tampa after the May 8 riot and said out loud what law enforcement was too nervous to say.
"It's quite fitting that members of the media, including some here today, had no issue calling the events of January 6th a violent insurrection when in fact no one was charged with insurrection," he told reporters at a press conference surrounded by microphones. "But they're reluctant to call young black teens armed with weapons, carrying illegal drugs, rioting at this place on Friday night something as simple as a 'teen takeover.'"
The reporters didn't have an answer.
Fishback then named the statute – Florida 870.01 – and announced that any participant in a so-called teen takeover would be charged under it as a third-degree felony the moment he takes office.
Under Florida law, rioting carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
He didn't stop there.
He announced a social media youth disruption unit inside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – tasked with monitoring incitement on TikTok and Instagram, shutting down coordination before a single teenager shows up, and triggering National Guard deployment when intelligence warrants it.
And he committed to a 90-day task force of law enforcement, business leaders, and church pastors to examine root causes and deliver a report directly to his desk.
Teen Takeover Riots Are Hitting Florida Cities All Summer Long
The soft language isn't accidental.
"Teen takeover" is a deliberate frame designed to minimize criminal behavior – to make riots sound like a social media trend rather than a violent crime.
Tampa wasn't close to ambiguous. Officers deployed bikes, patrol units, and aerial surveillance to restore order after hundreds of young people flooded Curtis Hixon Park, started fights, and left police hauling away two firearms and making 22 arrests on charges ranging from narcotics possession to unlawful weapon possession.
That was a law enforcement operation.
And Tampa wasn't alone. A month earlier, more than 1,000 teenagers flooded Orlando's ICON Park off International Drive after a coordinated flyer circulated online. The crowd turned violent within minutes. Two Orange County sheriff's deputies were hospitalized. Nine juveniles – ages 13 to 16 – were arrested on charges including battery on a law enforcement officer.
Before that, in March, Hillsborough County deputies stormed a trampoline park in Brandon where 200 teenagers had turned the facility into a combat zone.
"They come to fight," a deputy said.
This is a pattern. It has a name. And James Fishback said it on camera.
https://x.com/j_fishback/status/2060079008591519842“>https://x.com/j_fishback/status/2060079008591519842
Felony Rioting Charges Are How Florida Stops the Next Teen Takeover
When you call it a takeover, you get misdemeanor charges, parental lectures, and another news cycle.
When you call it a riot, you get felony prosecution, five years, and a record that follows participants into adulthood.
Fishback's three-policy plan closes the gap between what's happening in Florida's parks and what the criminal code already allows.
These events are organized on TikTok and Instagram using AI-generated flyers that spread within hours.
A dedicated FDLE monitoring unit can track that coordination, identify the inciters, and move before the crowd assembles – not after the helicopters are already in the air.
Fishback also warned participants directly: charges can come retroactively, within the statute of limitations window.
Show up, riot, go home – and still find a warrant waiting.
That's the message the media doesn't want to deliver.
Sources:
- Tampa Police Department, "Tampa Police Arrest 22 Following 'Teen Takeover' at Curtis Hixon Park," Tampa.gov, May 9, 2026.
- WFLA Staff, "Gubernatorial Candidate James Fishback calls teen takeover 'a riot,'" WFLA News Channel 8, May 2026.
- Fox News Staff, "Tampa police make 22 arrests after chaotic teen takeover at city park," Fox News, May 2026.
- Fox News Staff, "Wild bodycam video shows cops storm chaotic teen 'takeover' as businesses trashed," Fox News, March 31, 2026.
- Leppard Law, "Strategies for Overcoming a Rioting Charge in Florida," Leppard Law, 2025.
