Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier called Monday for an investigation into a Central Florida Democrat’s social media post reporting that immigration agents were at a bus station in Orlando, a request that drew swift condemnation from the American Civil Liberties Union and other free-speech advocates.

Linda Stewart, a former state senator, wrote Aug. 15 on Facebook that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was at Lynx Central Station in downtown.

Stewart’s post only generated a few dozen comments and likes, but it caught the eye of right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who on Monday accused Stewart of “doxxing ICE.”

A longtime ally of President Donald Trump and prolific social media poster, Loomer is seen as an influential voice in conservative politics, even though she’s faced criticism for promoting conspiracy theories and making racist remarks.

Though Trump has downplayed her influence, several Trump administration officials that drew her ire have been ousted in recent months.

In response to Loomer’s concerns, Uthmeier took to social media, too, writing that Stewart’s post could hinder ICE’s operations and calling on Democratic Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell to investigate.

But four First Amendment experts and the ACLU of Florida say reporting the presence of law enforcement in public places is constitutionally protected speech.

“This is ludicrous,” said Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University. “One of the primary purposes of the First Amendment is to keep an eye on people in power.”

The ACLU of Florida defended Stewart in a statement.

“The post in question is a statement of public concern about information in plain sight,” said Keisha Mulfort, a spokeswoman for the ACLU of Florida. “Members of the public, including former elected officials, have a clear constitutional right to share what they see in public, such as the presence of ICE at a bus station.”

In his post on X, Uthmeier, though, wrote that “harassing law enforcement to prevent them from doing their jobs is unlawful in Florida.”

“Stop playing politics with the lives and safety of law enforcement officers,” the Republican attorney general added.

Uthmeier’s office did not provide a specific law that Stewart’s post may have violated or any other supporting information. His spokesman, Jeremy Redfern, said in an email the post spoke for itself. Other conservative social media influencers joined in condemning Stewart, saying her post could endanger ICE agents and undermine their operations.

Traditionally, it would be up to law enforcement — not the state attorney’s office — to conduct an investigation, said Anika Hamilton, a spokeswoman for Worrell, the state attorney.

“To date, we have not received a criminal case package from law enforcement,” she said. “Should one be submitted, we will review it and handle the matter in the same way we handle all other criminal cases presented to us.”

Longtime Florida First Amendment champion Barbara Petersen called Uthmeier’s position “absolutely crazy.”

“I see nothing she has done that isn’t protected speech,” said Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

Two other First Amendment experts said the government has no basis to investigate a person who accurately reports the activities of law enforcement in public.

Truthfully reporting the location of ICE officers carrying out their work in public is protected by the First Amendment, said Alex Abdo, litigation director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“On the other hand, using the power of the state to punish lawful speech is generally unconstitutional,” he said in an email. “It’s deplorable that it has become routine for public officials to threaten to investigate or even prosecute political speech they don’t like.”

Uthmeier’s post could make the public hesitant to exercise their First Amendment rights, said Clay Calvert, a First Amendment scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank based in Washington, D.C.

“It is designed to send a message to citizens don’t do this because otherwise we are going to investigate you and come after you,” he said. “That will lead to a chilling effect or self-censorship.”

Stewart, who did not return a message seeking comment Monday, serves on the Florida Commission on Ethics, which is known as the “guardian of the standards of conduct” for public officials and employees in Florida.

Before being appointed to the ethics commission, she served in the Florida Senate, Florida House and on the Orange County Commission.

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