A second office landlord in Florida has kicked Republican Sen. Marco Rubio out due to continued protests outside the two buildings both officials said were interfering with building operations.
On Monday, Rubio’s spokesperson said the landlord at his Jacksonville office had alerted them that the month-to-month lease would be discontinued due to the distracting activity taking place out front of the facility.
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“For the second time in another major region of the state, the unruly behavior of some anti-Trump protesters is making it more inconvenient for Floridians to come to our local office to seek assistance with federal issues,” Rubio’s spokesperson Christina Mandreucci told the Florida Times-Union.
“In Jacksonville, these protesters weren’t just impacting our two person office, they were impacting the children being served next door at a pediatric behavioral clinic, which is why we understand the decision not to renew our lease.”
The building is owned by Baptist Health Properties Inc., which houses the Wolfson Children’s Center for Behavioral Health.
The second-term lawmaker has until April 30 to leave the Dupont Center on the Southbank in Jacksonville.
Last week, Jude Williams, president of America’s Capital Partners, which owns the nine-story Bridgeport Center at 5201 Kennedy Boulevard, said it contacted Rubio’s office on Feb. 1 to say it would not renew its month-to-month lease due to the demonstrators’ disruptiveness.
The senator has seven offices throughout the Sunshine State and has leased from this building since 2014. Rubio’s Democratic colleague, Sen. Bill Nelson, also has an office in Tampa, but has not seen the weekly turnouts of around 150 people intent on expressing their views.
Most of the people who showed up could double as Trump protesters, but some of those who turned out at the Jacksonville office were Trump supporters with something to say about Trump or Rubio or both.
Mandreucci said constituents will still be able to contact staff members in those cities while they search for new office spaces.
