A Florida Republican says possible ear damage followed a bullhorn protest on the House floor and has filed a workers’ compensation claim.
A Florida Republican lawmaker says a bullhorn protest on the House floor left her with possible ear damage, prompting her to seek medical evaluation and file a workers’ compensation claim.
Rep.. Yvette Benarroch, a Republican, described how Rep.. Angie Nixon, a Democrat, used a handheld megaphone next to her during a chaotic special session vote on congressional redistricting.. Benarroch said the sound immediately affected her. leading her to receive treatment at an emergency room and begin the process of seeing a specialist.. She added that as of the second day after the incident, she was still experiencing muffled hearing and ringing.
Benarroch said her symptoms started shortly after the vote, when she left the chamber and began returning to her office.. She reported going first through the Capitol’s clinic, where staff advised she get further medical attention.. Emergency medical personnel, she said, raised the possibility of “acoustic shock,” but referred her for specialist diagnosis.
Her account also intersects with wider frustration over how the vote unfolded.. Benarroch said the disruption created confusion on the floor. including an initial recording of some lawmakers’ votes that later changed. with at least one lawmaker pointing to the commotion as a factor in an apparent mistake.
Insight: In a chamber where votes are recorded in real time, any disruption that affects hearing or attention can quickly turn a protest into a procedural problem with lasting consequences.
Benarroch said the incident featured Nixon “screaming with that bullhorn” from just feet away. along with pacing elsewhere in the chamber while the vote continued.. While she said she does not believe Nixon intended to cause harm. Benarroch argued that even unintended outcomes matter and that lawmakers should be held accountable when actions risk members’ safety.
She said because the incident occurred during official legislative business, she filed for workers’ compensation tied to the injury.. Benarroch also noted she previously had an unrelated health issue involving her ankle and learned through that process that incidents suffered at the Capitol can be eligible for claims.
Insight: The dispute is likely to resonate beyond one member’s claim because it raises a recurring question in statehouse politics: where the line should be drawn between protest tactics and basic workplace safety.
The bullhorn episode has drawn broader attention to decorum and conduct in Florida’s legislature, including criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Nixon, who is running for U.S. Senate, has defended her actions publicly, arguing that what she views as the stakes of democracy outweigh decorum concerns.
Insight: If the injury claim moves forward while lawmakers debate decorum, the political argument may shift from whether protest is permitted to how far it can go before it crosses into harm and disrupts democratic procedure.