PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay officials will meet Thursday to discuss whether to request Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend City Council Member Chandler Langevin following his controversial social media posts targeting Indian immigrants.
“There’s not a single Indian that cares about the United States,” Langevin said last week on X. “They are here to exploit us financially and enrich India and Indians. America for Americans.”
Langevin sparked outrage with a string of such statements and has since doubled down, refusing to apologize and claiming Wednesday that his words didn’t target “Americans with Indian descent.”
“If someone only hires Indians, sends remittance checks back to India, campaigns in Indian elections, lobby’s (sic) to fly Indian flags over American government buildings, and has no family willing to serve in our military then their loyalty is to India and they need to be deported,” Langevin wrote on X. “(...) When Indians were getting rich on gas stations and liquor stores I was in the mountains of Afghanistan serving my country because that’s what Americans do.”
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State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-District 19, says she’s drafted a letter to DeSantis requesting Langevin’s suspension from office, calling his actions “inexcusable for an elected official in our state.”
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, has also weighed in, stating Wednesday on X, “There’s no place for this kind of hate in Florida.”
Defending himself further on Wednesday, Langevin said on social media, “I’m pretty sure ‘mean words’ do not meet statutory requirements for a suspension. Supporting a foreign invasion on the other hand...”
I’m pretty sure “mean words” do not meet statutory requirements for a suspension.
— Chandler Langevin (@ChandlerForPB) October 1, 2025
Supporting a foreign invasion on the other hand… https://t.co/fWdWZB4UFu
Though a recent council meeting sparked by the remarks failed to reach quorum, members of the Indian-American community still made their voices heard.
“This is like a cancer,” one resident said. “We can’t allow that in our community. This is unacceptable and it must be stopped.”
This isn’t Langevin’s first brush with controversy even this year. In February, he similarly doubled down and refused to apologize after saying Islam does not belong in the U.S.
[VIDEO: Palm Bay councilman confronted by residents over anti-Islam comments]
Thursday night’s council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m.