LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – U.S. Congressman Randy Fine (R-Florida) is now being sued after he blocked a Republican candidate on social media, according to court records obtained by News 6.
The lawsuit — filed by Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini on Friday — says that Fine blocked a Lake County resident named Aaron Baker on X, which Sabatini argues violates Baker’s First Amendment rights.
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Baker himself is a Republican candidate running for Florida’s 6th Congressional District seat, according to his campaign website.
“Fine blocked Baker from his official X page after Baker criticized Fine’s continuous refusal to support ‘The Epstein Files Transparency Act’ on several occasions,” Sabatini wrote.
The lawsuit further argues that an official’s social media activity constitutes “government action” under the Supreme Court’s framework, meaning that Fine may have violated Baker’s civil rights.
“(Baker) is excluded from viewing and participating in the Interactive Space in the manner available to unblocked users, including replying to posts, engaging in threads, and interacting with (Fine’s) posts and other users in that forum,” the lawsuit reads.
As such, the lawsuit seeks a court order for Fine to unblock Baker on social media, along with attorneys’ fees and other applicable costs.
You can read the full lawsuit below: