Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency ahead of a speech by a white nationalist leader at the University of Florida.
Scott is padding Gainesville with extra resources to ensure safety. He signed the Law Enforcement Coordination executive order following a request from Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell in anticipation of the Thursday speaking event of Richard Bertrand Spencer.
The order allows authorities to quickly "coordinate resources from other state, county and municipal law enforcement agencies," according to a statement.
The governor will maintain constant communication with security officials to ensure "every request to the state is quickly granted to keep the public safe."
UF officials reluctantly granted Spencer permission to speak.
However, UF President Kent Fuchs has urged his students to "avoid the event" and "not let the message of hate and racism go unchallenged."
Protests challenging Spencer's rhetoric are scheduled for Thursday, though Scott said violence by any side will not be tolerated.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Spencer as: "one of the country’s most successful young white nationalist leaders – a suit-and-tie version of the white supremacists of old, a kind of professional racist in khakis."