Live updates: What protesters said at Trump marches in South Florida. See latest
Anti-Trump “No Kings” protests fanned out across South Florida as part of nationwide demonstrations.
From the Keys to Tallahassee, protesters gathered in Miami, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale to rally against Trump administration policies. “No Kings” organizers have said the demonstrations are to protest against “abuse of power,” including the crackdown on illegal immigration.
Here’s what’s happening in South Florida:
Perspective from an immigrant family
U.S.-born Sophia Ramirez, 29, said she attended the Torch of Friendship protest to “represent” and “be the voice” for people in her life who are too afraid to show up.
“There’s a lot of Latinos right now that I know currently that are hiding in their houses because of the ICE raids,” Ramirez said.
She shared that her father immigrated to the United States illegally in the 1970s and later became a citizen in the 1990s.
Originally from Louisiana, Ramirez has lived in Miami for the past 12 years. She didn’t come to the protest alone — by her side were her 7-year-old daughter and niece.
Her daughter, Grace, wore a white visor and a shirt with a cartoon cat, holding a sign that read: “You messed with the wrong generation.”
“I explained to my daughter that what’s happening is not right,” Ramirez said. “All of her family here in Miami is affected. I told her there may be days when she might find out that her uncles are no longer around, that her cousins are no longer around.”
Grace’s cousin Amy wore a Mexico soccer jersey and held a double-sided sign. One side read, “Families belong together,” while the other, in Spanish, said, “Mommy and Daddy, I will be the voice you have not been able to have because of fear.”
Ramirez said Grace’s parents have been too afraid to go out due to ongoing ICE raids.
She added that she’s attended many protests since the start of Trump’s second administration—and has no plans to stop.
“Because people shouldn’t be scared in countries that they’ve helped build,” she said.
— Milena Malaver
Watch anti-Trump protesters march to Miami’s Freedom Tower
“This is what democracy looks like,” marchers chanted shortly before 1 p.m. as they made their way through the streets, marching from the Torch of Friendship toward Miami’s Freedom Tower Saturday afternoon. By 1 p.m., the crowd had swelled into the thousands.
Many waved American flags, while a few Mexican, Venezuelan, and Guatemalan flags were also visible in the crowd.
“No hate, no fear — immigrants are welcome here,” echoed another chant, repeated by voices up and down the march.
Before the march began, an organizer using a microphone and speaker reminded everyone to prioritize safety. By 1 p.m., the crowd had swelled into the thousands. A heavy police presence could be seen at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Northeast Sixth Street.
Earlier in the day, a masked organizer stood at the steps of the Torch of Friendship and used a microphone to address the crowd.
Her message? “We are a peaceful protest.”
The crowd cheered upon hearing her words.
— Milena Malaver
Why thousands marched in South Florida protests
No Kings protests fanned out across South Florida and the country Saturday as thousands of people demonstrated against President Donald Trump’s policies on his 79th birthday and the day of a military parade in Washington.
Surrounded by a heavy police presence, the “No Kings’ protesters were passionate but peaceful. As people took to the streets, reports came in that two Democratic lawmakers were shot in Minnesota in what is being described as political violence.
— Howard Cohen, Milena Malaver, Devoun Cetoute, Carl David Goette-Luciak
Miami Beach protesters share their stories
Renditions of “God Bless America” and “We Shall Overcome” broke out among the crowd of protesters Saturday afternoon during Miami Beach’s “No Kings” rally. Attendees waved American flags and held signs reading “We fought a revolution for this?” and “Speak out while you still can!”
As a helicopter circled above Pride Park, protesters marched along the sidewalks, circling the park and chanting “Immigrants are America!” A megaphone was passed along the crowd when a large circle was formed, giving attendees a chance to share why they were protesting.
James Fabiano, 57, dressed in a black shirt with a rainbow-colored American flag and wearing a paper Burger King crown painted over to read, “No King,” spoke to the crowd.
“When I grew up, I paid attention in social studies,” Fabiano said, recounting how, as a child, he was moved by the stories of Holocaust survivors he grew up around in New York. “I see the same thing happening in my country in 2025,” he added.
Fabiano said he moved from Brooklyn to Miami Beach in 1985, when he was 17, enamored with a feeling of safety and community he felt in the city as a gay man.
“I could walk around in eyeliner and daisy dukes with beach blonde hair and nobody attacked me, I was free,” he told the Miami Herald after his mini-speech. “The immigrant community were loving and accepting, there was no judgment.”
Fabiano said watching the ICE raids happening across the country compelled him to turn out for today’s rally. “I came to protest Trump, the Republicans, the MAGA supporters, to me they’re no different from Nazis,” Fabiano said.
— Carl David Goette-Luciak
‘No Kings’ protesters march to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Chanting protesters in West Palm Beach Saturday marched toward Mar-a-Lago, a private club in Palm Beach that is also Trump’s home. Police allowed demonstrators to march all the way to the end of the bridge that connects West Palm Beach and Palm Beach near Mar-A-Lago before turning them around, according to the Palm Beach Post.
The president is not at Mar-a-Lago. He’s in Washington, D.C., to watch the military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.
— Michelle Marchante
Why people are protesting
Hector Miranda, 57, has never protested before.
Seeing the fear in his co-workers’ and friends’ eyes — several who are undocumented — led him to put on a gray shirt with a phrase so divisive, those same migrants pleaded for him to keep it locked away: “I’m an illegal immigrant.”
“I never felt this strongly about anything to come out and protest,” Miranda told a Miami Herald while protesting in Fort Lauderdale. “It was the fear I saw in the people I work with.”
Miranda is not undocumented. He was born in New Jersey and has lived in South Florida the past 15 years. But he felt he represented all the undocumented people he knew in the hospitality industry who wanted to join the “No Kings” protest but couldn’t risk being thrown in a jail cell.
“I know the last time Trump was elected people were pissed, but nothing like this,” he said. “But this is different, we need to be out here now.”
— Devoun Cetoute
Watch people protest in Fort Lauderdale
At least a hundred people attended the “No Kings” protest along the A1A and Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale Saturday. Dozens of passing cars honked in support.
American, Venezuelan, LGBTQ and anti-Trump flags flew high in the summer heat. Some signs read “No Kings in America”; “No Cons, No Clowns, No Kings”; “Hands off Our Democracy.” Others showed pictures of guillotines, shattered crowns and Trump in prison clothes.
Take a look at the protest:
— Devoun Cetoute
Miami Beach protesters chant, ‘No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here’
Hundreds of people streamed into Pride Park in Miami Beach Saturday morning, one of several “No Kings” rallies across South Florida.
The crowd, many carrying signs with slogans like “This is the government our founders warned us about,” formed a circle and invited attendees to address the crowd using a megaphone.
Speakers stepped forward to share concerns over issues including the Trump administration’s divisive rhetoric, immigration policy and cutbacks to government agencies.
“We were founded as a country — we all learned in grade school — founded in protest to King George,” said Monica Tracy, a 67-year-old retired real estate agent who organized the No Kings rally in Miami Beach. “Our founding principle is that we didn’t want a king, and now we have one.”
In between speeches, one man interjected, shouting that the country could not afford to support immigrants who entered the country illegally. Within seconds, the crowd shouted the man down chanting “no kings” and booing to drown him out. Three police officers quickly arrived and escorted the counter-demonstrator away peacefully along the sidewalk.
— Carl David Goette-Luciak
A look at the Miami protest
By 11 a.m., a crowd of about 200 people had gathered around the Torch of Friendship in downtown Miami, many holding signs and waving American flags.
There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went into organizing the protest, said Raquel Pacheco, co-chair of Indivisible Miami, a progressive grassroots movement that co-sponsored the demonstration along with the 50501 Movement.
Pacheco, 50, who was born in Angola and has lived in Miami Beach for 22 years, has long been involved in activism. An Army veteran, she ran for the Florida Senate in 2022 against Ileana Garcia, the founder of “Latinas for Trump.”
Pacheco expressed concern over what she described as an “attack on our constitutional rights” and the “tyrant-type of actions” taken by the government during President Donald Trump’s second administration.
One of her key goals, she said, is to unite people and encourage them to show up to events like the “No Kings” protest.
“We believe democracy is something you build every day,” added Ariana Hernandez, Pacheco’s co-chair. “We’re raising awareness and creating solidarity groups — that’s what we’re doing, too.”
— Milena Malaver
Trump on protests: ‘I don’t feel like a king’
President Donald Trump earlier this week said he doesn’t “feel like a king” when asked about Saturday’s nationwide “No King” protests that rally against his administration’s policies.
“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” Trump told a crowd of reporters at the White House Thursday while signing a resolution to block California’s efforts to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035.
“No, no, we’re not a king. We’re not a king at all,” he said.
— Michelle Marchante
Will it rain during the ‘No Kings’ protests in South Florida? What the forecast says
“Above average” temperatures are expected this weekend across South Florida, with afternoon highs possibly in the upper-80s or lower-90s and a chance of rain, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.
It’s expected to feel hotter, with some parts of the region forecast to experience “feels like” temperatures ranging from 98 to 102, according to the weather service.
While it’s forecast to be mostly sunny in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, there’s a 40% to 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. The forecast is also calling for mostly sunny skies in the Florida Keys, with highs in the upper 80s and a 30% chance of showers.
Anyone who plans to be outside — either for the “No Kings” protest, to enjoy the beach or other outdoor activities this Father’s Day weekend — should make sure to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.
Forecasters also recommend people try to seek shade or avoid being outside during the hottest peaks of the day to reduce the risk for heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses.
— Michelle Marchante
Protests expected to affect traffic
In Fort Lauderdale, drivers will face delays or detours by the No Kings Protests on Saturday.
A1A and Sunrise Boulevard will be affected between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Fort Lauderdale police are advising drivers to use Las Olas Boulevard or Oakland Park Boulevard instead.
Additionally, the 400 block of Southeast Sixth Avenue will be affected from 2 to 4 p.m. Drivers are advised to use Broward Boulevard as an alternate route to get around.
Miami police early Saturday said officers are not planning to close any roads or create detours in downtown Miami for the expected protests near the Torch of Friendship on Biscayne Boulevard. However, officers are monitoring the situation.
— Cordell Jones and Michelle Marchante
Protest locations in South Florida
There are more than 70 planned “No Kings Day” protests in Florida. Here are the locations and times for Miami-Dade, Broward and the Florida Keys:
Miami-Dade County:
▪ Downtown Miami: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Torch of Friendship
▪ Miami Beach: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pride Park
▪ Homestead: Noon to 8:30 p.m. at Homestead City Hall
Broward County:
▪ Fort Lauderdale: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at A1A and Sunrise Boulevard, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Southeast Third Street and Sixth Avenue.
▪ The protest planned to be held in Hollywood Saturday at North Young Circle was canceled.
Monroe County:
▪ Key West: 11 a.m. to noon. The protest’s location is private, according to the website.
▪ Marathon: Sombrero Beach Road and Overseas Highway
▪ Key Largo: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Murray Nelson Government Center
Read more about the protests here.
— David Goodhue
Senior citizens in Coral Gables join demonstrations
Residents from Belmont Village Senior Living in Coral Gables will rally from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Le Jeune Road and Altara Avenue.
Though not officially registered under the No Kings movement, the group is focused on similar issues, including Medicare, Medicaid and immigration.
— Isabel Rivera
This story was originally published June 14, 2025 at 6:11 AM.
