Florida’s 2021 Heat Map. Credit: Image via ADL

Florida clearly has a right wing extremist problem.

According to an annual study released today by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, in 2021, extremist groups in Florida accounted for 254 incidents, including two extremist murders, one police shootout, as well as 19 white supremacist rallies, 96 antisemitic incidents, and 183 instances of propaganda distribution.

The 254 incidents were a significant jump from last year’s 229, with the vast majority involving right wing extremest groups.

According to the ADL, out of all the reported incidents in 2021, 203 (or roughly 80%) involved white supremacist groups, and most notably, activity from these groups saw a 70% spike from last year’s overall total of 119.

It’s also worth pointing out that there were zero incidents involving Islamic groups or left-wing groups.

Data from the ADL shows that the bulk of these incidents were performed by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, like Patriot Front, the National Socialist Movement and the antisemitic Goyim Defense League.

In the Tampa Bay region, Tampa recorded four incidents in 2021, three of them involved Patriot Front distributing white supremacist propaganda. St. Petersburg had two incidents, one involved swastikas and “Jews are guilty” spray-painted at Tropicana Field and another neo-Nazi group, Revolt Through Tradition, distributing propaganda that read: “Her name was Ashli Babbitt.”

Tampa Bay’s incidents involving propaganda distribution, and the messaging it contained, was on par with national trends, says the ADL

“In 2021, white supremacists used propaganda to spread hate, promote themselves, attack their perceived enemies and present themselves as victims of an ‘anti-white’ society. In some cases, they used current events to legitimize their hateful views,” wrote the ADL.

“Shortly after the insurrection against the U.S. Capitol, white supremacists created propaganda pieces presenting January 6 insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt as a martyr for their cause. Similarly, they threw their support behind Kyle Rittenhouse, creating propaganda claiming ‘Kyle was right.'”

Though the Sunshine State doesn’t necessarily lead the country in these reports, Florida still ranked among the top. Statewide, Florida tied with New York for the fifth most incidents involving extremist groups; only Massachusetts (298), Texas (336), Virginia (379), and Pennsylvania (488) experienced more activity.

The entire report, including the interactive map, can be viewed here.