Skater haters Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan just touched down in Florida, but Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t exactly excited to see them.
They flew in from Romania, where they’ve been tangled up in some serious legal issues, and DeSantis made it clear they’re “not welcome” in the state.
He mentioned during a press conference that Florida isn’t a place for that kind of behavior.
On top of that, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has kicked off a “preliminary inquiry” into the Tate brothers.
He emphasized that Florida takes accusations of human trafficking and violence against women very seriously. Uthmeier tweeted that if the alleged crimes are under Florida’s jurisdiction, they’ll be held accountable.
The brothers, who called skateboarders "virgins," were stuck in Romania dealing with charges related to sex trafficking and forming a criminal group but headed to the U.S. after their travel restrictions were lifted. Their spokesperson confirmed their plane landed in Fort Lauderdale around noon.
There’s no solid reason why Romania eased those restrictions, but prosecutors did approve a request to lift the travel ban.
Rumors spread that the Trump administration might have pressured Romanian officials, but both the Romanian government and Trump have denied it.
Romania’s Prime Minister stated that the U.S. never made any requests about the legal status of certain foreign influencers, and Trump, when asked, said he knows nothing about it.
The Tates, who are U.S.-British citizens, were arrested in late 2022 and formally indicted last year.
Besides their legal battles in Romania, Andrew is also facing a civil case in the UK, where four women have accused him of rape and coercive control. For now, DeSantis is leaving the legal side of things to Florida’s Attorney General.
The case in Romania is still open, and investigations are ongoing. One thing’s for sure—Florida isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat for them.