Florida lawmaker accused of making obscene hand gestures during court hearing

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Updated  September 5, 2024 11:29pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Lawmaker accused of making obscene hand gestures

Florida State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, has been ordered to appear before a judge next month on contempt of court allegations because of alleged obscene hand gestures he made during a virtual court hearing.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A Central Florida politician is under fire for how he acted during a recent court hearing in Brevard County. 

State Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, has been ordered to appear before a judge next month on contempt of court allegations because of alleged obscene hand gestures he made during a virtual court hearing. 

In a court filing submitted this week, screenshots of Randy Fine taken during a hearing last month allegedly show gestures a judge wasn’t happy about.

"Things you never would have expected anyone doing, let alone an elected official, was not something I was prepared for," said Robert Burns, who was present for the hearing. 

Burns filed the case that led to Randy Fine having to attend court virtually.

The case was about Fine’s election paperwork.

Burns was arguing his case to a judge and said he was caught off guard by what he saw on screen. He says the local lawmaker was "making obscene gestures like we’re on a school bus in middle school or something like that."

The judge threw out Burn’s original case against Fine. Now, Fine has to appear in court again on contempt of court allegations.

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FOX 35 News reached out for an interview with Fine multiple times. He wouldn't meet with us but sent a statement about what happened.

Fine wrote, "Judge Blaue's behavior in this case has been nothing short of appalling. But he is right about one thing — I have contempt for his court… Now, Blaue wants to have a hearing based on alleged behavior two weeks ago — using photographs that Blaue himself said must not exist and that if it actually happened and Blaue was paying attention, he would have seen and handled in real time."

FOX 35 also contacted the courts and was told Judge Blaue wasn’t allowed to respond because of Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct.

A court spokesperson told FOX 35 in a statement, "…while others may exercise great freedom to voice their opinions, Judge Blaue cannot. However, the judge’s written orders speak for themselves."

In the court filing, the judge also included screenshots from the hearing where people watching the case were leaving messages in the Microsoft Teams chat about Fine’s behavior and asking it to stop.

"No other citizen I can’t imagine could ever behave that way and just completely disregard the court decorum, his rules and policies and just get away with it," concluded Burns. 

The contempt of court hearing is set for October 1. 

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