U.S. Sen. Rick Scott Says FL Home Was Targeted In Thanksgiving Swatting Attempt

NAPLES, FL — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said his Naples home was the target of a swatting incident on Thanksgiving Day.

“This morning, I received a call from local law enforcement that there was another attempted swatting incident on my family’s home,” Scott wrote in a post to X on Thursday. “I wasn’t home at the time, and I thank God that everyone is safe. I’m so grateful for the incredible efforts of the officers who responded.”

Naples police told Gulf Coast ABC that the department received a “swatting email” that used language similar to previous swatting attempts against the Republican lawmaker just before 1 a.m.

Officers contacted Scott to ensure his family was safe and did a security sweep of the home, reports said.

The senator was previously swatted at his Naples home at the end of December 2023, Patch previously reported. Around that time, other lawmakers, including U.S. Reps. Brandon Williams and Marjorie Taylor Greene, were also swatted.

Scott wrote, “These attacks are disgusting and cruel acts that only seek to put law enforcement in harm’s way and instill fear in targets and communities — they must stop.”

Swatting involves falsely making emergency calls to first responders, “often reporting a (false) severe, ongoing crisis at a specific location,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“The goal of swatting is to provoke a significant law enforcement response, creating chaos and potentially resulting in violence.”

Swatting reports often involve claims of violent crimes, including active shooters, bomb threats or hostage situations. They have targeted individuals, businesses, government officials, schools, faith-based institutions and federal facilities, the DHS said.

Swatters often use technology, such as voice over internet protocol services or spoofed phone numbers, to conceal their identity.

In January, Scott introduced a bill to expand the federal hoax statute to specifically include swatting and further criminalize the practice.

“As law enforcement works to find the coward responsible for the attempt against my home, I’ll keep working to pass my Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act to ensure those responsible for these swatting incidents face severe consequences,” the senator wrote.