NAPLES, Fla. — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said there was an attempted swatting incident at his family home in Naples.
According to a post on the lawmaker's Facebook page, Scott said he got a call from law enforcement on Thursday morning about the attempt. Swatting is when someone makes a false emergency report to police to garner a large law enforcement presence at a specific place.
Scott said he wasn't home at the time, and everyone is safe.
"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," Scott said.
Naples police said the incident happened before 1 a.m. Thursday, and the attempted swatting was reported by email. Officers responded to Scott's home and said it was clear.
A spokesperson for the department said the email was an "obvious threat" and the verbiage was similar to the attempted swatting incident at Scott's home in December 2023.
During that incident two years ago, Scott was having dinner with his wife when someone swatted his home.
At the time, a police report said a man told dispatchers that he shot his wife with an AR-15 three times while she was sleeping. The caller identified himself as "Jamal," and told dispatchers he shot his wife because she was sleeping with another man.
Police say "Jamal" told dispatchers he was holding a hostage and demanded $10,000. "Jamal" also said that he had a pipe bomb and if he did not get the money, he would blow up the house. The fake shooting happened to be reported at Scott's house in Naples.
Police also believe that "Jamal's" voice sounded as if it was computer-generated or artificial.
Scott said he is working to pass the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act. He introduced the bill in January, and it proposes stricter penalties against people who engage in swatting. The bill proposes up to life imprisonment if someone is killed due to the swatting incident.
