- Jun 17
- 4 min read
For U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, the question of whether Kanye West should perform in Tampa isn't a referendum on free speech - it's a matter of moral duty.
Scott stood between a boxcar that once transported Jews to death camps and a Danish fishing boat used to smuggle them to safety as he delivered a blunt message to the Tampa Bay Sports Authority from the Florida Holocaust Museum on Monday: Don’t fund antisemitism. West, now known as Ye, has back-to-back concerts scheduled at Raymond James Stadium later this month.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, former governor and St. Petersburg mayoral candidate Charlie Crist, Holocaust survivors, and several other political and Jewish leaders joined Scott at the press conference in St. Petersburg to denounce the controversial rapper’s upcoming appearances. Ye drew widespread outrage for selling T-shirts with swastikas, declaring that he was a Nazi, and releasing the song “Heil Hitler” last year.
“If we don’t stand up and vocally reject the hate that Kanye West pushes - if we don’t stop this concert - we’re telling everyone that antisemitism is ok,” Scott said. “No, it’s not ok.”
In 2025, Ye was banned from Australia following his tribute to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. He was barred from entering the U.K. in April due to backlash over his planned set at the subsequently canceled Wireless Festival.
Scott and many other stakeholders are hoping for a similar response in Tampa. “Raymond James Stadium is a publicly funded venue,” he said. “Taxpayers should have a say in what happens.”
However, Ye initially announced the June 26 show on May 22 and later added a second date due to ticket demand. Scott also noted that elected officials are responsible for how public money is spent - “full stop.”
“So why on earth would we use tax dollars to fund someone who has called himself a Nazi and praised Adolf Hitler?” Scott added. “Look at the boxcar … people were crammed into these, worse than cattle, on their way to death camps. Many suffocated in boxcars like these before they even made it.”
The sports authority is a publicly funded agency, and tax dollars helped finance construction of Raymond James Stadium. While concert tours and promoters pay to use the self-sustaining venue through rental fees and revenue splits, the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County partially cover operating deficits and renovation costs.
Scott first called on the sports authority to cancel the concert in a letter dated June 4. Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, subsequently told Spectrum Bay News 9 that the senator’s missive “raises serious First Amendment concerns."
"The taxes are funding a venue that hosts a variety of art and entertainment - not just that which meets government officials' approval," Terr said. "So, the fact that a venue is supported by taxpayer dollars doesn't mean that officials get to ban performers based on disapproval of their views."
Ye won a Grammy for his uplifting single “Jesus Walks” in 2005. He also took home the Best Contemporary Christian Album award for “Jesus is King” in 2021.
In January, the oft-troubled artist took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to apologize for his antisemitic behavior. Ye blamed a brain injury, bipolar disorder, and extensive manic episodes for his actions.
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” he wrote. “I love Jewish people.”
Moody highlighted her support of free speech on Monday. She and several others also noted a recent surge in antisemitic attacks and admonished the sports authority for not explaining how the concerts were “evaluated, approved, and prioritized, and where it went off the rails.”
The sports authority issued a new statement following the press conference. “We condemn antisemitism from any source,” it began.
“However, we also respect free speech rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, even when we disagree with that speech. In addition, no taxpayer money is being used for staging the Ye concerts. To suggest otherwise is false.”
The museum will offer free admission on June 26, 27, and 28. Former interim CEO Michael Igel, the nephew of Holocaust survivors, offered a message to concert ticketholders.
“I believe that buying a ticket does not automatically mean you agree with antisemitism,” Igel said. “I know many of you are simply looking forward to a night of music with your friends. But I ask you, I implore you, to consider the unique power you hold in this moment.”
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