The National Alliance has been highly visible in Florida in recent years. Members are
primarily concentrated around Tampa, with smaller numbers residing in Orlando, Tallahassee
and Boca Raton. There are also telephone hotlines in Orlando and Boca Raton.
Organized activities in the state, including monthly gatherings, revolve around the
Tampa unit, led by Victor Heath. The unit promotes the NA message heavily: it operates a
telephone hotline, has aired a public access television program and ran a pirate radio
station. The radio station, which was located on land owned by neo-Nazi activist R.J.
Ryan, went off the air in late 1997 when the property was cited for zoning violations.
On three occasions in the last year, Florida NA members hosted David Duke. He spoke in
Tampa in May 1997 and in February 1998, to crowds of 100-150, including about 20
Skinheads. A day before his February appearance, Duke traveled, together with NA activist
Vincent Breeding and a van full of Skinheads, to nearby St. Petersburg, which recently had
been the scene of racial unrest. Duke held a press conference on the steps of the local
police department and invited the police chief to meet with him -- a request that was
turned down. In July 1997, the NA sponsored a speech by Duke in Tallahassee, which drew
about 50 people.
As noted earlier, two Florida NA members have been accused by Federal authorities of
plotting acts of violence and robbing several banks (see An Aborted Reign of Terror).
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