A Florida woman was at a food festival with Matt Gaetz. She chose violence, cops say

Public service announcement to our fellow Floridians: If you’re feeling annoyed with a politician, and he or she is in your presence, count to 10 and breathe.

Because a Tallahassee woman is now in hot legal water after being accused of throwing a glass of wine at U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz over the weekend.

On Saturday, Selena Chambers was a guest at the South Walton Beaches Food & Wine Festival in Miramar Beach and got into an altercation with Gaetz that escalated into violence, according to a Facebook post from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.

Gaetz, who was there with his wife Ginger Luckey, was hit in the shoulder with the adult beverage, according to the police report.

The 41-year-old Tallahassee woman was arrested and charged with battery and released the following day on $1,000 bail.

Chambers’ defense attorney Matthew A. Karp wrote in an email to the Associated Press that “his own investigation” revealed that the Republican congressman and avid Donald Trump supporter was not entirely without blame.

“This investigation has initially shown Rep. Gaetz to have been both an aggressor and agitator, and we look forward to taking his deposition,” Karp said. “My client, Selena Chambers, maintains her innocence in this matter, and we intend to vigorously defend against the allegations of Rep. Gaetz.”

The sheriff’s office added in the post that no matter your political beliefs, never resort to taking matters into your hands, or getting physical.

“We cannot allow an environment where you can throw things at elected officials because you don’t like them,” Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement. “No matter your political affiliation, this is not the way to conduct yourself and will not be tolerated in Walton County.”

In 2019, another woman was previously sentenced to 15 days in federal custody for throwing a drink at Gaetz’s back.

Pensacola activist Amanda Kondrat’yev, then 35, was protesting with a group outside a town hall meeting at the Brew Ha Ha restaurant. A cup of a sports beverage struck the pol as he was leaving.

Kondrat’yev was sentenced to 15 days in prison, one year of supervised probation and a $500 fine.