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OCALA, Fla. – Republican congressional candidate Aaron Baker filed a federal lawsuit Friday against U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, alleging Fine violated the First Amendment by blocking Baker from what the complaint describes as Fine’s “two official” X (formerly Twitter) accounts used to communicate with constituents and the public about official matters. (Read the entire complaint at the end of this article)
The complaint, filed Feb. 20, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division, seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, including an order requiring Fine to unblock Baker. Baker’s attorneys also ask the court to declare that blocking based on viewpoint is unconstitutional.
What the lawsuit alleges
According to the filing, Fine blocked Baker in February 2026 after Baker criticized Fine on “several occasions” for refusing to support what the complaint calls “The Epstein Files Transparency Act.” The lawsuit argues the block was viewpoint-based and ongoing, keeping Baker excluded from reading and participating in the interactive portions of Fine’s X accounts.
The complaint says Fine operates and or controls X accounts held out as official channels of his office, listing @repfine and @voterandyfine among the accounts at issue (and referencing any additional X accounts used to communicate in an official capacity). The filing claims Fine uses the accounts to communicate about legislative activity, constituent services, official events, and other matters within his official responsibilities.
The lawsuit also emphasizes that the accounts are configured to allow public interaction through replies, quote-posts, reposts, and comment threads. Baker argues Fine opened an interactive online space for engagement on governmental matters and then excluded him from that space based on protected political speech.
The legal theory
Baker’s complaint contends that the interactive portions of Fine’s official X accounts function as at least a limited public forum, and that banning a critic from that interactive space constitutes unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. The filing frames the alleged harm as irreparable because it involves the loss of First Amendment freedoms and exclusion from ongoing civic discourse and petitioning activity.
The complaint says the court has federal-question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and seeks declaratory relief under 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 to 2202. It alleges venue is proper in the Middle District of Florida because Baker resides in the district and because a substantial part of the events giving rise to the claim occurred there and or Fine’s communications were directed into the district.
The suit names Fine in both his official capacity and individual capacity, and asks for attorneys’ fees and costs under multiple statutes, including the Equal Access to Justice Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1988.
Broader context: “Blocked by Randy Fine” group
The lawsuit comes amid long-running complaints from residents who say they have been blocked by Fine across multiple social media platforms. Critics frequently point to a Facebook group titled “Blocked by Randy Fine,” which lists hundreds of members who say they were blocked on various Fine accounts, including his official X account.
What happens next
Fine had not publicly responded to the complaint at the time of publication. The Space Coast Rocket reached out to Fine’s congressional office for comment.
The complaint was filed by attorney Anthony F. Sabatini of Sabatini Law Firm, P.A., based in Mount Dora, Florida.
