Maxwell Frost's Orlando Office Evacuated, Suspicious Envelope Intercepted at Darren Soto's Kissimmee Office

Two Central Florida congressional offices were caught up Friday in a nationwide wave of suspicious mail. U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost's downtown Orlando office was evacuated after receiving a suspicious package, and an envelope containing a suspicious substance was intercepted at U.S. Rep. Darren Soto's office in Kissimmee. No one at either office was hurt, according to WESH 2.

The incidents came as federal investigators look into letters, some containing white powder, mailed to congressional offices and state election officials around the country in the weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Officials had not publicly identified the substance sent to either Florida office as of Friday.

What happened at Frost's Orlando office

Frost, an Orlando Democrat, said in a press release that his office had received a suspicious package matching those reported by other offices across the country. "As a precaution, our office has been evacuated. U.S. Capitol Police and the Orlando Police Department have been notified, and the appropriate authorities are responding," Frost said in the statement, as reported by WESH.

Frost said he and his staff were safe. WESH's Chopper 2 recorded footage from the scene in downtown Orlando.

An envelope stopped in Kissimmee

Soto, a Democrat who represents Florida's 9th Congressional District, said on social media that law enforcement had intercepted "an envelope with a suspicious substance" that his Kissimmee office received the same day. Soto credited Frost's staff with warning his office in advance.

"Congressman Frost's office gave us advance notice to monitor our mail. The envelope was intercepted by local law enforcement," Soto wrote. He said his office was working with federal, state and local law enforcement to support an investigation, and added: "Political violence has no place in our democracy, and we hope those who perpetrated this crime are brought to justice."

Based on Soto's account, the warning from Frost's office gave his Kissimmee staff time to watch for the envelope, and it was intercepted by local law enforcement rather than opened in the office.

Part of a national wave

The Central Florida incidents are part of a much larger pattern. TEGNA stations including WTSP in Tampa Bay reported Friday that at least 10 more congressional offices had reported receiving suspicious white powder and threatening letters. NBC News, as cited by WESH, reported that federal law enforcement is investigating dozens of letters containing suspicious substances mailed to congressional offices and state election officials.

The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the mailings, CBS News reported. Brendan Donahue, the Postal Inspection Service's deputy chief inspector, told reporters Thursday that some letters contained an unknown substance and were sent to addresses nationwide, including secretary of state offices and related election offices. He declined to give an exact number of incidents or discuss possible connections, citing the ongoing investigation.

Offices targeted in recent days include those of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and fellow Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla of California, Chris Murphy and Chris Coons, according to WESH and CBS News. Republican Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska reported receiving suspicious letters on Friday, with Rounds saying his Sioux Falls office was evacuated. In New York, six workers in Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres' Bronx office were exposed to a white powder on Friday that was determined to be harmless, CBS reported.

Other cases show how the letters have reached offices at different stages. A letter meant for Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was found at her New York City office, where postal inspectors responded, and a spokesperson for Delaware Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester said a letter with white powder arrived at a state office but was not opened there, CBS reported. Torres said the envelope sent to his office bore an address indicating it came from San Antonio, Texas, and that it had been turned over to the FBI. Donahue said that any threat or attack on an election official is unacceptable and that federal partners would bring all of their resources to the investigations.

Election offices in at least 15 states said they were mailed suspicious packages, according to NBC News: Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. Florida was not on that list.

What officials have said about the substances

In several cases elsewhere, authorities have said testing found nothing dangerous. Ricketts said law enforcement confirmed the powdery substance sent to his Omaha office was not harmful. Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said tests at her Elections Division found no evidence of harmful substances, and the Wisconsin Elections Commission said field testing detected no hazardous material, according to CBS News.

Officials have not said what was in the envelopes sent to Frost's and Soto's offices, and no results from either Central Florida incident had been released Friday. No arrests had been publicly announced in the national investigation as of Friday.

Why it matters for Florida

The mailings arrive less than three weeks before the general election, when Florida voters will decide congressional races, including Central Florida's House seats, along with statewide contests. District offices like the ones in Orlando and Kissimmee are where constituents go for help with Social Security, veterans' benefits, passports and other federal services, so an evacuation can disrupt that work even when no one is hurt.

Federal investigators also looked into a series of suspicious letters ahead of the 2024 elections, CBS News noted. The Senate sergeant at arms issued a notice to congressional staff about the current investigation, and the House sergeant at arms told House offices on Thursday that no House members were known to have been targeted, a message sent before the powder was discovered at Torres' office and before Friday's incidents in Central Florida.

What's next

Capitol Police, the FBI, the Postal Inspection Service and local agencies including the Orlando Police Department are involved in the response, according to the lawmakers' statements and national reporting. Investigators are working to identify who sent the letters and have intercepted some of them before delivery, Donahue said. Soto said his office would continue to support the investigation. Neither Central Florida office had released further details as of Friday night.