Rick Tyler

Rick Tyler was born on October 10, 1957, in Miami, Florida, the youngest of three children of Richard Seburn "Dick" Tyler (1926-2020) and Felecie Chapin Tyler.[2] His parents were raised in Nashville during the 1930s and 1940s. Tyler's father served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and attended the University of Tennessee on the G.I. Bill where he received an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee. He worked for 37 years with Florida Power and Light. Tyler describes his upbringing as "solidly middle class and conservatively traditional."[3]

Tyler claims that he became a Christian on July 4, 1979. He states that he moved from Miami to Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1981 to become the operations manager of a Belk department store. He states that he then moved to Fort Myers, Florida, in 1983.[4]

Rick Tyler ran for U.S. Senate as an independent in Florida in 2010, and received 7,394 votes, or 0.14% of all votes cast.[5] The seat was won by Republican Marco Rubio. Tyler ran for U.S. Senate in Tennessee in 2014, again as an independent, and received 5,759 votes, or 0.42% of all of the votes cast.[6]

Rick Tyler ran as an independent in Tennessee's 3rd congressional district in 2016, a seat which has been held by Republican Chuck Fleischmann since 2011. During his campaign, Tyler erected a billboard that said "Make America White Again" along U.S. Route 411 near Ocoee, Tennessee, an unincorporated community in Polk County. This sign attracted national media attention and controversy, and was condemned by many.[7] The billboard, as well as Tyler's views, also received attention from the Southern Poverty Law Center.[8] The billboard, which was removed shortly thereafter, was a pun on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign slogan "Make America Great Again." Another billboard included the words "I Have A Dream" next to a picture of the White House surrounded by Confederate flags.[7] Tyler claimed that the billboard was not intended to be racist, and that he has no hatred or dislike for racial and ethnic minorities, but rather believes that the United States should remain majority white.[9] He claimed that the purpose of the billboard was a reflection of his desire for the United States to return to the "1960s, Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver time when there were no break-ins, no violent crime, no mass immigration."[9] Tyler also cited Ann Coulter and her book Adios, America as helping to influence his white nationalist views.[10] Tyler also announced plans for other billboards, including one that would say, "Mama's, don't let your babies grow up to be miscegenators".[11][12] Tyler cited Donald Trump as an inspiration, but also criticized him as a "stalking horse entity".[13][14]

In the general election, Tyler received 5,098 votes, or 1.9% of the total number of votes cast.[15] Tyler ran for the same seat in 2018, and received 4,522 votes, or 1.84% of the total number of votes cast.[16]

On May 28, 2019, Rick Tyler spoke at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The event was heavily condemned, and protesters reportedly outnumbered attendees 10 to one.[17] During the event, Tyler announced that he is running for President in 2020 on the ticket of the American Freedom Party,[18] a group which advocates for white nationalism.[19]

In July 2020, Tyler was arrested and charged with tax evasion and property theft after an investigation by the Tennessee Department of Revenue.[23][24] The indictment states that Tyler knowingly refused to withhold and pay approximately $38,000 in sales taxes between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016.[1] It was also reported at the same time that Tyler's former landlord is suing him for unpaid rent.[25]

On May 12, 2022, Tyler plead guilty and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, to be converted to unsupervised probation upon full payment of the restitution amount of $38,224.90.[26]

Tyler owned the former Whitewater Grill in Ocoee, which closed in 2018 when he was evicted.[25] After his congressional campaign and beliefs became public knowledge, locals began boycotting the restaurant.[12] Tyler also is a pastor and has 20 children.[30]