Police recommend battery and trespass charges be brought against Rep. Keith Perry

State Rep. for Florida Keith Perry has been embroiled in a battery investigation after video emerged of him hitting a man in a row over a campaign sign.

The Gainesville Police Department released the video this week showing the argument between the Republican politician and the Gainesville resident around 6.30pm Saturday.

The man, Norman Robert Leppla, 46, told police that Perry hit him in the throat after he removed a large political sign from his gate.

Leppla said that the argument started after Perry came to his doorstep and asked him to re-erect the 'Keith Perry for State Senate' sign that was on his porch.

Leppla says he took the sign down because people started vandalizing his house because of it. When Perry came to his door, he agreed to put it back out, but then removed it again, saying that Perry had been rude to him.

In the video from Saturday and released this week Perry is seen going to the man's porch and requesting the sign be put back at the gate, and the two carry it out

However the resident, Norman Leppla, told police that Perry was rude to him, so he decided to again put the sign back on his porch, and the two are seen arguing

Leppla is seen approaching Perry during the row and chest pumping him (right)

The video - which is 33 minutes long in total - shows the two putting the sign back out, and then Leppla bringing it back, the Gainesville Sun reported.

Leppla is seeing chest pumping Perry as the two argue about the sign, but the video does not have any audio.

Perry then slaps the man in the neck, and he stumbled backwards.

Leppla is seen laughing, however, and points to the security camera he has installed on his porch.

Gainesville Police are now recommending that Perry be charged with simple battery and trespassing, according to documents released Wednesday.

Hit: The video shows Perry slapping the man on the neck, throwing Leppla back

Leppla stumbles for a second after the hit. Police now want to charge Perry for the incident

GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias told the Independent Florida Alligator: 'In an effort to be as transparent as possible in an incident involving a politician, we have chosen to release additional records.'

Perry’s campaign office have declined to comment on the video or the GPD’s recommendation.

Perry, a Republican first elected to the Florida House in 2010, is running for the newly drawn Florida Senate District 8 seat against Democrat and former state Sen. Rod Smith.

Perry represents Florida District 21, which includes Dixie, Gilchrist and Alachua counties.