From Staff Reports

A Pensacola woman who ran for Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat was arrested Saturday and charged with battery after she threw a drink at the congressman during his “Won’t Back Down” town hall.

Gaetz was leaving Brew Ha Ha restaurant when Amanda Kondrat'yev allegedly threw a drink at him.

Kondrat'yev, 35, was one of several candidates running against Gaetz for Jeff Miller’s seat in 2016 before she withdrew from the race.

Kondrat'yev is also one of four plaintiff in a lawsuit against the city of Pensacola to force the city to remove the Bayview Park cross. The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center and the Freedom From Religion Foundation filed the suit on behalf of Kondra’yev and three other Pensacola residents. One of the complainants, David Suhor, has long pushed for local governments to end the practice of opening meetings with prayer and also has called for the cross to come down.

During the campaign, Gaetz challenged Kondrat’yev to a debate about the cross, which she accepted. The debate never happened.

Kondrat’yev was released on a $1,000 bond.