Thousands gathered Saturday morning in cities around Central Florida and the state as part of what’s being called a “nationwide day of defiance” against the man in the Oval Office they say acts like a monarch: President Donald Trump.

Almost 2,000 protesters in Casselberry were dressed in red, white and blue waving cardboard signs made from Sun Chips boxes and old garage sale placards along State Road 436, one of the busiest streets of the city. The milelong procession surprised even the event’s organizers, who said only 385 had signed up online.

Twelve miles away in Apopka about 350 marched to City Hall. Weeks ago in the city, a Guatemalan father’s deportation and mother’s detainment came to symbolize growing immigration enforcement in Florida. Now, people waved signs condemning deportation of Esvin Juarez, detainment of his wife, Rosmeri Miranda, and thousands of others — along with the administration that removed them.

People took to the streets as early as 9 a.m. even though morning protests in Apopka and Casselberry didn’t officially start until 10 a.m.

The events, united under the banner “No Kings Day,” were purposely scheduled for same day as Trump’s multimillion-dollar military parade later in the evening for the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. The anniversary coincides with the president’s 79th birthday. There were over 2,000 scheduled protests across the nation and around 70 in Florida.

The parade, estimated to cost between $25 million and $45 million, is expected to involve over 6,000 soldiers, 120 tanks, 60 aircraft and a 19-minute fireworks show.

A protest in Orlando scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall is expected to draw the region’s largest crowds. Local organizers said attendance could reach into the thousands.

In South Florida, thousands took to the streets against what they consider Trump’s unprecedented accumulation of executive power.

A crowd was turned back by Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies in the morning after approaching the president’s home there . The marchers halted before reaching the deputies in shields and helmets at the end of the bridge.

“They’re armed up like we’re some kind of invading force,” said Shel Shanak, 69, one of the marchers stopped by deputies, noting the march was peaceful. “Our flags, our signs, our voices — that’s all we’ve got.”

Back in Central Florida the chorus of chanting, cheering and car honking never lulled in Casselberry.

Deborah Poulalion, vice chair of the Seminole County Democratic Party and an organizer of the protest, said about 1,800 participated.

Whether their signs read “Bad b—-es hate ICE” or “They want 1933 Germany, let’s give them 1789 France,” those participating appeared united under the event’s theme — no kings in office.

Because the parade was on Flag Day, organizers encouraged people to wear red, white and blue colors in a nonviolent display against “would-be kings.”

Gloria Antunez, a 26-year-old chiropractor’s assistant, organized the Apopka event with the national No Kings organization. The Apopka resident said that to her the American flag symbolizes the dream her Hispanic family chased.

“Thank you for showing up for democracy, for justice and for one another,” she said to the crowd through a megaphone. A chorus of protesters — from teenagers to grandparents — cheered back. And the protesters weren’t just of the human variety — there were even dogs, with some wearing American flags.

One such dog, a black-and-white mixed breed named Bubba, trotted alongside owner Lizzie Wild, who held a sign that said “Dictators are RUFF.”

Wild, 32, said watching Trump spend millions of dollars on the military parade made her realize she couldn’t stay silent. The Winter Park Playhouse employee marched against Trump when he was first elected in 2016.

“Millions of tax dollars and there’s no purpose behind it … it’s just for his clout,” she said of the parade.

Ren Fidei, 49, of Casselberry, came clad in a long red gown with a white hat and skull staff — an ode to “The Handmaid’s Tale” novel and TV series.

She directly compared the current U.S. political climate to that of Margaret Atwood 1985 novel which was adapted into a hit TV series on Hulu that just finished its sixth and final season. The series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States, where women are brutally subjugated.

“When I was 20 or so, I read ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and I realized how easily this could happen, and I say, ‘over my dead body’,” Fidei said. “It’s time to be courageous. The time to be meek and sit down and be quiet is gone.”

“This [sign] is really true, I think he’s destroying all of these things,” Rodrigues said.

He said he turned out to be a part of what he called “the 3.5%,” citing a study by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University that said change is bound to happen if 3.5% of the population engages in peaceful, nonviolent protests. He said these protests are the beginning of reaching that 3.5%.

Rene Gomez, civic engagement coordinator for the Farmworker Association of Florida, spoke about the importance of nonviolence. His group supported the Apopka event with de-escalators — people trained to help reduce the intensity of a situation — in the event of counterprotests.

Gomez, 31, said his group speaks up for the farmworker community on behalf of those who don’t feel safe to do so.

“We saw them arrest a 70-year-old grandmother two weeks ago,” he said. “We’re not here for handouts. Our farmworkers, construction workers, landscapers, we’re here to work.”

Erica Rivera-Brown was at the protest celebrating a birthday. But it wasn’t Trump’s — it was her own. The Apopka resident who turned 42 said she doesn’t enjoy sharing her birthday with the president — “of all the birthdays, he had to have mine.” But she smiled as she displayed four signs she made, including one saying, “We the people are pissed.”

Rivera-Brown’s advice for her “birthday twin”: “Maybe reread the Declaration of Independence.”

And despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent statement on a podcast that drivers won’t be at fault if they hit protesters blocking roadways, organizers of the Casselberry protest said they weren’t backing down.

“The governor was very premature in overstepping his grounding to escalate it to that level,” said Dylan Kelly, communications chair of Seminole County Democratic Party. “I believe that what he was doing was specifically engineered to intimidate and to prevent people from coming out today.”

“Sorry Mr. DeSantis, we’re not intimidated.”

Further south in West Palm Beach, gathered just over a mile from the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate, protesters carried signs and waved American flags. To the sound of a banging a drum, they cheered and chanted “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist USA” and carried signs that read “SILENCE = COMPLIANCE ABOLISH ICE NOW,” “and “NO FAUX KING WAY.”

More than 2,000 showed up for a demonstration on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, said Charmelle Gambill, one of the organizers. It took place without any problems aside from a few demonstrators experiencing issues with the heat.

“We’re doing this because we want to stop authoritarianism, and what they have done,” Gambill said. “They’re stripping away our rights.”