Kyle Rittenhouse, who gained notoriety in 2020 for taking an AR-15-style rifle to a civil rights rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when he was just 17 years old and shooting three people, two of them fatally, has moved to Sarasota, Florida, with his wife and works at a local gun shop.
Shark Coast Tactical announced it hired Rittenhouse on its Aug. 25 podcast
, which also included Rittenhouse's wife, Bella.In it, Rittenhouse said he'd been working at the gun shop for over a month. He said he and his wife moved to Sarasota from Fort Worth, Texas, several months ago.
"I know Southwest Florida very well," Rittenhouse said. "Vacationed here ever since I was a child."
"The first time I came to Sarasota, I was 13."
"This is my life now, and I love my life,"
he said. "I sell guns for a living. It's fun."
Asked whether controversy affects his treatment by the public or his workplace experience, Rittenhouse answered, “I carry a gun and I shoot straight.”
Shark Coast Tactical owner Will Meade told the Herald-Tribune, "I hired a kid who needed a job. He’s doing a great job, and is a great employee.”
Here's what to know about Kyle Rittenhouse, the 2020 shooting and subsequent acquittal, his wife Bella Rittenhouse and his Florida employment:
Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?
Kyle Rittenhouse, born on Jan. 3, 2003, is a right-wing influencer. When he was 17, the Antioch, Illinois, native gained national recognition after being charged with shooting three people, two fatally, in 2020 during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
After he was acquitted in 2021, Rittenhouse made several media appearances, including an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News two days after his trial ended.
Republicans were quick to brand Rittenhouse as a hero—a status that afforded him a meet and greet with President Donald Trump in 2021 and attracted a flurry of internship offers from Republican lawmakers, including former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.
In early 2025, Gulf Coast Gun and Outdoors, a gun shop in Milton, Florida, announced that Rittenhouse had joined its team and made social media posts that prominently featured him.
In February, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office helped a company seize a portion of the company’s inventory due to an unpaid loan.
Chris Smith, owner of the shop, announced on Facebook that he was closing Gulf Coast Gun in October.
Shark Coast Tactical in Sarasota, Florida, announced Rittenhouse as its newest employee in its Aug. 25, 2026 podcast. In it, Rittenhouse said he'd recently moved to Sarasota with his wife and that he'd been working at Shark Coast Tactical for over a month.
What did Kyle Rittenhouse do?
In 2020, at the age of 17, Rittenhouse took an AR-15-style rifle to a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and fired it, killing two people and injuring a third. Rittenhouse said he pulled the trigger in self-defense and was acquitted of all charges.
He fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz. At the time, he faced charges ranging from intentional homicide to reckless endangerment.
Rittenhouse has since penned a book, "Acquitted," and in early 2024, he set out on a series of Turning Point USA-sponsored college speaking events dubbed the "Rittenhouse Recap." The speaking engagements focused on "the importance of the Second Amendment and the lies of (the Black Lives Matter movement)," according to the organizers, per USA TODAY's previous reporting.
Kyle Rittenhouse is married. Who is his wife?
In December 2025, Rittenhouse made a post on X announcing he'd gotten married.
Rittenhouse wrote that he married his best friend, Bella Rittenhouse, a then-22-year-old woman from Defuniak Springs, Florida, and shared wedding photos of the two holding guns.
“I'm back on social media, I'm back in the fight, and i'm (sic) here to stay," he wrote.
“For a quick update, 6 months ago I made the best decision of my life and married my best friend.” Rittenhouse wrote in the post. @BellRittenhouse, I couldn’t be happier. I love you beautiful. More big announcements coming soon…”
On Instagram, Bella Rittenhouse posted wedding photos on June 8, 2025.
Asked how they met on the Shark Coast Tactical podcast, Bella Rittenhouse said, "It's kind of funny. We met on Facebook Dating." Kyle Rittenhouse lived in Pensacola at the time, he said.
The pair married after dating for about three months.
Where, what is Shark Coast Tactical?
Shark Coast Tactical is a gun shop located at 2819 Bee Ridge Rd in Sarasota, Florida.
"We offer in-house gunsmithing, exclusive manufacturer event days, and the simplest process for purchasing NFA items. From night vision and body armor to firearms and accessories, if it belongs in your arsenal, chances are we have it!" the shop's website reads.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr., Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
Kendal Asbury is the real estate and development reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Kim Luciani is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's Audience team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://heraldtribune.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Kyle Rittenhouse hired at Florida gun shop. Who is he, what did he do?
