A Florida public library system’s “I Read Banned Books” library cards are drawing concern from a Republican lawmaker who said the county agency is engaging in “a political stunt” with taxpayer money and warned it could generate financial retaliation by the state.

The Broward County Library system has promoted several initiatives to counter what the American Library Association, PEN America and other free-speech advocates warn is a dramatic increase in book bans and restrictions.

In Broward:

“Book Sanctuaries” are located in each of the counties’ 37 branch libraries. They’re described as “designated areas where endangered stories will be protected and made accessible for exploration or check out.”

A panel, “Freedom to Read: Intellectual Freedom in a Healthy Democracy,” is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center. Free copies of two books that are being banned nationwide will be distributed.

Library cards proclaiming “I Read Banned Books” and including the county library logo and picture of flames are available to residents. People aren’t forced to take the “banned books” cards; other options are offered.

State Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, objected to the “I Read Banned Books” cards.

“I don’t want to see Broward County (penalized) for a political stunt, which is what it is,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview.