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The clock is ticking on the Groveland Four bill, and Florida Democrats gather with faith leaders to urge Republican lawmakers to rethink their strategy.
Driskell says Groveland Four bill stuck in House, says passing is ‘long overdue’
The clock is ticking for lawmakers to pass the Groveland Four bill. It passed the Senate last week but has had no movement in the House.
If approved, the bill would give $4 million to the descendants of the Groveland Four, a group of young Black men who were falsely accused of raping a white teenager in 1949.
The bill is a priority of the Black caucus.
House minority leader Fentrice Driskell said Monday that the bill is stuck in the House and that Democrats are trying to move it forward.
“When it comes to some things, we really should transcend chamber; it should transcend party,” she said. “The Groveland Four, those men were wrongfully convicted, wrongfully killed, and to bring some peace and justice to that family and that community means so much.
“And the fact that it passed the Senate is good, and it’s a signal to the House that it is time to get going. The challenge is we are at the point of session when subcommittees are going to stop meeting … I’ve been meeting with leadership about it to see if we can get it unstuck. It’s a bill whose time has come, or I should say is long overdue.”
Two Central Florida Democrats are carrying the Groveland Four legislation.
Lavon Bracy Davis sponsored the Senate version that passed. Rashon Young filed the House companion bill.
Faith leaders, Democrats want immigration enforcement reined in
Florida Democrats gathered with faith leaders to urge Republican lawmakers to rethink their strategy.
They want them to pull back the reins on the state’s three-year emergency crackdown against illegal immigration.
“People say there’s an immigration crisis. Let’s be clear,” said Russell Meyer, Florida Council of Churches. “We have a crisis in control and harsh enforcement of federal civic offenses.”
Immigration remains a divisive issue in Tallahassee.
So far, Florida has recorded roughly 20,000 immigration arrests, plus created at least two migrant camps.
“No one is arguing against deporting violent criminals, because public safety matters,” said state Sen. Shev Jones, a Democrat from Miami Gardens. “But hear me when I tell you that there are families who have lived here for decades, like the ones that I just made mention of, people who pay taxes, people who start businesses, people who worship besides you.”
The call comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis urges Florida Republicans to stay on course.
The House and Senate remain split on immigration spending and emergency procedures.
There are three weeks left in the legislative session.
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Spectrum News Staff
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