The Dream Defenders continue their sit-in at the Florida Capitol as Legislators vote on a possible special session. (Photo by Werthmedia)
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Florida’s Secretary of State has received enough letters from state lawmakers to trigger a vote on whether to hold a special session to take a second look at the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
For the past several weeks, a group of young people, known as the as the “Dream Defenders,” have held a peaceful sit-in at the state’s capitol. The protest began after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges after shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford.
The protesters, who are mostly college students, are asking Gov. Rick Scott to call a special legislative session so lawmakers can review racial profiling and the state’s “Stand Your Ground Law.” The law expands self-defense in Florida and became the subject of controversy since Zimmerman initially was not going to face trial for shooting Martin.
However, Scott and the Republican leaders of the Florida Legislature have held steadfast in supporting “Stand Your Ground.” The law also has support among most Florida voters, a recent poll found.
Scott told the protesters just a few days into their sit-in that he would definitely not call for a special session, but that did not stop the demonstration.
The New York Times reported this week:
The group persisted, growing larger and attracting high-profile figures like the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, who angered the governor by calling Florida an “apartheid state”; the entertainer and social activist Harry Belafonte; and the rapper Talib Kweli.
Most recently, the speaker of the Florida House, Will Weatherford, announced that he would ask a House subcommittee to conduct a hearing on the Stand Your Ground law this fall — an important first step, the students feel.
“We have a plan, a plan to persevere,” said Phillip Agnew, the leader of the Dream Defenders and the only one who is being paid. The Service Employees International Union is paying his small salary.
But the students may have to persevere for a long time. Besides the stiff resistance from the governor and the Legislature, State Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican who will lead the House subcommittee hearing, said recently that he did not want to alter “one damn comma of Stand Your Ground.”
Regardless, Democrats organized their own method to seeking out a special session.
Due to an obscure law, state lawmakers are able to bypass the governor and call for a special session themselves. However, three-fifths of the 160-member Legislature would have to vote yes for the special session, which presents a big problem for Democrats seeking another look at “Stand Your Ground.”
According to The Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald:
Late Monday, Florida’s Secretary of State’s office announced that it had received five more letters from Democratic lawmakers Monday, giving them one over the necessary 32 letters they need to trigger a poll of the Legislature on whether a special session should be held on making changes to the “stand your ground” law.
… Letters from the remaining 25 Democrats in the Legislature have not been received. No letters signed by Republicans were received either.
Lawmakers have seven days to fill out forms by selecting either “yes” or “no” on whether to convene a special session. A non-vote is considered a “no” vote. An affirmative vote is needed from three-fifths of members of both the House and Senate to trigger a special session, which is about 96 lawmakers. If, somehow, the Democrats muster enough support for the special session, it would be convened between Aug. 26 and Sept. 3.
Even though a special session is considered a longshot, even among Democrats and the Dream Defenders, Thurston, the House’s Democratic leader, hailed Monday’s milestone.
Already, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford has said Republicans, which make up the majority of both the House and Senate, are united and will vote no on a special session.
According to the Associated Press, Weatherford also said once “the poll results are final it will be time for protesters to leave the Capitol.”