After the idea died in the Senate during the 2017 legislative session, a House Democrat is renewing a proposal to establish a Florida slavery memorial at the state Capitol.
State Rep. Kionne McGhee is calling for a proposed memorial in Florida to honor victims of slavery. The Miami Democrat filed HB 27, which, if passed, would instruct the Department of Management Services to build a Florida Slavery Memorial on the Capitol Complex grounds beginning July 1, 2017. According to the language of the bill: “It is the intent of the Legislature to recognize the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the American…
Waterproofing in the Capitol’s underground parking garages now will have to removed because it’s “carcinogenic,” a state official said Wednesday. Tom Berger, director of the Real Estate Development and Management Division, spoke in front of a Cabinet aides meeting in the Capitol. The division is part of the Department of Management Services, the state’s real estate manager. The Capitol grounds now are being excavated to remove trees and topsoil that were bearing down on the complex’s underground garages. The Senate garage,…
Say goodbye to all those yards of fake-wood laminate: The Florida Senate will be shedding the 1970s look of its chamber with a nearly $5 million renovation this year. Senate President Andy Gardiner, in a Jan. 6 memo to fellow senators, said the remodeling will begin this summer. A copy of the memo was provided to FloridaPolitics.com on Monday. “In my view, we are guests in this building and we have an important responsibility to adequately preserve and maintain areas of the…
Workers at Tampa’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are taking a field trip to Tallahassee on Wednesday, according to a news release from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. More than 100 of them, including table games dealers, will be asking lawmakers to approve the new Seminole Compact and save their jobs. On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott met with tribal leaders in South Florida, where he was told up to 3,700 current casino employees could lose their jobs if the Compact isn’t…
Two applicants to the Capitol Police have sued the agency, claiming they were victims of age and sex discrimination when they were turned down for jobs as officers. Woodrow Kerce and Carissa Beck filed their complaint in Leon County Circuit Civil court last week, according to court dockets. The Capitol Police patrol and protect the Capitol Complex, including the satellite state office center in southeast Tallahassee. They sued under the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 and the federal Age Discrimination in…
It may not compare to the estimated $4 billion wagered in office betting pools during the NCAA basketball tournament, but Capitol observers have some side bets going on about the 2015 legislative session. One is when will the hanky drop. Entries for #CateSineDie are due by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Predict when lawmakers adjourn the 2015 legislative session, and win the grand prize: a pair of Gucci loafers or a donation to your favorite charity (if you are not into leather shoes).…
