Lawmakers in Tallahassee are considering bills that would increase penalties for youth gun violence offenders and punish local governments that remove historical statues.
Lawmakers debate monument proposal
Statues and monuments are the subject of ongoing debate in Tallahassee year after year.
But in speaking to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, there are those who believe that this bill has some legs in this legislature.
To remove or to preserve? In Tallahassee, state lawmakers are split. They’re wrestling with what to do with controversial monuments.
House Bill 395 proposes the state “protection of historical monuments and memorials,” authorizing “all actions to protect and preserve all historical monuments and memorials from removal, damage or destruction.”
“Over the past few years, local governments have made war on historic monuments and this recognizes that history belongs to all Floridians,” State Rep. Dean Black said.
If local municipalities move or mess with a monument, HB 395 threatens penalties if passed as currently written. Violators could face fines or fees.
As of 2022, roughly 75 Confederate monuments remain in Florida according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Supporters say the bill preserves history. They say the proposal protects all monuments.
“The fact that this bill now is so hyper partisan I think is reflective of the country and how we’ve gotten even more partisan in the intervening six years,” State Rep. Spencer Roach said.
Critics, however, call it offensive. They say cities, not the state, should make the call. They’re also calling it an affront to Florida’s black community.
“Most I’ve ever been more offended by a bill. This bill is sending a message not only to Black folks in the state of Florida, but to your Black colleagues,” State Rep. Michele Rayner said.
At the heart of this bill is the City of Jacksonville. Last month the city removed two confederate statutes, ending a nearly three-year debate.
Youth gun violence bill would increase penalties
As lawmakers consider toughen penalties for kids committing firearms violations, a new Florida bill is making its way through subcommittees in the Legislature.
House Bill 1181, introduced by state Rep. Berny Jacques, would increase the punishment for juveniles caught with a gun — except in few specific scenarios — from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.
Jacques told the House Criminal Justice Committee this week that accountability can be a deterrent for these kids.
“In a situation where a known youth is always known to be carrying around a firearm, and have committed offenses before, if they are addressed early on, that may deter them from doing something else in the future, because these things escalate. Today is just riding a bike with a gun on your hip, with your crew thinking it’s cool. The next day, you’re in a convenience store using that gun. But if we had a strong measure when they were held and arrested for just the bike ride and they had a minor in possession of a firearm, and something clicked, then maybe they maybe they wouldn’t go to that convenience store and Lord knows what’s going to happen,” he said.
But critics of the bill say the proposed punishment is too harsh for minors.
Derrick Collins wants to make a difference in his community.
“We see them at the schools, we see them at their homes, we see them wherever they are. If they’re in the detention center, we see them there,” said Collins, the program director at Mr. and Ms. Mentoring.
But when he heard about House Bill 1181, he had some questions.
“I do feel like they need to understand why they might be holding a firearm in the first place,” Collins said. “A lot of the time it’s more protective rather than them just having it just cause. There are kids who use it for show, but a lot of it is for protection because of the areas that they live in.”
Collins said that while he has kids who may be deterred if the bill is passed, other kids, the ones who fear their safety if they’re unarmed, might not.
Instead of enacting harsher punishments, Collins said legislators should focus more on alternative programs to get kids onto the road to success.
“We do provide a lot of alternatives, reading is one of those alternatives,” he said. “So we provide free books for them. They take them as they come.”
If passed, the bill would also extend how long minors are held at a detention center before the court begins criminal proceedings. It states the juvenile could remain in the facility anywhere between five and 21 days, depending on the crime.
Collins said he would like to know the reasoning behind the bill.
“What is the overall goal for them?” he asked. “Is the goal to deter them from having it? Or is the goal to put the ones that are having it behind bars?”
The juvenile justice bill had its first reading this week and is currently being considered in the Justice Appropriations subcommittee.
Biden attends two fundraisers in Florida
President Joe Biden, aboard Air Force One, touched down in West Palm Beach this afternoon. Two fundraisers for the Biden-Harris reelection campaign were set for Miami and Palm Beach.
Florida Democrats were quick to capitalize on the president’s visit. Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement that said, in part,
“President Biden’s early visibility in Florida shows that the Biden campaign is serious about competing in the Sunshine State, and the Florida Democratic Party is happy to welcome him and his campaign to our home,” Fried said.
Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity-Florida had another take on the president’s visit, noting, “Floridians’ paychecks don’t go as far at the grocery store or gas station since ‘Bidenomics,’ and instead of collecting campaign dollars in Florida the president should unleash economic potential in our state,” the group said in a statement.