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U.S. Constitution

Wesley Chapel’s Union Park community celebrates Juneteenth

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The second annual Juneteenth Family Day Celebration in Wesley Chapel’s Union Park community brought on added significance.

Just days prior to the weekend event, the U.S. Senate passed legislation declaring June 19 a federal holiday, and then President Joe Biden signed it into law.

The groundbreaking development brought extra spark to all involved, event organizer Melissa Akers-Atkins acknowledged.

Tamika Diaz, of Wesley Chapel, leads children in an uplifting and inspirational dance during the Juneteenth Celebration at Union Park. (Fred Bellet)

“We were very excited,” Akers-Atkins recently told The Laker/Lutz News. “It happened Thursday, so we were excited that Saturday we were able to announce that and celebrate it again, even more. It was just a little different you know.”

The event was held to commemorate the day – June 19, 1865 – when the last enslaved Blacks, in Galveston, Texas, learned that the Emancipation Proclamation had freed them. Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.

The June 19 celebration at Union Park was coordinated by a handful of neighborhood residents, led by Akers-Atkins. Other members of the planning committee included Tamika Diaz, Alexandra Archibald, Mesha Pierre, Talana Brown, Antoine Williams and Michaela Steward.

Songs, dance, music, food, prayer, prizes and fellowship filled a day of activities from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Union Park clubhouse on Bering Road.

Faraasha Bell Fonoti, 14, and NeVaeh Akers-Atkins, 13, both of Wesley Chapel, receive a round of applause that left them delighted after performing a step dance, which requires the shoes on the pavement to be the percussion aspects of the dance. Derived from African and slave dances, stepping or step dance is energetic and expressive.

The festival drew over 100 attendees and also had several Black-owned vendors and other organizations on hand. This included multiple young entrepreneurs like 14-year-old Jordan Parramore, the owner/operator of Jordan’s Juice Bar, selling juice pops and coco bombs.

The event began with an opening prayer from Carmel Friendship Church pastor Quincy Stratford, then a discussion on the meaning of Juneteenth led by co-organizer Tamika Diaz.

Neil Archibald, a Wesley Chapel-based attorney, delivered a reflection speech called “Affirmations to Live By,” about what it’s like to be an African American male in society today. He also encouraged young people to pursue their dreams and never give up on lifelong goals.

Multiple poems were presented throughout the event, too.

Aiyana Gabrielle Williams, 15, delivered “Never Give In” by Greg Thung. Deidre Kelsey-Holley read an original poem, titled “Chosen.”

The family friendly event also included all sorts of activities for kids, including volleyball, football, Connect 4, Jenga, corn hole, checkers, hula hoop and bounce house.

The recent deaths of Black individuals by police officers, including George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement and street protests brought greater attention to Juneteenth celebrations over the past couple years.

Neil Archibald and his sons Nicholas, 6, left, and Noah, 7, watch a step dance performance on the Union Park sidewalk. It was all part of the entertainment at the Juneteenth Celebration.

The background and history of Juneteenth is enlightening.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, freeing slaves living in the Confederate states.

But, the news in those days traveled slowly, or in some instances, wasn’t acknowledged by slave owners.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers came ashore at Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. The date was 2 ½ years after Lincoln’s proclamation.

A few months later, on Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery everywhere. The following year, Juneteenth celebrations, often hosted by African American churches, took root.

Raising awareness of the importance of Juneteenth was among Union Park event organizers goals.

But, they also want to foster unity, a sense of safety, and civic participation through voting.

Uplifting and providing outreach to area youth likewise was imperative during the Juneteenth celebration, Akers-Atkins said.

Several kids were incorporated into the celebration, including a step dance performance from Wesley Chapel teenagers Faraasha Bell Fonoto and NaVeah Akers-Atkins.

Trevor Roberts, 40, of Wesley Chapel, said he really only learned about Juneteenth eight years ago, while living in Oakland, California. He is happy the day is now well-known and the history behind the day will now be widely taught to children in school.

Derived from African and slave dances, stepping is energetic and expressive, and requires the shoes on the pavement to be the percussion aspects of the dance.

Meanwhile, the celebration’s youngest performer was five-year-old Joilene Jones, who delivered a gymnastics routine for all to see.

“I think as the youth see the community within which they live care about their education, whether they’re in school or out of school, we care enough about them, and we’d like to still encourage them in that and let them see that you don’t just have to learn what they teach you in school,” Akers-Atkins explained.

“Your neighbors, your community, the people around you, we’re all here to help build you up and mold you into this well-rounded individual, seeing and doing and modeling for them, and also including them in these activities and including them in the planning, so I think it’s very important that we do that, and that we continue to push them.

“We hope there’s more kids next year that aren’t afraid to step out of their comfort zone and they’re able to share their artistic talents with their community,” Akers-Atkins said.

Melissa and fellow organizers plan to host a Juneteenth celebration each year at Union Park, with grander visions to someday collaborate on a countywide event incorporating several other neighboring communities — a get-together that could be held at Wesley Chapel District Park.

Meanwhile, they also plan to host other cultural events through the year at Union Park, including celebrations for Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

Published June 30, 2021

Panel discusses race, social justice issues in America

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Finding meaningful solutions to enduring race and social justice issues in America — begins first with open, honest, respectful conversations with one another.

That was the overarching theme of a group of panelists taking part in a virtual seminar called “Equity in our Nation.”

Tim Beard is president of Pasco-Hernando State College (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

The Sept. 14 event, hosted by Pasco-Hernando State College, brought together local speakers of diverse race and religious backgrounds.

The panelists spent three hours expressing their views on the current state of America, and offering suggestions for how to improve systems to increase fairness, justice and educational equities.

Social justice issues have come front and center — in the wake of persistent nationwide protests in response to incidents of police brutality and other racially motivated violence against Blacks.

Having a safe haven in higher education and faith-based structures to debate differing ideas and have meaningful dialogue is the foundation to facilitate change in what’s become a nation divided in recent months, said PHSC president Tim Beard.

Beard, who is Black, put it like this: “We all perhaps would agree that our country is very divided right now. I’ve never seen it this divided in my little short 58 years. I think it’s going to take sessions and platforms to learn how to listen to each other. None of us know it all, but together, we can make America a great nation.”

James V. Williams is senior pastor of Clearwater’s Mt. Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church. (Courtesy of Mt. Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church)

That message resonates with Pasco Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Bryan Banner.

In a period rife with social unrest, Banner has “serious skin in the game” being a Black man who works in law enforcement, and who has three sons.

“I always say: I don’t think there’s much that can’t be solved over coffee and some conversations. That’s just my approach to life and problem-solving,” said Banner. “Before we point guns at each other, before we take up arms and kill each other, how about we attempt to have a conversation?”

Panelists also agreed that being humble and treating others how you want to be treated are paramount to improving society, on the whole.

Protesters stood on the side of the road at the intersection of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, chanting slogans during a peaceful protest on June 6 to try to raise awareness for the need to take action to end systemic racism. (File)

“When you have a problem, you don’t fix the problem by becoming the problem,” said James Williams, a Black senior pastor at Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church in Clearwater.

“In this nation, we’ve come to a place where we reach conclusions about someone based on the narrative of the day. What do I mean? Instead of giving a person the opportunity to show you their character, we generalize them, we’ve come to a conclusion about them, based on a previous experience. …What if we give people the opportunity to show us their character, before assuming that they are what we’ve experienced?,” Williams said.

Rabbi Jeff Zaremsky of Beth El-Shalom in New Port Richey and St. Petersburg similarly observed “loving one another” and “having a heart that puts the other person first and cares about them” can collectively instill sustainable social justice throughout communities.

Black in America
A significant portion of discussion veered into the Black experience in America.

Pasco-Hernando State College trustee Al Hernandez (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

AdventHealth West Pasco/North Pinellas community engagement coordinator Trevor Williams underscored the struggles people of color face today in the U.S., resulting from what he claimed is a nation originally founded “on racist beliefs and the notion of white supremacy.”

Those ideals, Williams said, remain steeped in policies and procedures “that are not made to factor in minorities and furthers the gap of equality.”

As an example, he said, “Black people who commit a crime are more likely to receive a harsher punishment compared to a white person who committed the very same crime with the same exact background.”

Williams, who is Black, also detailed how segregation is still prevalent in school systems, noting large percentages of Black and Latino students receive a weaker quality of education growing up in poorer communities, therefore placing them at a greater disadvantage in health and social outcomes compared to white counterparts.

He then summed up the obstacles overall: “Let’s just say that if my name was “Travaris” and not “Trevor” my chances of receiving a callback for an application would be cut in half.”

Pasco Alliance for Substance Addiction Prevention (ASAP) community health coordinator Bonni Snider supplemented those points — stating people of color have felt invisible and marginalized throughout American history.

“For years, minorities have been thought of as less than human; thought of as more of a condition than a person,” Snider said.

It’s something Snider has experienced firsthand, as a biracial woman.

“I have been asked numerous times, ‘What are you?’ and when I hear that question, it makes me think I’m seen more as an object than I am as a person. My response typically is, ‘I’m a human.’

“How many times can a non-minority, someone who’s Caucasian, say that they’ve experienced those same things?”

Snider went on to reference the provision of the original 1787 U.S. Constitution, which allowed Southern states to count slaves as three-fifths of a person in population counts.

Rod Cunningham, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) community outreach director (File)

The so-called Three-Fifths compromise, she reasoned, perpetuated the marginalization of Blacks for generations.

“If you fast forward, Blacks have often been seen for many years as waiters, cooks, shoe shines, field hands, service individuals, and when you think about service individuals, we don’t see them until we want something from them or until we want to ask them a question,” Snider said.

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) community outreach director Rod Cunningham echoed those beliefs, too.

Cunningham, who is Black, shared how he’s been blessed to have a 29-year military career, received a quality education, robust financial situation and stable family life in the U.S.

But, he emphasized, “If I get pulled over (by police), I don’t feel so privileged, because my black skin won’t always get me out of that situation.”

Systemic racism and classism, Cunningham said, is underscored today in the U.S., via mass incarceration, privatized prisons, crime laws and so on.

He argued such systems have kept down people of color because society has been conditioned to reject convicts — through stripping voting rights and limited career prospects, exacerbating recidivism.

Cunningham observed: “At one point you’re gonna get frustrated making $9 an hour, and you’re going to do something illegal…”

Equity starts with personal responsibility
Preventing negative outcomes and other challenges minorities face can be mitigated with personal responsibility and demonstrating a strong moral and ethical compass, some panelists argued.

Al Hernandez, a member of the PHSC board of trustees, is an example of a minority living the American dream.

Hernandez, a Cuban immigrant, came to the U.S. “with two pennies and nothing else.”

Pasco Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Bryan Banner (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

Today he’s a market vice president at Humana and proudly holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Nova Southeastern University.

With that, Hernandez pushed back on victimhood culture, which he believes has become all too prevalent in the U.S.

“We need to be careful, as we look at ourselves and our communities. The reality is, you’re going to make your life — you do have the responsibility and you do have the personal responsibility for yourself, for your family, for your kids.

“At the end of the day, we’re all Americans, and we’ve got to start seeing ourselves as Americans first, and really get to that point of view.”

He continued: “The reality is, we’re all going to encounter issues. We’re all going to encounter situations in life. Some of them, whether it’s fair or not, is somewhat irrelevant. It’s what you do with it, and how do you actually overcome these obstacles that are going to happen in your life.

“Personally, I don’t allow anybody or anything, regardless of whether I have an accent or not, to tell me or to change my career path or to change where I’m coming from. As a person, you have to have individual responsibility to work hard, to do what is required of you to be a good member of society.”

Zaremsky added onto those views.

“The change starts with us,” Zaremsky said. “We need to look at ourselves, and that’s where the change needs to take place, and having equal laws and equal ramifications for decisions—whether good decisions or bad decisions.”

Even with the ongoing calls for social justice, the Jewish leader put into perspective America’s eminence, also warning against the ills of socialism and communism.

“We’re the least prejudiced, with the least injustices. We’re the freest and most equal country in the world, thus we should not burn it down,” Zaremsky said.

“We keep from having an unjust balance of power by allowing freedom of speech—not censoring tweets of people we don’t like, or not allowing dissenting opinions on panel discussions or on college campuses.

“Echo chambers cause prejudice, injustice, and imbalance of power. Freedom — free speech, free market, religious freedom — are the best defenses against unjust, imbalances of power. Because of our wonderful constitution, every citizen can lawfully address injustices,” Zaremsky said.

Other panelists and speakers included Emery Ailes, PHSC LIFE (Linking Faith In Education) coordinator; Joe Bohn, University of South Florida College of Public Health professor and community engagement director; Shauna Hale, assistant U.S. Attorney, Middle District of Florida; Tonicia Freeman-Foster, Central Florida Behavioral Health Network change specialist; Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Shawn Crane; and, Imam Hassan Sultan, CEO of the Muslim Connection in Tampa.

Published September 30, 2020

Union Park community celebrates Juneteenth

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NeVaeh Akers-Atkins offered a simple explanation for why she was at a local Juneteenth event last week.

“It’s very important to me,” the 11-year-old said. “It shows people that we should be treated the same.”

She was with families and friends at the first annual Juneteenth Family Day Celebration in Wesley Chapel’s Union Park community.

The event was held to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States, which occurred on June 19, 1865.

Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.

The inaugural celebration at Union Park came together in two weeks of whirlwind planning by residents and members of Carmel Friendship Church.

Faraasha Bell, 13, left, and NeVaeh Akers-Atkins,11, delight the crowd with an impressionistic dance during a Juneteenth celebration at Union Park in Wesley Chapel. (Fred Bellet)

Songs, dance, music, food, prayer, prizes and fellowship filled a day of activities from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., on June 19, at the Union Park clubhouse on Bering Road.

“We’re having one big celebration,” said organizer Melissa Akers-Atkins. “It’s one of many to come.”

The program included 16-year-old Miranda Archibald, who read the poem, “We Rose,” by Kristina Kay.

And, Aniya Stratford, of Carmel Friendship Church, sang, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which often is referred to as the Black national anthem.

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, freeing slaves living in the Confederate states.

Pastor Quincy Stratford of the Carmel Friendship Church offers a prayer at the first annual Juneteenth Family Day Celebration in Wesley Chapel’s Union Park. His wife, Jennifer, and 30 members of the church, are there to celebrate the end of slavery.

But, the news in those days traveled slowly, or in some instances, wasn’t acknowledged by slave owners.

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers came ashore at Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. The date was 2 ½ years after Lincoln’s proclamation.

A few months later, on Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery everywhere. The following year, Juneteenth celebrations, often hosted by African-American churches, took root.

Many states now recognize the holiday. A campaign is underway now for Congress to declare Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

“It makes me happy that it’s finally being recognized locally as a holiday,” said Jamila Wright, owner of Writz Jewelry. “With everything that’s going on, it’s very important that people in general learn more about our history. I think it should be a federal holiday.”

Wright was among several black-owned businesses at the Union Park event.

Food truck owners for Wing Box, Craving Donuts and Sun’s Just Egg Rolls rolled into the clubhouse parking lot.

Vendors and sponsors included Writz Jewelry, QDP Photography, Mary Kay, Red Robin, Sign Dreamers of Wesley Chapel, and Julie’s African Hair Braiding.

Carmel Friendship Church and Union Park Charter Academy had informative displays.

Jordan Glogowski’s mask is emblazoned with a symbol for love and a T-shirt with a similar message.

Kat Stylez (her author’s name) set up a table with artwork and her first book of poetry, “Girl, Who Hurt You?”

Raising awareness of the importance of Juneteenth was one of the organizers’ goals. But, they also want to foster unity, a sense of safety, and civic participation through voting.

“We are blessed,” said organizer Tabatha Johnson. “It is important to showcase this celebration. This is the day for African-Americans. But, the celebration is not to dismiss any other culture or race.”

The recent deaths of black men by police officers, including George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, the Black Lives Matter movement and street protests brought greater attention to the Juneteenth celebrations this year.

For Faraasha Bell, 13, Juneteenth “means that we get to learn how other people got treated and how other people experience it.”

She had Brooks’ death in mind when she said, “I see it on the news and how terrifying it is.”

Markee Duncan, 36, gave testimony as a 6-foot-5 black man who is “two shades darker than 8:30 p.m.”

Kaylen Boss, 22, left, looks over a copy of her twin sister, Kat Stylez’s book, ‘Girl, Who Hurt You?’ Stylez, a vendor at the event, was selling her book and artwork.

Growing up in South Carolina, he said blacks were told not to look white people in the eye and to move across the street to avoid unnecessary contact.

“In history class all I learned about is men who didn’t look like me,” Duncan said.

He said he has been pulled over by police while driving in largely white neighborhoods. “The melanin of my skin didn’t allow me the same rights as those in the Constitution.”

Akers-Atkins said organizers hope to host a Juneteenth celebration annually at Union Park. But, they also want to host other cultural events through the year.

Johnson said: “We do have faith that we will continue to grow, to know we are here and can help each other. It’s important to have empathy. I love seeing so much diversity in our community.”

Published June 24, 2020

Sheriff’s Office adds policing advisor

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The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is taking a closer look at its policing practices, as a measure to maintain transparency and openness in dealing with citizens.

To do so, the agency has appointed general counsel Lindsay Moore as its first constitutional policing advisor.

As part of her new role, Moore’s primary duties are to to ensure the agency follows best practices and procedures in the arena of search-and-seizure; use of force; detention operations; profiling issues; citizen contacts; arrests; and, custody operations.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s has appointed general counsel Lindsay Moore as the agency’s first constitutional policing advisor. Moore will be responsible for regularly reviewing agency policies and procedures to ensure they align with constitutional case rulings. (Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

She’s also responsible for regularly reviewing agency policies and procedures to ensure they align with constitutional case rulings.

If laws and case precedent change, Moore will publish alerts and coordinate trainings with members of the agency.

“These are all things that we’re already doing, but this is going to be codifying these things into one cohesive program,” Moore said.

Moore is a former associate attorney at a civil litigation law firm specializing in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. She also is a former assistant state’s attorney with the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, where she prosecuted domestic violence cases, crimes against children, and felonies.

As an extra measure to enhance constitutional policing efforts, the Sheriff’s Office also appointed Capt. Eric Seltzer to serve as a liaison between other criminal justice system partners, including the county state’s attorney’s office efforts. He’ll also provide oversight for new training measures.

The agency is using existing resources to fund the new advisory roles.

Originally developed by the Los Angeles Police Department, constitutional policing is a growing trend nationwide where law enforcement agencies proactively work to protect the civil rights of the citizens they police.

Also known as “legal policing,” constitutional policing cooperates with the parameters set by the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, and the many court decisions that have defined in greater detail what the text of the Constitution means in terms of the everyday practices of policing.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said adhering to constitutional policing should yield more prosecutable cases and fewer citizen complaints of possible unlawful discrimination and harassment by deputies.

“We have to be by the book in everything we do. We’re not just sitting back and waiting for a complaint to come in. We’re going to proactively look to make sure we’re doing everything the right way, all the time,” Nocco explained.

“It’s going to make us better deputies and better people out there serving the community,” he said.

Published April 4, 2018

Bondi asks court to clarify same-sex marriage ruling

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Saying she’s trying to correct the exact situation she originally tried to avoid, state attorney general Pam Bondi is asking U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle to clarify his August ruling that some say would make Florida the 36th state to allow same-sex marriage.

Both sides of the controversial issue are battling over what appears to be ambiguity in Hinkle’s ruling, which ordered a Panhandle county clerk to issue a same-sex marriage certificate following one of several cases making their way through the court. Bondi and a vast majority of the county clerks — including Pasco County’s Paula O’Neil — have said they will not begin issuing licenses the day after the stay is lifted Jan. 5, claiming it’s unclear if the ruling affects them, or just Washington County, which was originally sued.

“Due to this legal uncertainty, our clerk … has been advised by the Florida Court Clerks & Comptroller’s association and its legal counsel to refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses without a binding order issued by a court of proper jurisdiction,” O’Neil spokeswoman Debbie Gay said in a statement last week.

However, same-sex marriage proponents claim county clerks like O’Neil could be in legal trouble if they refuse to start issuing marriage certificates next week.

“Any Florida clerk who refuses to follow the Constitution’s command, and who withholds marriage licenses from couples once the stay expires, is on the wrong side of history, and the wrong side of the law,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, in a statement through the gay rights advocacy group Equality Florida. “There is one Constitution, Florida is one state, and all Floridians are entitled to equal treatment throughout the state.”

In a motion filed Monday with Hinkle’s court, Bondi looked for the judge to clarify the ruling.

“The widespread confusion that now exists, as evidenced by multiple media reports, is precisely what the attorney general’s office sought to avoid while seeking a stay pending final resolution in favor of either side of the issue,” Bondi spokeswoman Jenn Meale said in a statement. “As stated in the response filed (Monday), if the federal court intended the injunction to have effects beyond those that appear on its face, the court may wish to provide appropriate clarification.”

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene in the Florida case last week, where Hinkle struck down laws banning same-sex marriage, saying the state’s ban violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which provides for equal protection under the law. Hinkle refused to keep a stay in place for further appeal, which would technically allow same-sex marriages beginning Jan. 6.

It’s not clear if or when Hinkle will respond to the motion with more clarification, or if it will come ahead of the Jan. 6 date the stay is expected to be lifted.

Pasco won’t issue same-sex marriage licenses Jan. 6

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Florida is set to become the 36th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages just after the new year starts. But don’t expect Pasco — or even neighboring counties — to join in.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to intervene in a Florida case, where U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle struck down laws banning same-sex marriage in August, saying the state’s ban violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which provides for equal protection under the law. Hinkle refused to keep a stay in place for further appeal, which would technically allow same-sex marriages beginning Jan. 6.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, which decided last Friday not to reinstate the stay that would’ve put a hold on Hinkle’s decision.

Yet, there continues to be quite a bit of ambiguity when it comes to the court ruling, and whether or not county clerk’s offices — like Paula O’Neil’s locally — would be allowed to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses on Jan. 6.

“Due to this legal uncertainty, our clerk … has been advised by the Florida Court Clerks & Comptroller’s association and its legal counsel to refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses without a binding order issued by a court of proper jurisdiction,” said Debbie Gay, the interim director of records in O’Neil’s office, in a release.

On her website, O’Neil said there “has been a lot of press” about same-sex marriage in Florida, and as a constitutional officer, she is required to “support, protect and defend” the U.S. Constitution, as well as both federal and state laws. Those state laws, she said, currently prohibit marriage licenses to a couple that is not a man and a woman, and that a clerk who violates that prohibition is guilty of a criminal act that would make them subject to both fine and imprisonment.

The case Hinkle decided, O’Neil said, was specific to those who sued Washington County, and does not have authority or provide protection for clerks of court outside that county to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Bondi, responding to the Supreme Court decision, also remained ambiguous on what the ruling would mean once the stay is lifted Jan. 5.

“Regardless of the ruling, it has always been our goal to have uniformity throughout Florida until the final resolution of the numerous challenges to the voter-approved constitutional amendment on marriage,” Bondi said in a statement. “Nonetheless, the Supreme Court has now spoken, and the stay will end on Jan. 5.”

Although clerks like O’Neil may be worried about criminal penalties if they start issuing same-sex marriage licenses, some gay rights groups warn clerks should be worried if they don’t.

“Any Florida clerk who refuses to follow the Constitution’s command, and who withholds marriage licenses from couples once the stay expires, is on the wrong side of history, and the wrong side of the law,” said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, in a statement through the gay rights advocacy group Equality Florida. “A discredited memo from a law firm won’t provide much protection against the risk of being sued for unconstitutional actions, and being held liable for any damages — and attorney fees — incurred by couples as a result of withholding the freedom to marry. There is one Constitution, Florida is one state, and all Floridians are entitled to equal treatment throughout the state.”

Minter is referring to the legal opinion from the Greenberg Traurig law firm that clerks like O’Neil are adhering to in deciding whether or not to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Castor wants to restore voting rights to felons

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U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor has sent a letter to outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, urging the Justice Department to conduct an inquiry related to civil rights restoration in Florida.

The state sees most non-violent offenders never regaining their civil rights and voting rights, due to multi-year and bureaucratic requirements imposed by the Florida Clemency Board, Castor said.

“I believe that in operation, Florida is violating the U.S. Constitution’s tenets of due process and equal protection,” the Tampa Democrat said in her letter. “Therefore, I respectfully request that the Justice Department conduct a thorough investigation into whether legal action is warranted against the state of Florida for its effective bar on civil rights restoration for non-violent offenders.”

In 2007, the Florida Clemency Board under then Gov. Charlie Crist voted to streamline the approval process for people with non-violent convictions, Castor said. However, in 2011, the board under Gov. Rick Scott reversed those rights restoration rules, and instituted highly restrictive policies. That year, the board restored civil rights to only 78 people, ignoring what the congresswoman says could be 600,000 who should be able to vote.

“Non-violent offenders who have completed their sentences and paid their debt to society should have full and equal access to exercise their voting rights,” Cantor said. “We must use all the tools and legal authorities at our disposal to fight against racial discrimination, to stand against disenfranchisement, and to safeguard the right of every eligible American to cast a ballot.”

Earlier this year, Castor joined the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP in calling on Scott and the clemency board to restore the voting rights of non-violence offenders who have paid fines and completed probation. In March, Castor sent a letter to Scott urging the change in policy.

The governor and board did not act, Castor said. In May, Holder reportedly advised Scott that the state’s action relating to voting rights would remain under scrutiny after Scott attempted to purge voter rolls in 2012.

Florida first state to demand a single-subject Constitutional convention

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The first step in many to call the nation’s first Constitutional convention in nearly 230 years is on its way to Washington D.C., after a proposal from state Sen. Wilton Simpson earned approval from both the Florida House and Florida Senate.

S.M. 368 calls for an Article V Convention — named for the section of the U.S. Constitution that allows states to start the amendment proposal process. This particular convention would demand the U.S. Congress only consider and pass bills with a single subject. The goal is to eliminate the many unrelated riders that get attached to bills, amendments that may not have been passed otherwise on their own.

“This is about having the federal government start conducting themselves in a professional manner,” Simpson, R-Trilby, told The Laker/Lutz News back in January. “Most of the frustration we have with our government is that you have something like a spending bill in Congress. They always add on several hundred millions of dollars of something that has nothing to do with the subject they are dealing with. And as a citizen of the state of Florida, I am tired of our federal government being operated this way.”

What made it through the Legislature is not necessarily a bill, but instead a “memorial.” It demonstrates Florida’s support of a specific measure, in this case calling for a convention, and does not require the signature of Gov. Rick Scott.

However, that does not mean delegates should start making travel plans. At least 33 other states will have to pass similar or identical memorials before such a convention could be scheduled.

A convention of this sort is just one way to amend the Constitution, but one that is typically not used. In fact, the last time a convention was called this way, it was 1787, and that was to write the U.S. Constitution itself in Philadelphia.

Congress can propose Constitutional amendments, and then have them ratified by the states. However, if Congress doesn’t introduce such an amendment — which supporters of this movement believe Congress wouldn’t do — then the fallback position is to have states call for the convention directly.

The passage of the memorial was great news for W. Spider Webb Jr., a former Tallahassee lobbyist who founded the activist group Single Subject Amendment.

“Both parties are guilty about the use of riders,” Webb said in January. “We are not trying to give Congress a black eye. We are trying to improve the way Americans view Congress.”

Webb now plans to take the newly approved memorial to the national stage as he tries to convince other states to do the same thing.

“If Florida passes this, then other states will take a more serious look at this,” Simpson said earlier this year. “Doing a Constitutional amendment is such a large task, I think it will pick up momentum as more states pass it.”

Many state governments already prevent riders on bills, either by requiring bills to be single-subject, or giving governors the power to veto specific portions of a bill, and approving the rest.

President Bill Clinton tried to accomplish this at the federal level with a line-item veto act introduced by Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Dole in 1996. However, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that law unconstitutional in 1998.