Howdy folks, the Florida Legislature finished its regular session for 2023 May 5 without taking any action on BK Roberts Hall at FSU. Supporters of the campaign to remove the name of a segregationist judge from the building were unable to find any legislator who would sponsor a bill to rename the building, and hopes for an amendment to an existing bill to accomplish the task also proved unsuccessful. This lack of action was not surprising given the Republican super-majorities in both houses and open hostility toward social justice issues this year. Despite the long odds, I'm not giving up and am already preparing to try again next year, and would appreciate your continued support. While I am not guaranteeing victory, the only way to guarantee failure is to give up and not try at all.
I am not a professional lobbyist but after enthusiasm from the FSU administrative team waned at the Capitol over the past few years, this year I decided to see what I could do on my own. I drafted a sample bill, made weekly trips to the Capitol and went door to door to promote it--and got nowhere, quickly learning whatever lawyering skills I possess did not translate well to lobbying. However, I met a lot of people, found some legislative allies, and got lots of suggestions on how to be more effective in the future. Several other sympathetic lobbyists were also talking this up and planting the seeds for success in the future. Plans now are focused on filing a local bill in 2024 that would sunset the BK Roberts moniker and return to FSU the ability to rename the building.
One thing that would help a lot would be more vocal support from FSU, so if you know anyone in the president's or the dean's office, any faculty or student leaders, any influential alumni, etc., please reach out to them and try to get them to put pressure on the FSU administration so we do not end up the last place in the Southeast with a building named for a segregationist judge. I have been working with the FSU Black Student Union and the Black Law Students Association as well as the law school's Black Alumni Network. I do not see this as a Republican vs Democrat issue, but realistically we have to count the numbers and accept the fact we will need Republican support to get this passed and that cannot be achieved without the enthusiastic backing of FSU's lobbying team.