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PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BEACH, FL PERMIT #189
In the midst of another storm
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APRIL 19 - APRIL 25, 2013
VOLUME 21 NO. 16
More GOP voting games Republican lawmakers reduce language interpreters BY MARC CAPUTO THE MIAMI HERALD / MCT
Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old North Miami voter who became a symbol of Florida’s elections woes, could again find it tough to cast a ballot now that the Republican-controlled state Senate voted Tuesday to crack down on foreignlanguage interpreters at the polls. The Senate approved the last-minute measure on what appeared to be a party-line voice vote as it amended a bill designed to reverse the effects of an election law that helped create long lines and suppress the vote in 2012.
WELFARE QUEENS? PART 2 Black Floridians in Miami and Tampa are pushing hard for Black business participation in pro sports deals involving millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, as things get tougher in the Florida Legislature.
BRINGING STATEWIDE HEAT sional sports seeking assistance from the state. That list would be ranked and then sent to the Legislature for a final vote. As of the Florida Courier’s press time late Wednesday night, all of the requests for taxpayer subsidies were still on track. And Black business activists are weighing in statewide, especially from Miami and Tampa, on the Florida Legislature.
BY JAMES HARPER FLORIDA COURIER
As the Florida Courier reported last week, four separate professional sports companies – the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, the Orlando Lions pro soccer team, and Daytona International Speedway (DIS) – are asking the Florida Legislature to give them some $300 million in Florida taxpayer money over 30 years to build or remodel their respective sports facilities. There’s also a measure to increase funding for spring training stadiums. On Tuesday, members of the House Economic Affairs Committee narrowly supported an amendment that latched the DIS and Jaguar proposals together. That’s a move that some legislators believe could hinder both proposals, especially since this is the second time Jacksonville has asked for – and may receive – taxpayer money.
Similarities and differences
COURTESY OF THE MIAMI HERALD
In this screen capture, longtime South Florida activist Attorney H.T. Smith speaks in favor of the Miami Dolphins’ proposal for partial taxpayer funding. It’s the first time DIS has approached the state for tax funds. The Senate also has a proposal that would re-
quire the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to prepare an annual list of teams, spring training sites and profes-
Backers of each proposal claim the money offers the prospect of construction and long-term jobs, along with increased local economic impact. And though they all ask for millions of dollars, each request is different in some way from the others. Of the four proposals, only Miami’s will give local taxpayers a chance to decide for themselves. See HEAT, Page A2
‘LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL’ / 50th ANNIVERSARY
‘The cup of endurance runs over’
Not enough translators On Election Day at Victor’s polling station, there weren’t enough interpreters for the Creole-speaking native of Haiti and hundreds like her. Turnout was heavy. And lines lasted for hours – partly due to a slew of proposed state constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature. “My mom is a victim of this problem, if they’re going to change something it should be to make voting easier. Just make it easy,” said Victor’s godson, Mathieu Pierre-Louis, whom she raised as her own child. Victor, who couldn’t be reached, voted after an hour wait. Her struggle earned her an invitation and a shoutout from President Obama at his State of the Union address.
Laying in wait Now, months later, Republicans complained that they suspected the interpreters were helping cast ballots on Election Day in Democrat-heavy North Miami. Republican lawmakers waited until the new must-
AP PHOTO
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., right, and the Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy were arrested for “illegal protesting” and released after eight days in the Birmingham, Ala. city jail on April 20, 1963. Log on to flcourier.com to read the “Letter” in its entirety.
See GOP, Page A2
SNAPSHOTS FLORIDA | A3
BUSINESS | B3
Slow change to state’s juvenile justice system
Employees being penalized for health issues
NATION | a6
FINEST | B5
Obama urged to invest in nation’s ‘dark ghettos’
Meet Bobbi Marie
ALSO INSIDE
FAMU bar exam pass rate best in history FROM STAFF REPORTS
FLORIDA COURIER FILES
FAMU law grads are shown in this 2009 file photo.
ORLANDO – For the first time in the history of the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law, the first-time pass rate of the February 2013 Florida Bar Exam exceeded the state average. Law school graduates are required to pass the exam to be able to legally practice law in Florida. At 82.6 percent, FAMU beat the state average of 80.2 percent, better than five of the 11 schools reported – including the University of Florida, Florida Coastal, and Nova Southeastern. The score also exceeded the combined passage rate of the non-
Florida law schools. The good news comes on the heels of the College of Law’s continuing accreditation process and a March school site visit by the American Bar Association (ABA) that the school calls “routine.” FAMU must still submit additional information to the ABA for further consideration.
‘The right steps’ “We are extremely pleased with the efforts of the administration, faculty and students of the FAMU College of Law,” said Larry Robinson, interim president of FAMU. “This news could not have See FAMU, Page A2
COMMENTARY: CHARLES W. CHERRY II: RANDOM THOUGHTS OF A FREE BLACK MIND | A4 COMMENTARY: JESSE L. JACKSON SR.: OBSESSION WITH TESTING BEHIND SCHOOL CHEATING | A4