TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- A Tampa Bay area senator proposed a Florida constitutional amendment that would ban reparations for descendants of slavery.
Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, who represents portions of Hernando, Citrus, Pasco and Sumter counties, filed joint resolution SJR-582 on Monday.
If enacted, the resolution would create a new section in Article X of the Florida Constitution that reads: "The state, a county, a municipality, or any other political subdivision may not pay compensation in the form of reparations to an individual who is a descendant of an enslaved individual who lived in the United States before December 6, 1865."
The measure has two big hurdles to clear before becoming law. First, it must pass the Florida legislature with 60% of the vote in both chambers. If it appears on the 2024 ballot, 60% of Floridians must vote affirmatively to add it to the constitution.
The State of Florida has taken actions in the past that could be considered reparations. In 1994, the state paid elderly survivors of the 1923 Rosewood massacre $150,000 each and set up a $2 million scholarship fund for their descendants. Florida was one of just a few states to create such a program.
The rural Levy County town was once home to a prospering Black community, but it was destroyed by a white mob in January 1923. Six Black residents were killed, though some eyewitnesses claimed dozens more died. The survivors were forced to flee their homes, fearing for their lives.
In 2008, Florida lawmakers passed a resolution formally expressing regret for the state's "shameful" history of slavery. It did not use the word "apology," according to a New York Times report.
Earlier this year, Ingoglia sponsored a bill, titled "The Ultimate Cancel Act," that would eliminate the state Democratic Party. It died in the Ethics and Elections committee.