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Florida Cities Talk Secession As Their Moods Go South
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Published: May 7, 2008
Updated: 05/07/2008 11:15 am
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TAMPA - The seeds of secession have been planted in the sandy soil of South Florida.
Discontented by what they perceive as a Capitol snubbing, the mayors of two small Broward County cities have raised the battle flag of rebellion, pitting, once again, north against south.
North Lauderdale, a 5-square-mile city of about 42,000 in the center of Broward County, may become the cradle of the new confederacy. The city commission there recently passed a resolution on forming two Floridas: one in the north and one in the south.
North Lauderdale wants to be in the south.
So does Margate, a Fort Lauderdale suburb of about 9 square miles. The city commission is set to vote on the session resolution tonight. The commission's agenda is full of mundane business. There are employee recognitions, motions to close roads, resolutions to put projects out to bid.
The 25th item on the agenda is this proposed resolution:
"Supporting severing the ties of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties from the state of Florida and establishing their own 51st state of the federal union of the United States; providing for conflicts; providing for severability; and providing for an effective date."
In a written statement issued by the city today, Margate Mayor Jack Brady, who is proposing the resolution to the commission, says: "We believe South Florida has many different issues than those in North and Central Florida and yet we all get put into the same frying pan together. … Local officials are the closest to the people and we have to do what is right for our citizens."
They argue that much of the state's tax revenue comes from there, but little is spent there.
The release states that during a recent visit to Tallahassee, North Lauderdale Commissioner Rich Moyle told legislators, "Last year you beat our cities up, and this year you are stealing our lunch money. How are we supposed to run our cities?"
Moyle said there was no response.
Gov. Charlie Crist was told of the resolution Tuesday. All he could muster by way of a response was a chuckle.
Meanwhile, other municipalities and counties are being asked to join in the resolution.
Secession in this state is nothing new. Disgruntled residents of the Sunshine State have toyed with the idea of splitting from the state or their respective counties on several occasions.
In 1982, the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint at the top of the Florida Keys to look for drugs and illegal aliens. There were traffic jams and talk of rebellion.
Key West residents, reveling in the tourist-drawing controversy, hoisted the Conch Republic banner in Mallory Square on April 23, 1982. The mayor of Key West was chosen first prime minister of the Conch Republic.
War was declared on the United States, and there was a good-natured clubbing of a U.S. sailor. The club was an old loaf of Cuban bread. The rebels then surrendered and applied for $1 billion in federal foreign aid.
The failed secession found a place in the collective heart of Key West, and it is re-enacted every year.
In 1998, discontent blossomed in the Florida Panhandle's Walton County. Residents of the southern beachside communities wanted to split from the rural northern half.
The folks of the southern contingent said they were being shortchanged when it came to a return on their tax dollars and that they were paying most of the county's property taxes.
In 2003, Cape Coral in Southwest Florida considered breaking off from Lee County, named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
The seat of Lee County is Fort Myers, itself a city with Civil War ties.
New age rebel leaders wanted to name their county Grant, after Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
Cape Coral's population of 119,000 complained about everything from election dates to libraries, growth management, toll bridges and taxes. They got no respect, they said.
The last time secession succeeded in Florida was in 1925 when Gilchrist County broke from Alachua County over road-spending and cow-fencing laws.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( altedbaseball ) on May 7, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
........and take the cubans with you.
by the way, i'm cuban.
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Posted by ( OP ) on May 7, 2008 at 10:09 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Great... but how about naming the states North Florida and North Cuba.
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Posted by ( Carioca ) on May 7, 2008 at 10:46 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yea im sure the non corrupt governments of Miami & Hollywood would spend any $$ appropriately
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Posted by ( rambler ) on May 7, 2008 at 10:50 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Ironically, the north would have the rednecks and the south would have the yankees.
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Posted by ( DoodleBugg ) on May 7, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I shure hope this doesn't get back to
Gen. Bobby Lee..
He won't stand for it,i'm tellin' ya..
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Posted by ( watttt ) on May 7, 2008 at 11:19 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
OP, you hit the nail on the head!
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Posted by ( tomcat ) on May 7, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Sounds good to me. Lets build a wall so we can keep them out of our part of the state and charge heavy tolls on the freeways to get into the new south florida. remember the movie escape from New York sound like a good idea.
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Posted by ( kellieB ) on May 7, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Im all for that....cut a trench right across the state and let all those monkeys float back south.
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Posted by ( OP ) on May 7, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yeah, and no more wet-foot,dry-foot policy for people who make the swim across the trench.
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Posted by ( Claylisa ) on May 7, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
But....will they allow Truck Nutz??
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Posted by ( Seismic ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yeah we could set it up like the American/Mexican Border crossing. Have the boarder patrol out there inspecting vehicles and passports. Along with paying a toll to enter. If you live on the North side all you have to do is show your passport and your toll is waived. The people down there want their own little Cuba then take it. Just remember to go and get your Cuban Passport along with it. Don't ask North Florida for any government aid if an hurricaine hits you hard.
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Posted by ( DaveV1968 ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
@OP: No, that would never work. There wouldn't be a South Florida to go with the North Florida.
Instead, I propose they call the results Florida and North Cuba.
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Posted by ( Longball ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
That's the best thing thats come out of that area since I-95 and the Fla. Turnpike. Remember to Vote YES in Nov.
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Posted by ( Concerned1963 ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
What a bunch of maroons........ and just how would these dolts expect to handle natural disasters (I may or may not include their very existence as a natural disaster!)?
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Posted by ( douston ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Bye. Oh, please take George Bush with you.
When are we going to stop paying for take home cars for TPD? The city of Tampa is cutting jobs and dropping services and yet we still pay MILLIONS of dollars for this extra BENEFIT!!!
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Posted by ( OP ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:40 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
DaveV1968, I can buy that. You gotta have a South if you gotta a North.
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Posted by ( cherrylynn18 ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:48 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Seriously, if you have that big of a problem with Florida then LEAVE!
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Posted by ( MrSandman982001 ) on May 7, 2008 at 12:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Wow.. this is wow..
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Posted by ( spinj6m ) on May 7, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This article makes me want to go into a Mel Gibson like rant.
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Posted by ( Gen2Native ) on May 7, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Look up Dominion of West Florida.
Florida has been divided up between Spain, Great Britain, France and the US. East and West Florida existed for quite some time.
I want to live in the section that shoots parasitic developers in the behind with rock salt and runs them out of town.
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Posted by ( mr_hanky ) on May 7, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Why can't the Yankees just go back up north and leave South Florida to the Floridians, such as we are? They're the dopes who gave us the hanging chads and the voting discrepancies in the first place and started us on the road to be the national laughing stock.
Maybe Mr. Wizard the Teacher can cast a spell and make them all disappear.......
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Posted by ( Old_FL_Crab ) on May 7, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
We get rid of Palm Beach 'voters'? OK, I'm for it.
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Posted by ( kimbo ) on May 7, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I think we need to enslave the south florida trash, tax them, chain gangs and manners classes.
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Posted by ( RangerDave ) on May 7, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Where is Rush Limbaugh going to live now? Will his Southern Command be from "Sunny North Cuba"?
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Posted by ( ocean ) on May 7, 2008 at 4:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
South Florida was the only area smart enough not to vote for George W. Bush.
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Posted by ( CSAcitizen ) on May 7, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Florida ! You ARE already seceded ! Lincoln's mere words of all the CSA states being "back" in his "new" Union, and replacing Southern official positions with his own men as he did, is not Constitutional or legal - it never 'took' = ALL CSA STATES ARE STILL SECEDED ! It takes more than mere words from a dicator to force states to 'join' another nation against their will, and wipe a whole nation (CSA) off the map !
People have been so brainwashed (reconstructed) they actually believe Florida (and the other CSA states) are actually a part of the USA ! WE ARE NOT ! WE ARE OUR OWN NATION !! WE ARE THE CSA !!!!
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Posted by ( ratman ) on May 8, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
It's a family divided! Brother against brother! Or maybe Grandpa vs Grandpa. Keep an eye on the old-folks homes. Hot-Beds of dissent, I tells ya!
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