Far right Florida state Senator Blase Ingoglia on Monday introduced a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment referendum reading “Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to prohibit the state, a county, a municipality, and any other political subdivision from paying 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,” to appear on the 2024 ballot.
Never has the Sunshine State or any of its counties or municipalities ever proposed slavery reparations much less paid them out. Still Ingoglia tells FloridaPolitics.com you can’t be too cautious about money going to Black people these days. “Congress, as well as politicians in states like California, and others, are proposing reparations. Florida should be proactive because bad ideas in some states seem to find their way into other states. Giving the voters the option to enshrine the prohibition into our Constitution takes the prospect of vote buying in the form of ‘reparations’ off the table, in order for legislators and community leaders to talk about how to really make a difference in black and brown communities,” said Ingoglia, who called it “race-bating” in another interview.
It’s a bit of a switch for Ingoglia, who earlier this year took a different position when it came to healing the scars wrought by slavery’s horrific legacy, introducing a bill called the “Ultimate Cancel Act,” by banning all political parties that once used slavery as part of their platform from fielding candidates in any election in the state of Florida. The bill never came to a vote in the state Senate.