Protesters who began a sit-in July 16 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman announced Thursday afternoon they will leave the Capitol. After spending one month sleeping on the floor outside Governor Rick Scott's office, the Dream Defenders say it's now time to take their message beyond the halls of Tallahassee.
A poll of lawmakers taken this week showed there was not enough support to call a special legislative session to deal with Florida's stand your ground law.
The Dream Defenders' Phillip Agnew says they accomplished a lot, even if they didn't reach their ultimate goal.
"Speaker of the House, a few weeks ago, ordered a hearing on ‘stand your ground’. A hearing that he said he would never have, and we know that he would not have had it had we not been sleeping on the bottom floor of this building", said Agnew.
Over the past month, civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson, Harry Belafonte and Julian Bond have spent time at the capitol with the protesters.
But in the past week, legislative leaders said the group had overstayed its welcome.