With the opening of the 2014 legislative session just hours away, about 400 Floridians rallied in the Capitol Courtyard for what was billed as "Moral Monday." Speakers at the rally called for lawmakers to expand Medicaid, stop the state's voter purge, and roll back the “stand your ground” self-defense law.
None is likely to occur during the impending legislative session, but the protestors vowed to carry their concerns to the polls in the midterm elections this fall.
Congresswoman Corinne Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, led the crowd in a chant of "It's not working" – a dig at Governor Rick Scott, who has adopted the slogan "It's working" about his agenda of jobs and tax cuts.
"We are sick and tired of Reverse Robin Hood", Brown said, "Robbing from the poor and working people to give tax breaks to the rich!"
The "Moral Monday" idea comes from voting-rights protests in North Carolina last year, and has spread to Georgia and Florida this year.
Meanwhile, the conservative Americans for Prosperity group is also rallying at the capital in Tallahassee Monday for tax cuts, pension reform and increased school choice. The group's event will be led by Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican, who led the House's opposition to Medicaid expansion last year.