is the name of the major protests being planned up and down Florida next Tuesday, March 8, the first day that the Florida Legislature convenes for their 2011 regular session. It's also when Governor Rick Scott will give his initial State of the State address, and speak about his first budget, the source of much of the anger fueling these protests.
In Tampa, the event will take place from 5 to 7 p..m. at Lykes Gaslight Park. In Clearwater, a rally will begin at 4:00 p.m. at 580 and N. McMullen Booth Road. Other rallies will take place up and down the state, from Tallahassee to West Palm Beach and Miami. (On the Awake the State Facebook page, over 200 people have already said they will attend).
There is a plethora of local groups that are helping to organize the rally, including the Florida Consumer Action Network, Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, Hillsborough Parents Teacher Association, Hillsborough Schools Employees Federation, West Central Labor Council, National Nurses United, the Refuge, Poor People's Human Rights Campaign, the Tampa chapter of NOW, Equality Florida, Progress Florida, Florida Watch Action, and others.
This article appears in Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2011.