Florida Tourism Zimmerman Boycott: Agents Hesitant to Speak Out Jul 17th 2013, 15:17
Travel agents were hesitant to speak out about a Moveon.org petition to boycott Florida in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict. The petition, which has so far has gleaned 8,771 signatures, deals with a highly politicized issue that some agents don’t feel qualified to discuss. Others say they believe speaking out would ostracize them.
“If I didn’t live in Florida I’d sign the petition,” said one local agent who asked not to be identified. “Sometimes I wonder why I live in Florida – because of some of the laws the state enacts.”
Another Florida agent questioned the viability of the boycott. “What’s this boycott really going to do?” she asked. “Will it really be effective? I don’t think so.”
Not everyone – including one celebrity – feels that way. Stevie Wonder, for one, has spoken out and said that he is boycotting the state, according to published news reports.
“I decided today that until the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again,” he said to an audience in Quebec City. “As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.”
The petition, which will be delivered to the Florida State House, the Florida State Senate, and Florida Governor Rick Scott, asks consumers to boycott “Florida tourism until the Stand Your Ground law is overturned. Your state is not a safe place to vacation if your citizens are able to kill anyone they deem suspicious.”
At press time, Visit Florida had not responded to a request for comment.
Scott Foresman Science
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