HI. I'M NADIA COMBS, CHAIR OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE SERVE MORE THAN 200,000 STUDENTS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL THROUGH ADULTS IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM. I'M HENRY SHAKE WASHINGTON, THE BOARD VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE 7th LARGEST IN AMERICA. AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF MORE THAN 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT NEARLY 250 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY. OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM ON SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO. YOU ARE WELCOME TO E-MAIL OR MEET WITH ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. BOARD MEETINGS ARE COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV, ON SPECTRUM CABLE CHANNEL 635 AND FRONTIER CABLE CHANNEL 32.
MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. WE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE'LL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADDRESS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. OUR AGENDA AND ANY SUPPORTING MATERIAL CAN BE VIEWED ONLINE IN ADVANCE. THEY ARE POSTED SEVEN DAYS BEFORE EACH MEETING ON OUR WEBSITE AT HillsboroughSchools.org. OUR VISION IS PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE. AND THAT MEANS ALL STUDENTS, EVERY DAY. TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES, TODOS LOS DIAS THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS THAT SHAPE OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Nadia Combs: THE BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 20, 2023, IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. [MOMENT OF SILENCE] THANK YOU.
PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU MAY BE SEATED. Nadia Combs: WE HAVE NO WITHDRAWN ITEMS TODAY. I NEED A MOTION AND SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA.
MOTION BY MEMBER PEREZ. SECOND BY MEMBER GRAY. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. AND IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. BOARD MEMBERS, I'D LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. JUST A REMINDER, WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVE THAT ALL CHILDREN CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEAD TO SUCCESS. TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARD, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKED TO GET BACK INTO THE QUEUE.
MEMBER WASHINGTON WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Henry "Shake" Washington: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS ON LIVE WEBCASTS, ON CABLE TV AND ON VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT ALSO CAN BE VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVES.
Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, MEMBER WASHINGTON. WE HAVE TWO ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR TIME CERTAIN. 5:01, THE PUBLIC HEARING AND 6:00 THE EMPLOYEE INPUT. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL BE MOVING UP THE RECOGNITION ITEM. A 02, RECOGNIZE OF THE 2022-2023 FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. LANNESS ROBINSON, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING THIS RECOGNITION. GOOD AFTERNOON, SUPERINTENDENT, BOARD MEMBERS, AND EVERYONE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE STATE CHAMPIONS FOR THE SPRING SPORTS. WE HAVE THE RECOGNITION MEETINGS, BUT JUST HOW THE SCHEDULES WORKED WITH REGARD TO WHEN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS WERE PLAYED, IT WAS AFTER OUR LAST RECOGNITION AND WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE SUCCESS OF OUR ATHLETES FROM THE SPRING SPORTS. WE HAVE SENIORS THAT ARE GRADUATING AND MOVING ON TO THE NEXT PHASE OF THEIR LIFE. SO WITH OUR NEXT RECOGNITION NOT UNTIL THE FALL OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE STUDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE RECOGNIZED IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT.
WITH THAT SAID, WE HAVE SOME STATE CHAMPIONS TO PRESENT. WE'LL START OFF IN BASEBALL. SICKLESSICKLES WON THE CHAMPIONS HERE TO MAKE INTRODUCTIONS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR ADMINISTRATION, MR. GREG. THANK YOU, MR. ROBINSON. TODAY, OUR HEAD COACH, ERIC, COULD NOT BE HERE. HE HAS A WONDERFUL COACHING OPPORTUNITY UP NORTH FOR THE SUMMER. ASSISTANT COACH BOB SHAW IS HERE TO INTRODUCE OUR GUYS. GOOD AFTERNOON. WE HAVE SIX OF OUR SCHOLAR ATHLETES HERE FROM SICKLES HIGH SCHOOL. OUR FIRST-EVER STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN BASEBALL. NEXT TO ME IS KATE McDONALD. CONNOR VICE VANCE -- RICE VANCE WILL BE GOING TO FLORIDA STATE. REUBIN, ONE OF OUR FIRST BASEMAN DESIGNATED HITTER. WEST GOING TO FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, ONE OF OUR FIRST BASEMAN. CONNOR VANCE, OUR OUTFIELDER GOING TO FLORIDA STATE. HAYDEN YOST WHO WILL BE GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TO PLAY BASEBALL NEXT YEAR. IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE COACH HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO COACH.
HE IS COACHING IN THE CAPE COD LEAGUE. SO IT'S AWESOME. IT HAS BEEN SAID PUBLICLY, IN PRINT, ALL MEDIA, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS OWNS FLAG FOOTBALL IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. TONES OWNS IT. TWO STATE CHAMPIONS. THE 1A IS THE ROBINSON KNIGHTS HERE TO MAKE INTRODUCTIONS, PRINCIPAL DAVE BROWN. THANK YOU, MR. ROBINSON, BOARD. LET ME START BY SAYING BEFORE I GOT TO ROBINSON, THIS TEAM ONLY WON SIX YEARS IN A ROW. BUT UNDER MY GUIDANCE -- NO, I'M JUST TEASING. I WANT TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM. BEFORE I INTRODUCE THE COACH, THESE YOUNG LADIES NOT ONLY DO THEY PERFORM ON THE FIELD, WHEN YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, IT'S THESE LADIES THAT WILL BE INTRODUCED BECAUSE THEY DO IT IN THE CLASSROOM, IN THE HALLWAYS AND THEY ARE FANTASTIC. AT THIS TIME, INTRODUCE THE HEAD COACH AND ROBINSON ALUMNI, COACH JOSH SAUNDERS.
HAPPY TO INTRODUCE MY TEAM. I MADE A JOKE IN 2016, AS LONG AS YOU KEEP INVITING WE'LL KEEP COMING AND WE'VE BEEN EVERY YEAR. WE HAVE CAPTAIN MANASVI. HAYDEN SPANO, ARRAYA STEARNS, JASMINE. OLIVIA, AVA. RENA. RYAN, LITTLE GIRL IN THE BACK IS AUDREY WHO IS GOING TO PLAY FLAG FOOTBALL AT WARNER UNIVERSITY. ASSISTANT COACH BRIAN RIDGE. LITTLE SIDE NOTE. THEY HAVE WON SEVEN IN A ROW AND EIGHT OUT OF THE LAST NINE THEY HAVE WON. BEFORE I INTRODUCE THE SECOND TEAM, WE WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, IF YOU REMEMBER, ROBINSON AND OUR NEXT TEAM, ALONSO, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT AND PLAY ON THE NIKE CAMPUS OUT IN OREGON BACK IN AUGUST, AND HERE THEY ARE STATE CHAMPIONS. WE NOT JUST OWN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, BUT DEFINITELY NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS WELL. WITH THAT BEING SAID, TALKING ABOUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION, I WILL SAY NATIONAL CHAMP ALONSO RAVENS.
LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN. NATIONAL CHAMPION ALONSO RAVENS. HERE TO MAKE SOME INTRODUCTIONS WE HAVE THE PROUD PRINCIPAL, MR. JAMES HARRIS. GOOD AFTERNOON. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE THIS AFTERNOON. I'LL ECHO WHAT DAVE JUST SAID A MOMENT AGO. ONE OF THE THINGS I'M REALLY TRULY PROUD OF, WINNING A STATE TITLE IS OBVIOUSLY WHAT YOU SHOOT FOR, BUT THIS TEAM HERE THAT WILL COME BEFORE YOU LET BY COACH MATT HERNANDEZ IS ALSO IN ADDITION TO NATIONAL CHAMPION BUT ALSO THE TOP GPA TEAM IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AS WELL. SO THEY DO INDEED COMBINE THE ATHLETICS AND THE ACADEMICS. WE'RE REALLY, REALLY PROUD OF THEM. MATT, WHY DON'T YOU BRING THE TEAM DOWN. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY. THE ACCOLADES ARE GREAT, AND I THINK WHAT IS REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT THIS GROUP WAS THEY ALWAYS HAVE EXPECTATIONS THAT THEY ACHIEVE AT A HIGH LEVEL AND CAME UP SHORT A COUPLE OF YEARS IN A ROW.
FOR THEM TO WORK EXTREMELY HARD AND MAKE SURE THEY PUT THEMSELVES IN A POSITION TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS POSSIBLE, PERFECT 23-0. THEY FINISHED PREP NUMBER ONE IN THE NATION. AS WAS SAID FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR SCHOOL HISTORY, FINISHED WITH THE TOP GPA FOR ANY FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. I DON'T LIKE TO SPEAK IN TERMS OF LIKE THIS IS THE PEAK, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO BETTER THAN WHAT THIS GROUP DID THIS YEAR. SUPER PROUD OF THEM LED BY OUR CAPTAINS. FIRST OFF, SENIOR ATTENDING FLORIDA ATLANTIC, SADIE. SENIOR UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, MIKA. SENIOR, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, ERIN. JUNIOR, SOPHIE. JUNIOR ELLA. SOPHOMORE RAYA. JUNIOR KARINA. SENIOR GOING TO FAU TOMORROW, ELLE. SOPHOMORE ALEXA. SOPHOMORE PATTY. FRESHMAN, LAUREN. JUNIOR EMERSON. JUNIOR JULIA SANCHEZ. JUNIOR GRACE THOMPSON. FRESHMAN ELLA. FRESHMAN LINDSAY. JUNIOR McKENZIE. SENIOR GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, ALLEY.
SOPHOMORE, ALYSSA. AND SOPHOMORE McKENNA. EXTREMELY PROUD OF THIS GROUP OF GIRLS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY. WHILE THEY ARE TAKING A PICTURE, MORE FUN FACTS, MIKA, SHE WAS OUR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND STATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AS WELL. THEY WON THREE OUT OF THE LAST FIVE. THEY ARE PRETTY GOOD. OUR FINAL RECOGNITION, SPORT OF TRACK AND FIELD. AND HERE TO MAKE INTRODUCTION, WE HAVE THE PROUD PRINCIPAL FROM RIVER VIEW HIGH SCHOOL, MR. BRIAN SPIRO. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO REPRESENT COACH MIKE ZELAZO, OUR THROWING COACH FOR TRACK AND FIELD AND INTRODUCING OUR STATE CHAMPION FOR SHOTPUT, JAN CESAR. SINCE WE DON'T HAVE 15 ATHLETES TO BRING UP, WE HAVE YOU AND YOU GET TO SIT HERE WHILE I BRAG ABOUT YOU AND HOW PROUD OF YOU WE ARE. THIS IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG GETTING THIS GOLD MEDAL.
JAN BOASTS OVER A 4.6 GPA DUE TO THE COURSE WORK THAT SHE TAKES. THAT'S GOING TO TAKE HER TO FIU WHERE SHE WILL CONTINUE TO THROW AND WORK FOR THEIR TRACK AND FIELD TEAM. IN ADDITION TO THAT, JAN ALSO PLAYS SECOND AT OUR JUNIOR OLYMPICS. SHE HAS SET NOT ONE, IN THE TWO, BUT THREE SCHOOL RECORDS, INCLUDING THAT IN THE 13.45 METERS OF SHOT PUT THAT GOT HER THE GOLD MEDAL THAT BRINGS HER HERE TODAY. SUPER PROUD OF JAN. THAT CONCLUDES. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. WE ARE PRODUCING SCHOLAR ATHLETES. ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR MEETING. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE TEAMS. AND THANK YOU, MR. ROBINSON, FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. WORK VERY HARD. THANK YOU. PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD.
IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO YOUR COMMENTS, OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AND WILL KEEP OUR BOARD INFORMED ABOUT THE RESPONSES. OUR SCHOOL BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE. HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD, COMMENTS ARE NOT DIRECTED PERSONALLY AGAINST A BOARD MEMBER, STAFF MEMBER BUT RATHER DIRECTED AT THE ISSUES. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO INTERRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE. THIS AFTERNOON, EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR TWO MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU'LL SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN. A RED LIGHT AND CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP.
I'LL CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS, IF YOU CAN LINE UP AGAINST THE WALL, PLEASE. FIRST SPEAKER, PLEASE. IS. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS STANLEY GRAY. I'M WITH THE URBAN LEAGUE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THE MISSION OF THE URBAN LEAGUE IS TO ASSIST WITH THE ATTAINMENT OF ECONOMIC EQUITY FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND MINORITY COMMUNITIES. MOST OF US KNOW THAT IS DONE THROUGH ONE OF EITHER TWO MEANS. ONE IS EDUCATION. THE OTHER IS SKILL BASED TRAINING. I'VE LOOKED AT THE PROPOSED ZONING AND FROM WHERE I SIT, IT IS BIASED AND IT IS BIASED TOWARD LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC INDIVIDUALS. ONE OF MY FAULTS IS I'M VERY SUBJECTIVE AND I ADMIT THAT. I WENT TO FOUR OF MY EDUCATOR FRIENDS. TWO OF WHICH HAVE BEEN SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOL, THREE OF WHICH HAVE DOCTORATES, CAME FROM UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. I SPENT A LONG TIME WITH THEM EXPLAINING TO THEM THE CLIMATE OF OUR COUNTY AND WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THEY ALL BASICALLY AGREE WITH ME.
I THINK THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM. AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I THINK IT'S A PROBLEM IS BECAUSE IF WE DON'T LOOK AT THIS ISSUE WITH DUE DILIGENCE, WE'RE GOING TO GET WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT IS WE HAVE IN OUR LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC SCHOOLS, WE HAVE A LACK OF PARENT PARTICIPATION AND WE HAVE A LACK OF ACHIEVEMENT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. HI. MY NAME IS CARMEN EDMONDS. I'M HERE TODAY ASKING YOU NOT TO ADOPT JUNE AS LGBT PRIDE MONTH FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. FUNDED BY A DIVERSE POPULATION OF TAXPAYERS, I'M ASKING THAT YOU ALL REMAIN NEUTRAL ON THIS ITEM BY PROMOTING AND SETTING APART ONE SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION IT SETS A PRECEDENT THAT OTHER PEOPLE GROUPS ARE NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THE LGTBQ COMMUNITY. THERE ARE STARTING TO BE PROTESTS AND BACKLASH OVER THE LGTBQ OVER THIS VERY REASON.
TAXPAYERS ARE TIRED OF MONEY, TIME GOING TO A PROTECTED CLASS OF PEOPLE UNDER CIVIL RIGHTS LAW. THE LGTBQ IS PROTECTED FROM HARASSMENT AND MISTREATMENT UNDER FEDERAL LAW. BECAUSE THE FAR LEFT ACTIVISTS WANT THE MOVEMENT MADE FRONT AND CENTER IS NOW CREATING PROBLEMS AND BACKLASH FOR THAT COMMUNITY. AS REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY, YOU ALL WERE ELECTED TO STAND UP FOR ALL OF OUR CHILDREN AND SCHOOLS. YOU ARE CALLED TO REMAIN NEUTRAL FOR THE SAKE OF REPRESENTING THE FAMILIES YOU REPRESENT IN THE DISTRICT. WHETHER DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, NVA OR DON'T VOTE. REPRESENT ALL FAIRLY, UNBIASEDLY AND EQUALLY. LET'S SPEND OUR TIME FIGURING OUT HOW TO GIVE TEACHERS RAISES SO YOU CAN HOLD ON TO QUALITY EDUCATORS. LET'S SPEND OUR TIME FIGURING OUT HOW TO RAISE OUR READING AND MATH SCORES IN OUR SCHOOLS. LET'S SPEND OUR TIME FIGURING OUT HOW TO INCREASE D AND F RATED SCHOOLS TO AT LEAST A C RATING.
HOW DOES WASTING TIME CONSTRUCTING AND PASSING THIS PROCLAMATION ACHIEVE ANY OF THAT. I BEG YOU, STOP ALL OF THE UNNECESSARY GENUFLECTING TO THE EXTREME LEFT AND POLITICAL SPECTRUM FOR THE SAKE OF OUR KIDS. FOCUS ON EDUCATION AND BRING BACK COMMON SENSE, MORALS AND STANDARDS. OUR CHILDREN DESERVE IT. I BROUGHT YOU THESE PICTURES TODAY JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AT THE WHITE HOUSE, YOU HAVE A TRANSACTIVIST FLASHING PEOPLE. YOU HAVE A GAY PRIDE PEOPLE WITH BDSM WITH CHILDREN IN FRONT OF IT AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ARTICLE ABOUT PARENTS' BACKLASH ON THAT. I ASK THAT YOU JUST TAKE THAT INTO REGARD AND DON'T SET THIS -- Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. PLEASE, SPEAKERS, PLEASE ADHERE TO THE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, STAFF. HAPPY PRIDE MONTH. MY NAME IS TREVOR. I AM A PROUD BORN AND RAISED TAMPANIAN AND HONORS GRADUATE OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
OH, IF YOU COULDN'T TELL, I'M ALL FOR PROCLAIMING JUNE AS LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH. WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY HOLDS POWER. WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE REFUSE TO BACK DOWN TO HATE. AND WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE ARE STRONG. THAT STRENGTH, THAT STRENGTH THAT BROUGHT US THROUGH THE MASS MURDERS OF OUR PEOPLE DURING WORLD WAR II, THROUGH THE INCARCERATION AND BEATINGS OF OUR PEOPLE THROUGH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, THROUGH THE CLASSIFICATION OF BEING, QUOTE, MENTALLY ILL BY THE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, THAT, BY THE WAY, WASN'T CHANGED UNTIL THE EARLY '70s, THROUGH THE GAY LIBERATION MOVEMENT, THE BANNING OF PRIDE EVENTS, LITTLE P IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY UNTIL 2015 AND NOW. THROUGH THIS COMMUNITY OF DANGEROUS BIGOTS DISGUISED AS A POLITICAL PARTY THAT WAS ONCE OF SOUND MIND AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. MY MESSAGE TODAY IS THIS. THROUGH THE TUMULTUOUS TIMES AND ALL OF THE ONES AHEAD, WE MUST STAY TOGETHER.