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Voices From Inside the "Free Speech Zone"

September 27, 2011 | WMFE - When the Florida Republican Party and the Conservative Political Action Committee held their major event in Orlando, protesters were directed to stand in specially designated zones outside the Orange County Convention Center. Sheriff Jerry Demings says he established the areas, known as "Free Speech Zones", to maintain order during the convention. All week, 90.7 has presented the voices of many of the people that were inside the hall, including Gov. Rick Scott. Today, we hear from some of the people who came to the convention to protest.

The group Pink Slip Rick protested Florida Governor Rick Scott’s policies while he delivered the keynote address at the CPAC Convention inside the hall in Orlando.

Susannah Randolph, executive director of Florida Watch Action organized the protest to raise awareness about Scott, who she describes as “anti-middle-class”.
“I think people didn’t really know who he was and now people are waking up to understanding what kind of man this guy is. I mean he’s the perpetrator of the largest Medicare fraud case in the country.” Randolph said. “$1.7 billon dollars in Medicare fraud. Now he’s our governor and he’s basically perpetrating a fraud on the middle class by saying he’s creating jobs when he’s actually killing jobs.”

Darden Rice, Communications Director for the Protect Your Care campaign, points out what she believes to be the governor’s hypocrisy in fighting the new federal health care law.

“The governor receives such inexpensive healthcare while he’s working to deny it to so many others.” Rice said. “He hasn’t done such a great job in the jobs department either and the jobs that he does claim to create are jobs that don’t provide great salaries or health care either so we’re holding the governor accountable for this.”
 
Not everyone agrees with the protestors’ message, however. Jean Morris shared her support for the governor on her way into the Convention Center. Morris is a retired Florida schoolteacher who is in favor of Scott’s education reforms, including those that tie teacher pay to student test scores.

“I am a school teacher of 43 years and I did testify in Tallahassee in front of the House Committee in favor of the education bill.” Morris said.
“If you love teaching and you’re really good at it, then the county will keep you as a teacher. So I didn’t need tenure.”

But Orange County teacher Diana Moore disagrees. She stood with the protesters inside the designated area.

“The problem is that when you base teacher pay on student scores, there are too many variables that we don’t control, like how many days they’re at school?” Moore said. “If you have a child who’s missed 25 days, how in the world can they pass a test? And that’s going to affect the teacher’s pay.”       

Protestors waved signs and banners as passengers in passing cars yelled out both cheers and catcalls.

The Presidency 5 and C-PAC event included a nationally televised debate among the GOP presidential candidates and a closely watched straw poll.
The event attracted approximately 3500 Republican Party activists and candidates for president, US Senate and numerous other races. It was held in Orlando over the weekend.

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