Why Does Florida Take Its Sweet Time Making Every Decision

Why does Florida take its sweet time making every decision?

I know. You’re saying what’s the rush.
You’re probably also saying, “What the hell are you talking about?”

The most recent situation where Florida seems to be having difficulty acting in a timely manner is the case of a man killing a complete stranger who did nothing to provoke him.

The problem, it seems, is that no one can determine if the killing was justified. The city where it happened is investigating and the state is investigating and the federal government is investigating. The word going around is that a decision is a ways off still.

But aren’t all decisions in Florida always a ways off?

Yes, they are.


In 2000 they had an election and by the next morning every state in the nation had the votes counted except one. Florida took a few more weeks before they threw in the towel and gave the election to the Supreme Court to decide. The court decided it was better to get the whole thing behind them and did the best they could, which basically boiled down to trading in the votes of 100-million voters and letting the election hinge on the way they themselves had originally voted on election day.

Were things always this slow in Florida?

Yes and no and we don’t know.

Always is a long time no matter how you cut it so it’s hard to say if Floridians were always this slow.

We do know that Florida has acted quickly when they want to and they proved it by seceding from the union on January 10, 1861—only 16 years after they had joined and almost two months before Lincoln even took office. Next to Texas it was the second fastest state to renege on its commitment to join the United States. 

But it’s safe to say Floridians in general are slow to act. Ponce de Leon, the first Floridian if we don’t count the Indians—and Floridians almost never count the Indians—landed on Florida’s shores on April 2, 1513. It so happens that this was a Saturday and even back then, probably nothing got done on the weekends but why did he wait almost a full week, until April 8, to claim the state for Spain? Why not claim it first thing Monday morning?

That’s what most of the conquistadors were doing during the great western hemisphere land grab.

Captain John Smith, not a conquistador but definitely a land grabber, landed on Virginia’s shores on April 26, 1607 and planted England’s flag while standing on the beach. Within a month he was building houses a few miles down the road.

What was holding Ponce de Leon back? What did Spain stand to lose? It’s not like Ponce was putting any money down.

And so the question still remains about Florida—too fast, too slow or just right? You be the judge.

I’ve sent this article to Florida Governor Rick Scott for his views. I should be hearing from him any day now.