Zimmerman Case Update 2013: Stand Your Ground Law Could Cost Florida Millions From Boycott [VIDEO]
The movement to boycott all things Florida, in light of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, is gaining momentum and it could cost the state millions in revenue.
From Stevie Wonder to Martin Luther King Jr. III, popular figures are rallying public support to boycott the state and its corporations until it repeals its Stand Your Ground law. Several others have taken to social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to advocate the embargo on Florida, using hashtags such as #BoycottFlorida and #NotFlorida, according to The New York Times.
Similar boycotts of Arizona occurred after the state passed its stringent immigration law in April 2010, which many opponents deemed discriminatory toward minorities. Several musicians cancel concerts and convention organizers omitted the state from their events that year. A report released in November 2010 by the Center for American Progress, a liberal policy group in Washington, said the state's convention business as a whole declined by $45 million.
At a concert in Quebec held on July 14, Wonder said he would not play any shows in Florida until the state abolished its controversial self defense law. King called for a boycott on Florida Orange Juice on Wednesday while addressing the crowd at the NAACP convention being held in Orland0, which is about 20 miles from where 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot dead.
"We applaud Stevie Wonder, who said he will not come down to Florida until the law is changed," King told the crowd at the convention, drawing applause when he added, "We may have to look at not consuming Florida orange juice."
The liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org has a petition on its website that calls for a boycott of Florida because it practices the Stand Your Ground law, which allows the use of lethal force as a form of self-defense if a person believes they may be in danger of suffering bodily harm or death.
Zimmerman's attorneys did not use the law in defense of their client, but the trial has still cast a national spotlight on it.
Florida had 91.4 million visitors generating $71.8 billion in tourism spending and $4.3 billion in state sales tax revenue in 2012 from its tourist attractions such as Disney World and Palm Beach, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing company.
