St. Augustine (takes action to) outlaw housing discrimination against gays and lesbians
The St. Augustine City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to outlaw discrimination in housing for sexual orientation. Activist and frequent City Commission critic Ed Slavin asked commissioners to amend the city’s Fair Housing Act during public comments.
“It sends the message that St. Augustine is open for business, and our hearts are open,” Slavin told Folio Weekly after the vote.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, Slavin asked commissioners to send a message to the LGBT community that it didn’t tolerate discrimination. He said it was important now in response to the Jacksonville City Council’s 10-9 vote Aug. 15 against amending its human rights ordinance to protect gays and lesbians.
City commissioners discussed an amendment during a housing workshop within the St. Augustine City Commission meeting. Commissioner Errol Jones then introduced a motion to change the law when the regular meeting resumed, and all four City Commissioners present voted in favor. Mayor Joe Boles wasn’t in attendance. The City Clerk’s Office confirmed the vote Tuesday to Folio Weekly, and said the change required no further action by commissioners. But in fact, Tuesday’s vote was only the first step. City Attorney Ronald Brown will draft an amendment to the law and bring it back to commissioners for discussion, public comment and votes on first and second reading before the change is official.
The quick action of commissioners in St. Augustine contrasted sharply with the city of Jacksonville, where months of heated discussions followed introduction of a bill in May amending the city’s Human Rights Ordinance. On Aug. 15, the Jacksonville City Council rejected the amendment by a 10-9 vote.
St. Augustine Vice Mayor Leanna Freeman said she couldn’t explain the Jacksonville vote, but she said it’s part of her city’s tradition to protect the freedoms of its residents.
“In our historic city, we have always protected all types of individual freedoms,” Freeman said. “Now we are protecting the freedom of sexual orientation.
Our policy has been to protect human rights and freedoms, and we are unanimous in that. There isn’t a lot of debate about whether or not we should protect individual freedoms.”
St. Augustine has been the site of epic constitutional and civil rights struggles, including the fight waged by city street musicians and artists for freedom of expression, a lawsuit filed by resident Merrill Roland to force compliance with the Americans WithDisability Act and the battle of African-Americans for full civil rights. The St. Augustine struggle was a critical moment in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
“We have a very long history of hurts against different demographics of the population,” admitted Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline. “Now we are trying to move in a healing direction, to be an inclusive city, tolerant of differences. We have really focused on this as a Commission.”
Sikes-Kline said it was a clear decision for her because it was about a basic need — shelter. “We don’t want to see discrimination against a person’s basic needs,” she said.
Slavin joked that St. Augustine introduced and adopted the changes in the time it took people in Jacksonville to clear their throats.
— Susan Cooper Eastman
Tags: St. Augustine
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