TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Leon County Board of County Commissioners hosted a public hearing to consider placing a proposed \u201chistoric harm amendment\u201d on November\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n
Leon County commissioners voted 5-2 Monday to leave the adoption of the ordinance up to the people.<\/p>\n
Officials emphasized this is not reparations, but instead addresses historic harmful public policy decisions based on geographical areas in the community.<\/p>\n
Tallahassee A.L.E.R.T. member Melanie Andrade said she thinks it\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that requiring our county to take a very specific look at policies that they\u2019ve passed, and that are currently running, to make sure that it doesn\u2019t harm or unintentionally treat any community unfairly,\u201d she said. \u201cWe should do more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The measure previously stalled after the Leon County Charter Review Committee tied 9-9<\/a>, but was revived<\/a> before landing before the commission again in May. <\/p>\n Commissioners revived the amendment but opted to change the language so as not to violate any state or federal law. The county attorney was tasked with revising the amendment to remove any references to reparations, slavery and DEI. <\/p>\n The amendment\u2019s sponsor, Dr. Bruce Strouble, changed the proposal to focus on geography, rather than race. The revised language removes \u201cany potential protected-class eligibility to ensure broad applicability\u201d and \u201cshifted to a geographic framework to address localized community needs,\u201d according to Strouble.<\/a><\/p>\n Now, voters will ultimately decide in November if the amendment is added to the Leon County charter.<\/p>\n If this passes, it would require regular assessments and reports of \u201cnegative\u201d community conditions.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n