Do Florida sheriffs know the definition of unanimous?

Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law has come under scrutiny in the last 18 months due to the shooting deaths of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis.

The judicial process regarding the former was resolved last month, while the man accused in Davis’ death at a Jacksonville gas station in November 2012 had his trial delayed a few more months Wednesday.

In case you are curious about the specifics of Florida Statute 776.013 it states:

“A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity, and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony.”

Despite vociferous objections from the Dream Defenders and other groups, it appears the lawmakers in little rush to change that law. A poll of the legislature found there was not enough interest in Stand Your Ground laws to conduct a special session about them.

On Aug. 9 the Florida Sheriffs Association threw its support behind the legislation. They triumphantly trumpeted its membership unanimously supported the 2005 law.

Surely all the sheriffs in the state can count, or know people who can, because they were elected to public office. The fact 15 percent of Sunshine State sheriffs were not in attendance at this annual meeting last week did not stop the association from saying Stand Your Ground had unanimous support. The association even sent a statement to the press announcing this mathematical impossibility.

“The right to self-defense is well-established in law. The Florida Sheriffs confirmed this position by voting unanimously, at the 2013 Florida Sheriffs Association Summer Conference, to support the Stand Your Ground law as it is currently written. Our current judicial system is comprised of multiple checks and balances to ensure fair and equitable application of all laws, including Stand Your Ground.”

It turns out only 57 of the state’s 67 sheriffs were in attendance. The association didn’t bother to figure out the 10 who were missing when it sent out its initial press release.

It turned out the sheriffs in Broward, Volusia and Flagler counties, men who protect 12 percent of the state’s population, would not have supported the FSA’s stance. Figuring out the other seven will be left to enterprising journalists and concerned citizens to determine because the FSA did not record who voted in this pseudo-official poll of sheriffs.

In a state with a colorful history of botching elections, it should not be a surprise that those who protect and serve us cannot count.

Laughs and liveliness,

-Wb