Some see success, others see secession

A semantic struggle over the words succeed and secede is in play in the state capital over what some might call a silly, if not superfluous, flap.

The brouhaha started in February. That's when The League of the South, a Killen, Ala.-based organization that encourages southern states to secede from the United States, took out a billboard on that position in Tallahassee. The billboard, with simply the word secede in giant bold capital letters, is on Apalachee Parkway, a few blocks from the state Capitol.

The League of the South, in a post on its website, states its reasons for the dramatic call to action: “If the South is going to survive, especially against a floodtide of massive third world immigration and leftist attempts to destroy her very cultural and political foundations, she is going to have to seek her independence and govern herself.” The League of the South, incidentally, is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to a Sunshine State News report.

Secession pleas in modern times in the U.S. aren't necessarily new (see Texas). But the efforts have a low success rate, of, well, never. The League of the South's billboard, adds Sunshine State News, is scheduled to come down by the end of April.

But the Florida business community in Tallahassee, led by the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, won't stand for secession chatter. The organizations put up a different Tallahassee billboard April 16 to answer the League of the South. The Chamber's billboard states another simple message: “Succeed Florida!”

Florida Chamber officials say the fact that Washington, D.C. “remains stuck in neutral” is no reason to depart from the country.

“There are some who would like to see Florida fail, and even break away from the rest of the country,” Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson says in a press release and video message published the day the billboard went up. “At the Florida Chamber, we share their frustration with Washington, D.C., but seceding is not the answer. Instead, we must continue down the path that has opened doors of opportunity for Florida's families and businesses. We are succeeding and we will continue to lead this nation back to prosperity.”