A Republican lawmaker in Florida introduced a bill seeking to force the Sunshine State’s public universities to rename at least one road on campus after slain conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, or lose a chunk of funding if they refuse.
State Rep. Kevin Steele filed HB 113 on Tuesday that, if passed, would require state colleges to “redesignate specified roads or portions of roads to certain names relating to Charlie James Kirk,” according to the bill.
The bill notes that the universities would be allotted 90 days to make the change if it is passed, and any that fail to comply will have state funds withheld.
The state’s 40 public colleges would need to adopt “Charlie James Kirk” Drive, Road, or Boulevard, depending on the street’s current name, according to the bill.
Most of the suggestions strip streets currently named after mascots, landmarks, or even alumni. Others are standard “College Road” or “College Drive” streets, which are staples at most academic institutions countrywide.
Steele wrote on X that his goal is “to continue [Kirk’s] legacy through generations of students that will attend our schools and will be faced with many differing ideas.”
Kirk, who did not complete a formal college education, famously toured at different schools around the country and held debates with students on both sides of the aisle.
The founder of Turning Point USA was shot and killed during one of those very debates at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Since then, a firestorm erupted online as many were fired from their jobs for their morbidly candid reactions to his assassination. A slew of the country’s most powerful Republicans, including President Trump, turned out to his memorial and funeral.
Others, like Steele, opted to put forth legislation to try and memorialize Kirk — albeit with varied success.
Last month, another Florida state representative, Juan Porras, proposed HB 33 which would require part of a road near Florida International University to be named “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue.”
One Republican lawmaker in Utah filed a bill to rename Salt Lake City’s Harvey Milk Boulevard after Kirk. Milk was a New York-born politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to the California legislature.
Even in Congress, Republicans are pushing to have Kirk immortalized on silver dollar coins.
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