The other thing that came into play was [that] the Legislature by budgetary
process had abolished the law school at FAMU in the 1970s. They had created
the law school at FSU, and they’d abolished it not by enactment of law but
by appropriation efforts. You know, the black community, minority community
wanted to restore that law school. At the same time there was a big move
to a Hispanic law school. And that movement was pushed by the people in the
Senate, and the restoration of the law school [at FAMU] was pushed mainly by
members in the House.
On the last day of the session, spring of 2000, everybody came to an agreement
that we would pass the medical school bill as we wrote it…. And the
bill was passed on the same day that we passed the law school for FIU for the
Hispanic population and for the restoration of the law school and funding for
the development of a law [school in Orlando] for FAMU, which I think was the
right thing to do in all three cases…. I think the people of Florida got what they
needed. They got the restoration of a minority law school which was unfortunately
taken away at a time in our history which I think leaves a blemish. •
38 | Breaking the Mold