TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It started with a person trying to buy a home in Betton Hills.
Now the push to remove racially insensitive language from neighborhood covenants might actually happen.
Over the past few months we've told you about a task force designed to remove the language from all Tallahassee neighborhood covenants. On Tuesday, the task force is one step closer to that becoming a reality.
The task force is in great spirits because at least 20 different organizations across the Capital City showed their support of the recommendations to remove the language in the covenants.
So now, the group can move forward with trying to remove the language completely. That's something that will eventually need approval from the governor.
The language stated, "no person of other than the Caucasian race shall own, use or occupy any property in said subdivision." Attorney Jami Coleman says this sort of language should not still exist in 2019.
"It's been deemed unconstitutional but let's now move a step further in our present and our future and let's remove the language altogether moving forward," said Coleman.
Coleman says Senators Bill Montford and Representative Loranne Ausley plan to propose laws about this when the legislative session resumes.
That legislation would remove or redact those words from any covenant or legal document associated with neighborhood rules.
