User:6r3yf0x/Sandbox

6r3yf0x/Sandbox
File:Southernpartyofloridalogo.png
State Chairman	Kevin Floyd
Senate Leader	None
House Leader	None
Founded	May 20, 1999
Headquarters	Box 755, Odessa, Florida 33556
Ideology	States Rights Confederate States Sovereignty
National affiliation	Southern Party
Colors	Gray
Website
http://www.southernpartyfl.org
*The original SPFL was founded on May 20, 1999, and dissolved in 2000. The current SPFL was reformed on February 22, 2008. The Southern Party was dissolved in 2003 and has not been reformed, thus the SPFL does not answer to a national party.

Southern Party of Florida (SPFL) is a separatist political party in the State of Florida. It is a sister State Chapter to the Southern Party of Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi; and is an active remnant of the former national Southern Party which existed in the Southern States 1999 to 2003.

The Southern Party of Florida advocates an increase in States Rights for the Southern States, the removal of all Illegal Immigrants from the South, the abolishment of the Federal Income Tax and the IRS, and the formation of an independent Southern Nation by any and all peaceful means.

HISTORY

The Florida Chapter of the Southern Party was created by members of the Southern National Committee, following the official separation from the League of the South, a Confederate Nationalist organization which makes up the sole majority of the current Confederate pro-Independence movement within the Southern United States.

Foundation

The party was founded on May 20, 1999 by Jim Lear of Yulee, Florida, whom also served from May 20, 1999 to February 05, 1999 as the Provisional Chairman of the Southern Party of Florida. Soon after the formation of the party, Lear filled the remaining vacant party leadership positions by naming Larry Powell as Provisional Treasurer, and Jeff Hardy as Secretary to the Party. The national apparatus of the Southern Party, which was called the Southern National Committee (SNC) made it a priority to establish a State Party in every historical Confederate State and contested border State.

Following the successful founding of State Parties throughout the South, the SNC held its inaugural National Convention in Flat Rock, North Carolina on August 7, 1999. The Convention has become to be known as the "Asheville Launch" which is due to how heavily covered the Convention was by both the American and International media, which literally "launched" the SNC into the fore front of the previously dormant Confederate pro-Independence movement. The high light of the SNC Convention was the drafting of the Asheville Declaration which proclaimed the SNC's commitment to achieving the unconditional liberation of the Confederate States of America from the illegal and unconstitutional occupation of the United States of America.

On February 5, 2000 the Southern Party of Florida organized the first and only regular State Convention, which met in Tallahassee, Florida. New officers were elected and a revised Constitution was adopted. Ron Colson of Tallahassee was elected as 1st Party Chairman and Dr. Dennis Raitt, also of Tallahassee, was elected 1st Vice Chairman, Terry Phillips of Quincy, Florida was elected 1st Treasurer, and Connie Ward of Pensacola, Florida was elected 1st Secretary. All official terms began as of that date .

Resignation Scandal

A little over a month after the State Convention has held, on March 15, 2000 the newly elected Chairman, Ron Colson advised both his staff and members of the party by e-mail that he was resigning and that Dr. Dennis Raitt, the Party VP, would accede to the Chairmanship.

Shortly after the resignation of former Chairman Colson, party Treasurer, Terry Phillips issued his resignation via e-mail on April 3, 2000 and mailed the financial records to former Treasurer Larry Powell and stated that "he wanted nothing more to do with the party". Enclosed with the records were forms where Treasurer Powell had secured a bond for himself using party funds.

During the fallout caused by the unexpected resignation and mismanagement by Chairman Colson's Administration the State of Florida began questioning all parties involved. Both Mr. Colson and Mr Phillips denied having any responsibility and or wrong doing for their inactions and maintain that since no changes were filed with the State of Florida, they never actually assumed their offices, despite the existence of hundreds of e-mails and State Convention minutes and ballot results which attest to the contrary. The Colson, Phillips faction contended that the Southern Party of Florida is now the responsibility of the former officers and the newly elected officers bear no responsibility for their actions or inactions.

The Lear, Powell faction contended that they did not solicit the responsibility of accounting for missing funds and misused resources and assume no liability for the misdeeds of the previous administration which abused its power and the support of its membership.

However despite the abundance of evidence which incriminated the Colson, Phillips faction, the founding members of the party conceded the argument to avoid what would had been a costly court battle over whom should be left to clean up the mess and carried out the reporting responsibilities of the Party to the State of Florida on January 14, 2001 in a letter to the Division of Elections.

Dissolution

Within a few weeks of the State Convention the Party was faced with an internal crisis when the newly elected Chairman and Treasurer both resigned, this caused an internal leadership crisis which would ultimately destroy the Party from the inside out. After a series of resignations the interim leadership considered the party mortally wounded and beyond repair and decided to disband the Southern Party of Florida in late 2001.

Many contend that the Southern Party of Florida would had been disbanded with or with out the internal problems it dealt with due to its dependence upon the SNC which also suffered a major leadership scandal of its own about the same time and was also dissolved in 2003.

Aftermath

With no central National Committee left to lead the Southern Party most of the remaining State parties collapsed, out of the 15 State Chapters of the Southern Party, only 2 survived the dissolution, they are the Southern Party of Georgia and the Southern Party of North Carolina whom played host to the 1999 Asheville Convention.

The most successful remnant is the Southern Party of Georgia which remained the strongest and most active state party organization during the aftermath years of 2003-2008. The Georgia SP fielded multiple candidates for local and state offices in the 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections and was an enduring presence in the statewide political struggle over the redesign of the Georgia State Flag.

Resurrection

The merits of reforming the Florida SP was first discussed on February 22, 2008 by Kevin Floyd, Ralph Tombs, and Morgan Sweeny at the Dixie National Party Convention in Orlando, Florida. Following a brief debate the Dixie Party voted 13/0 in favor of allowing the Florida portion of the party to succeed, which subsequently voted to dissolve the Dixie Party of Florida and reform the Southern Party of Florida, which was formally organized at a later meeting in Tampa, Florida on March 17, 2008.

During this meeting Kevin Floyd was elected Chairman; other appointments include Kara Spiese of Brooksville, Florida who was appointed as Interim Treasurer, and Shelby Summers of Port Richey, Florida who was appointed as Interim Secretary. On May 10, 2008 the Southern Party of Florida was successfully re-registered with the Florida Division of Elections as a legal political party once again.

Southern Independence

According to recent documents released by The Southern Party of Florida, the Party advocates two primary plans to achieve their ultimate goal which is the formation of a independent Southern Nation by successfully and peacefully liberating either the former Confederate States or a large enough portion of the States which made up the Confederacy from what it considers to be an illegal occupation by the United States.

The first plan which is known as Scenario Alpha, calls for the unconditional National Sovereignty for the Confederate States of America, not by secession but instead by a multi step Southern cultural and social reform "deconstruction" process which once completed would culminate in the peaceful liberation of the Confederacy by way of the ballot and political declarations by elected Southern officials and leaders.

The secondary plan which is known as Scenario Beta, calls for the formation of a new Southern Nation that is based upon the Confederate States and the Constitutional ideology that it was founded upon but would be about half of the size of the former Confederacy and would not be called the Confederate States or even the Confederacy.

The SPFL considers plan Beta to be a back up plan to Alpha, and has stated in a recent press release that it would only advocate the execution of plan Beta if the Southern Independence Movement was unable to successfully rebuild a Southern Nationalist movement capable of resurrecting the entire Confederacy, but could secure the liberation of most of the former Confederate States and or territories. The SPFL has also indicated under Beta that this new nation would be called Dixie or the Republic of Dixie.