Daily Voice
By Joe Lombardi From Daily Voice
A new bill in Florida would require every public university and state college to rename a campus roadway after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, setting off protests, legal warnings, and sharp political debate across the state.
House Bill 113, filed by Republican Rep. Kevin Steele of Dade City, would mandate that all 40 state universities and colleges designate a “prominent or well-traveled roadway” on their grounds as Charlie James Kirk Road, Drive, or Boulevard, depending on what the road was previously called.
Institutions that fail to comply within 90 days could face the loss of state funding. The bill was referred to the Education Administration Subcommittee on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
The measure does not yet have an accompanying Florida State Senate bill, but legal experts expect possible challenges on free speech and governance grounds if it moves forward. Civil rights groups have already signaled they are reviewing the proposal for potential litigation if passed.
Specific designations are already listed in the measure. Stadium Road at the University of Florida, Chieftain Way at Florida State, and West Osceola Street at Florida A&M University would all bear Kirk’s name if the bill passes.
Kirk, 31, a conservative influencer and Turning Point USA co-founder, was shot and killed on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University.
His memorial service near Phoenix, Arizona was attended by a crowd estimated at around 100,000, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and members of the Cabinet. Trump later posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this month.
Erika Kirk with President Donald Trump as Charlie Kirk is posthumously awarded the Presidential Metal of Freedom
Steele said his goal is to honor Kirk’s work and continue his influence among students:
"My goal with this bill is to continue his legacy through generations of students that will attend our schools and will be faced with many differing ideas," Steele said in a statement.
Florida Rep. Kevin Steele
Steele noted, "Like Charlie once said, violence is not the answer, knowledge and dialogue is. We will continue his mission.”
Students, faculty, and alumni at several campuses have criticized the measure as a politically motivated tribute. At Florida A&M University, Bethune-Cookman, and Florida Memorial, critics call the proposal “a slap in the face” to historically Black institutions that honor their own local and civil rights pioneers.
At the University of Florida, where Stadium Road would become “Charlie James Kirk Road,” student leaders described it as “inappropriate state overreach.”
Many faculty members are raising questions about academic freedom and the bill’s financial penalties. Some administrators privately warned that linking funding to symbolic gestures may create constitutional challenges on First Amendment grounds, particularly regarding compelled speech.
HB 113 remains in the early stages and will likely be taken up in the next legislative session in early 2026.
For now, debate continues across Florida’s campuses — and few issues have captured attention as powerfully as the prospect of a “Charlie Kirk Boulevard” running through nearly every college in the state.
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