An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 "Awake the State" demonstrators turned out in 30 cities across Florida on Tuesday to protest Gov. Rick Scott's budget plans.
In Fort Lauderdale, more than 1,000 protesters virtually encircled the federal courthouse downtown -- swamping a smaller gathering of tea party activists who were rallying in support of Scott.
"We were inundated," said Danita Kilcullen, a leader of Tea Party Fort Lauderdale. Kilcullen said some of her group's signs were "snatched" when the "Awake the State" crowd spilled over.
Though mounted police were present, Kilcullen said, "There were not enough." No injuries were reported.
Franco Ripple, an "Awake the State" organizer at the event, called it a "pretty vocal crowd," with lots of sign-waving and horn-honking by passing motorists.
Some of the placards read: "Support Your City, County and State Workers," "United We Stand" and "Don't Balance the Budget on Our Backs."
In Tampa, an "Awake the State" crowd variously estimated between 1,000 and 2,000 took over Gas Light Park.
"There were nonstop buses full of unions' members wearing union shirts," said Tom Gaitens, a tea partier who witnessed the event.
There were SEIU members, teachers, pipefitters, every union imaginable," said Gaitens, whose small group conducted a press conference nearby.
"They chanted, 'Recall Scott' and we kept chanting 'Parasites Unite,'" said Gaitens, a Southwest Florida resident who serves as Florida director of FreedomWorks, a Washington, D.C.-based tea party organization.
Damien Filer, spokesman for Progress Florida, which hosted the "Awake the State" website, estimated that the day's total turnout numbered 10,000 to 15,000 people -- including as many as 1,000 in Jacksonville.
"This whole things has been an experiment, and it turned out to be an inspiring one, given the stark reality of the numbers in the Legislature," Filer said.
"We heard from a lot of people who said they had never been to a protest rally before. The more civic engagement, the better for everyone," he added.
"Awake the State" coalitions of public-sector unions and liberal advocacy groups rallied at 30 cities, following dueling rallies in Tallahassee Tuesday morning.
Countering some of those protests, "Save Our State" organizers with the Florida Alliance and Tea Party Network staged satellite demonstrations at 10 venues ranging from Fort Myers to Titusville to Lake City.
"Awake the State" mobilized public-sector employees by tapping into simmering angst over education reforms and Scott's call to require government workers -- including teachers -- to contribute 5 percent of their salary toward their pensions.
On the other side, tea party and patriot groups rallied in support of budget reforms and tax cuts designed to kick-start Florida's slumping economy. Scott campaigned on a pledge to create 700,000 private-sector jobs over the next seven years.
In Brevard County, an estimated 500 "Awake the State" ralliers turned out, compared with about a dozen tea partiers.
Most rallies were more sedate, as protesters encountered no organized opposition.
In West Palm Beach, union members warned that budget cuts will force layoffs and trigger higher social costs in the long run.
Under Scott's plan, "Companies and businesses just get off for four years," said one protester.
Asked another: "If the tax cut/union bashing works so well, why did things get so much worse in the private sector after destroying their unions and cutting the taxes for the corporations? Now, the solution is to cut the public sector? Why not increase pay in the private sector instead?"
By mid-afternoon, Awake the State's Facebook page shot past 6,000 "likes" -- and the online posters clearly didn't like the governor or his tea party backers.
Scott Vogelpohl wrote: "OK, f--k Rick Scott. On top of everything else, he's apparently foot-dragging on the implementation of the Fair Districts Florida."
Denise White related that she "Called Governor Dips--t twice today. The second time I got a person. Ended with 'If he doesn't listen to the people, we will work for his recall!'"
"Awake the State" Facebook and Twitter postings also were replete with the vulgar epithet "tea bagger," which is slang forsomeone who rests their private parts on another person's face while they are asleep or passed out.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
