Jax Diversity Manager Jimmy Midyette ‘proud’ of lawmakers who voted for Israel ceasefire resolution
Owen Girard contributed to this report.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Diversity Manager for the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission Jimmy Midyette said he is “proud” of two Florida House lawmakers after they voted in favor of a resolution that called for a ceasefire in Israel.
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, and was struck down by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a 104-2 vote Tuesday. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, was the only other member who voted in favor of Nixon’s resolution.
One Democrat, Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie, said the resolution calling for de-escalation and cease-fire in the Israel-Palestine conflict is “born out of ignorance and antisemitism.”
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan appointed Midyette as the city’s diversity manager in August.
Florida’s Voice reached out to Midyette for a comment Wednesday.
Midyette was also asked for a response to Gottlieb saying the resolution is “born out of ignorance and antisemitism,” but Florida’s Voice has not received a reply.
Florida’s Voice also reached out to Deegan’s office, asking if the mayor had a response to her diversity manager supporting this resolution, but did not receive a response.
HR 31-C calls for a ceasefire and to advocate for the “dignity and safety of residents in every community.”
“The responsibility of having to deal with this today falls on the shoulders of one person: the person who filed this bill,” Gottlieb said Tuesday.
Nixon had previously opposed a resolution by Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, that expressed Florida’s “unwavering” support of the state of Israel.
“I filed this resolution for the 1,400 Israelis and now over 10,000 Palestinian killed since the [Oct. 7] attack,” Nixon said Tuesday.
“It’s never been my intent to downplay the heinous acts that took place at the hands of Hamas. Nor to downplay the ongoing hostage situation,” Nixon said.
Several House members, including Fine, grilled Nixon with questions on the bill Tuesday. Fine questioned where she got her numbers that she used for the total loss of life amongst Palestinian civilians that have been reported.
Nixon responded by saying that “it’s all over the news.”
Fine criticized Nixon’s comment, saying that the total number of Palestinian casualties is produced by the Palestinian Health Authority, which is “run by terrorists.”
Nixon said that the sole purpose of her resolution is to recognize that “all lives are seen with humanity.”
Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, asked Nixon why the state simply could not call for a ceasefire of Hamas, rather than both sides, in order to end the conflict faster.
“Since Hamas started this war, shouldn’t we, for simplicity’s sake, simply demand Hamas cease-fire by surrendering unconditionally?” he asked.
“We should also care about the babies,” she said directly after. “We should also humanize the babies that are being lost as well.”
Rep. Hillary Cassell, D-Hollywood, pressured Nixon by asking why Israel is always forced to defend its actions while conflicts such as Russia and Ukraine don’t get resolutions.
Fine commented during debate that the issues with Israel and Palestine are “not a legitimate conflict,” but a “fight between good and a fight between evil.”
He added that there is “evil in this room” and that the legislative body needs to “fight it here today.”
The Jewish lawmaker later took to social media and doubled down on his comments by explicitly stating that the evil in the room was Nixon and Eskamani, and called them “Jew-haters.”
“If you vote for this, you are putting my child and every Jewish child in this state at risk, because what you are doing is you are saying [that] what these monsters that are parading through our college campuses and on the streets are doing, is justified. If you vote for this, you are an antisemite,” Fine said.
