A Republican state lawmaker has filed a bill requiring all of Florida’s public state universities and colleges to rename one roadway on their campuses after the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
And if they don’t, the legislation proposes holding back “state funds” that go to the institutions.
State Rep. Kevin Steele, R–Dade City, filed the bill (HB 113) in the Florida House on Oct. 7. There’s no Senate companion yet. Steele wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The bill, if passed, would make “each institution’s “board of trustees … redesignate the following roadways or portions of roadways, as applicable.”
It then lists each roadway to be renamed:
“State funds shall be withheld from any state university or Florida College System institution whose board of trustees fails to redesignate the roadway or portion of a roadway listed above within 90 days after the effective date of this act,” it says. “This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.”
Steele was first elected in 2022. His online bio says he’s the vice chair of the House Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee and sits on the chamber’s Criminal Justice Subcommittee and Select Committee on Property Taxes.
This week’s bill follows one filed by another Republican lawmaker to rename a “portion of S.R. 985/S.W. 107th Avenue between S.W. 24th Street and S.R. 90/S.W. 8th Street in Miami-Dade County” to “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue.”
State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, filed his measure (HB 33) on Sept. 23, the same day the Lake County Commission unanimously voted to rename a road for Kirk there. It would take effect July 1, 2026. That measure has been assigned to the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee, records show.
Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was struck in the neck by a single bullet and later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The 31-year-old was a prominent and polarizing political figure – an author, radio host, and podcaster – whose outspoken critiques of what he described as dangerous liberal ideas made him both an influential voice and a lightning rod in political circles.
He founded Turning Point USA in 2012, at age 18, to build a grassroots student organization devoted to free markets, limited government and conservative activism on college and high school campuses. He toured campuses across the country to debate students on issues, often sparking protests.
During a tearful address at his recent memorial in Arizona, Kirk’s widow said she forgave the man accused of killing him, and that her husband had wanted to “save young men just like the one who took his life.”
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do,” said Erika Kirk, 36, to a standing ovation in Glendale, Arizona. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love.”
Florida previously has renamed sections of roadways for other conservative icons, most recently for the late radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
The 2026 legislative session convenes Jan. 13, and committees have started meeting this week.
This story contains previously published reporting, including from USA TODAY and the Daily Commercial, a USA TODAY NETWORK newspaper. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bill would make Florida colleges, universities name streets after Charlie Kirk
Reporting by Jim Rosica, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
