Editing Avon Park, Florida (section)

=== 2006 Illegal Immigrant Relief Act ===
In 2006, then mayor Thomas Macklin proposed City Ordinance 08-06, or the Illegal Immigrant Relief Act, which would have blocked the issuance or renewal of city licenses to businesses that hired [[alien (law)|undocumented aliens]], fined any property owner who rented and leased property to undocumented aliens, and established English as the city's official language, banning the use of other languages during the conduct of official business except where specified under state or federal law.<ref name="ordinance">{{cite web |url=http://www.heraldtribune.com/assets/pdf/SH6957724.PDF |title=Avon Park Ordinance 08-06 |publisher=City of Avon Park |access-date=2007-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929123151/http://www.heraldtribune.com/assets/pdf/SH6957724.PDF |archive-date=29 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the weeks before the vote, local businesses saw a drop in sales as immigrants became wary of coming into shop and droves of workers stopped showing up to local farms out of fear of being arrested.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Christina E. |date=July 26, 2006 |title=Avon Park mayor isn't giving up |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2006/07/26/avon-park-mayor-isnt-giving-up/28489715007/ |access-date=July 29, 2024 |work=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]}}</ref> The ordinance was defeated by the city council, on a 3–2 vote.<ref name="SHT">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060805/NEWS/608050372 |title=Avon Park's debate far from finished |author=Hutchinson, Bill |date=5 August 2006 |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |access-date=2007-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929142220/http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060805%2FNEWS%2F608050372 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>