Sarasota-Manatee Hispanic-owned businesses close Thursday to protest immigration law
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BRADENTON — At least six local Hispanic-owned businesses and restaurants closed for the day on June 1 as part of the statewide "A Day Without Immigrants" protest denouncing the recently enacted immigration law that takes aim at undocumented workers across the state.
Popular Mexican restaurants in both Sarasota and Bradenton, including both the Bradenton-based Acapulco Tropical supermarket and restaurant, were temporarily closed Thursday in conjunction with the labor strike across the state of Florida.
A sign in both Spanish and English was placed on the 14th Street Acapulco location indicating the temporary closure for the protest.
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"Dear Customers, We advise we'll be closed on Thursday, June 1 in support to the Hispanic community and workforce, focusing on agriculture and construction," the sign read.
The normally busy local store stood empty Thursday and the lights were off inside the entire plaza.
Sarasota's popular Mexican restaurant and market, La Primavera, located on Washington Boulevard just north of downtown Sarasota, was also noticeably devoid of its usual lunch rush Thursday. The restaurant sells a number of homemade Latin pastries, horchata, and steak quesadillas, among other traditional Mexican favorites, and draws a steady crowd of customers daily.
Three other Hispanic-owned restaurants along Washington in Sarasota — La Brisa Tacos y Marisco, BomBon Cafe, and Colombian Point Restaurant — all were closed on June 1.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently announced his 2024 presidential candidacy, used the issue of federal border enforcement as an entry into the broader immigration topic and his push for state legislators to pass SB 1718.
The bill requires businesses to step up reporting the immigration status of workers, crackdowns on people who assist or bring in undocumented immigrants into Florida, and will collect data about whether hospital patients are in the country legally. Legislators approved an additional $12 million for a migrant relocation program similar to that used by the governor last year to lure almost 50 mostly Venezuelan asylum-seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.
Locally, Manatee County organizers and activists gathered in mid-May following the signing of the immigration bill by DeSantis at the historic courthouse in downtown Bradenton to denounce the new Florida law.
A handful of local Hispanic leaders, activists, and clergy along with the Manatee County Democratic Party, Manatee County NAACP, and the League of Women Voters addressed the bill signed by DeSantis, protesting a law they believe will affect much more than just the undocumented community.
Samantha Gholar covers social justice news for the Herald-Tribune and USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at sgholar@gannett.com or on Twitter: @samanthagholar
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hispanic businesses close in Sarasota-Manatee to protest new law
