OSCEOLA'S AT-LARGE BOCC ELECTIONS SUBJECT OF LAWSUIT

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Monday against Osceola County, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

This is not the first time that Osceola County has had issues with it's Hispanic electorate. Three years ago, it escaped a lawsuit by agreeing to better serve the Hispanic population at the polls by hiring more Spanish-speaking poll workers and taking other steps to assist Spanish-speaking voters.

County Commission Chairman Paul Owen reacted defiantly when asked by the Orlando Sentinel to respond, saying he would be happy to put the issue on the ballot if supporters can collect the required number of signatures on petitions. He also said that single member districts do more harm than good because "If I'm going to have five commissioners who are spending my tax dollars, I want to be able to vote for all five of them."