Road to Change Florida gets rolling
Hundreds focus on having a good time, not politics
With a sunny optimism that seemed to hold threatening skies at bay, the March for Our Lives-organized Road to Change bus tour of Florida began with a party that attracted a few hundred supporters to the Equestrian Center at Temple Park in Parkland.
The bus tour is a rolling expression of the voter-engagement message that defined March for Our Lives, inspired by the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. While there were opportunities for voter registration on Friday, the family-oriented event put its focus on snow cones and Selena Gomez songs instead of politics.
“I’m definitely satisfied,” said John Barnitt, organizer of Road to Change in Florida. Friday’s event was the first opportunity for his fellow Marjory Stoneman Douglas students to create their own event, he said. “I’m very proud of the students who are organizing this. It might not be that big, but it’s an accomplishment for some students.”
The gathering took place under and around a mowed pasture on the equestrian center grounds, bracketed by food trucks and carnival games. A HeadCount.org voter-registration booth stood nearby.
The crowd included parents and stu-