Lawmakers overwhelmingly reject Special Session

A view of the Capitol and Dept. of Education buildings Wednesday morning, Oct. 11, 2017 in Tallahassee, Fla. (Photo by Phil Sears)

With a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline for casting votes, the Republican-controlled Legislature overwhelmingly rejected a Democratic proposal to hold a special session to address gun violence.

The Senate rejected the idea by a 20-14 margin, while the House turned it down by a 68-38 margin, according to a tally released Tuesday evening by the Florida Department of State.

The votes were almost along straight party lines, with only three Democrats crossing over to oppose the proposed special session. Those Democrats were Sen. Bill Montford, Rep. Bruce Antone, and Rep. Al Jacquet, according to the Department of State.

House Democrats called for the special session in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, this month but were quickly opposed by Republicans leaders in both chambers.

Democrats needed 72 of 120 votes in the House and 24 of 40 votes in the Senate to force a special session.