As term winds down, longtime commissioner warns of racial divide: 'People stopped listening'

TAMPA, Fla. - We've seen protesting in our streets over the past several months. But for five minutes of Wednesday's Hillsborough County Commission meeting, Commissioner Les Miller addressed that racial reckoning.

“This county, and this state, and this country, is on the verge of some very, very serious racial divide," Miller warned.

With a mere 10 weeks left before Miller is term-limited out of his seat, he explained that he sees no change, without action.

“It looks like people stopped listening, you know? The best way for us to come together is people have to listen," Miller said. "We’ve got to start talking to one another. Understand what I’ve gone through, and I want to understand where you are.” 

The commissioner, who was elected in 2010 and served in the Florida House and Senate beforehand, hasn't been silent over what he's seen.

Back in June, he received several anonymous emails containing racial epithets after the vote requiring mandatory COVID-19 masks.

He says he expects more of the same.

"That's OK," he offered. "You can go ahead and send them, and I’ll be praying for you, and I’ll continue to work for you and this county to make your life a better place for all of us to live work and play."

He plans to work with the commission in some form after his term, but he says the mission doesn’t end with protests.

“It’s about education, it’s about finding people jobs, it’s about health care," he said. "It’s about many things.”

But the one thing, he says, that will matter long after he’s gone, is action.

“Please, please, with every ounce of strength and vigor that you have, try to make a difference in this country," Miller added. "Try to make a difference in this state, in this county. Let’s put this systemic racism aside. We cannot have a divided country.”