FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 23, 2023

CONTACT: Tracey Miller, 202-660-1628, Tracey.Miller@theacru.org

ACRU’s Live Free Local Takes Back the Country One County at a Time

Collier County, FL Establishes Bill of Rights Sanctuary

Naples, FL — Fed up with the inactivity of the bureaucratic machine in Washington, DC, the American Constitutional Rights Union and the citizens of Collier County, Florida have put a stake in the ground ending unconstitutional federal overreach.

“We hear from citizens across the country who are fed up with their complaints to the Washington establishment falling on deaf ears. Tens of millions of patriots are disenfranchised, so we chose to reclaim the political power that rightfully belongs to the people,” stated Lori Roman, Chairman and CEO of ACRU.

Roman continues, “Working with Kristina Heuser and ACRU General Counsel Jack Park, we created the Live Free Local initiative to help counties, municipalities and states create legislation to make clear their refusal to accept federal tyranny. In this case, the ACRU team drafted an ordinance that would seek to make Collier County a Bill of Rights Sanctuary.”

The ordinance was crafted from the legal principle known as the anti-commandeering doctrine – firmly established in case law, including precedent established by the United States Supreme Court – which holds that localities cannot be compelled to act as an arm of the federal government by carrying out federal government programs and policies at the behest of the federal government. This same principle was used by left-leaning counties and municipalities to establish “sanctuary” jurisdictions protecting illegal immigrants. Thankfully, the legal principle works both ways.

Collier County citizens enlisted the support of Commissioner McDaniel and later Commissioner Chris Hall to bring the issue of creating a Bill of Rights sanctuary up for a vote. That effort passed on August 22, 2023.

The team at ACRU has expanded the Live Free Local initiative to include topics of concern such as protecting election integrity for vulnerable voters, protecting children and parental rights, protecting health freedom and stopping federal overreach in state and local matters.

ACRU Executive Director Allen West reminds us, “The United States is a Constitutional Republic. All power is derived from its citizens, then local and state governments. Only specific and limited enumerated powers are voluntarily ceded to the Federal government. Sadly, the feds now claim authority not rightfully theirs, and it is time for citizens to put an end to limitless power grabs by federal entities.”

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American Constitutional Rights Union is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy organization dedicated to defending all Americans’ constitutionally protected civil rights.