South Cook News

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker took to Twitter to extol the virtues of the state after it was tapped to replace Florida as host venue of the upcoming Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) conference this fall.

"We can't wait to see you all in Chicago this October," Pritzker wrote July 8 on Twitter after the ACSP announce that it would move the site of its annual conference to Chicago. "While other states may be busy stripping away people's rights, here in the state of Illinois we support the fundamental rights of all. Hate and discrimination have no place in this state."

In a letter issued July 5, ACSP officials blamed the “escalating waves of hostile actions and legislation coming out of Florida” as justification for moving the October conference from the Hyatt Regency in Miami to the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago.

In recent weeks, organizations representing Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities in Florida have issued travel advisories warning against what they called “open hostility” toward those groups after a series of laws recently passed in the state.

“Like you, I have been following the escalating waves of hostile actions and legislation coming out of Florida but also other states that are following a political playbook," ACSP President Laxmi Ramasubramanian wrote in the letter to Florida officials. "It is disheartening, painful and it makes me angry. As president of ACSP, I write today to acknowledge the anxieties, hurt, and anger that you may be feeling and experiencing.” 

A spokesperson for ACSP estimated that about 1,200 attendees will now make the trip to Chicago in October, the Florida Phoenix reported. 

“Despite myriad assurances from the Florida hospitality industry, members of all ACSP interest groups expressed significant concerns regarding travel to Florida,”  Ramasubramanian wrote in the letter.

The organization is composed of more than 100 university departments and programs that offer planning degrees, the story stated.