Florida Legislative Investigation Committee
The Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (commonly known as the Johns Committee) was established by the Florida Legislature in 1956, during the era of the Second Red Scare and the Lavender Scare. Like the more famous anti-Communist investigative committees of the McCarthy period in the United States Congress, the Florida committee undertook a wide-ranging investigation of allegedly subversive activities by academics, civil rights groups, especially the NAACP, and suspected communist organizations. After failing to find communist ties to Florida civil rights organizations, it focused on homosexuals, who were widely believed to pose a threat to both youth and national security. Students were expelled and faculty fired or forced to resign from Florida universities, especially the University of Florida.
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