A drive by a Panama City radio talk show host is calling for the defeat of the Martin Lee Anderson claims bill, (SB 2968).
He's even asking one of the bill's co-sponsors to vote against it.
On his Web site, Panama City 101.1 FM radio talk show host Burnie Thompson says, "The bill, in my opinion, convicts the drill instructors and ignores the opinion of the medical examiner of record, Dr. Charles Siebert."
On the site, he urges residents to call state Sen. Al Lawson, a co-sponsor of the bill, and lobby him to defeat it.
Lawson said he's received calls daily from Panama City residents, asking him to defeat a bill he co-sponsored, which would give Anderson's parents $5 million for the death of their son.
"The claims bill is not a trial on whether the guards are innocent or guilty," said Lawson, a Democrat. "The claims bill is the State of Florida, recognizing responsibility. The governor and everybody has come to the table and negotiated that they need to get this behind them and compensate this family for all they've had to go through."
The 14-year-old Panama City boy died Jan. 6, 2006, a day after he was struck and kneed by drill instructors at the Bay County juvenile camp.
Seven drill instructors and a camp nurse have pleaded innocent to felony charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Bay County Medical Examiner Siebert ruled Anderson died from natural causes, associated with the sickle-cell trait.
But a second autopsy by Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Dr. Vernard Adams said Anderson died from suffocation after having ammonia tablets stuffed in his nose and having his mouth covered by drill instructors.
The bill will likely be voted on soon by the Legislature, and Lawson is confident it will be approved.
"We would prefer it would pass because in a court of law the compensation that probably would come up would be far greater than what was negotiated," Lawson said. "It's a very sensitive issue and most members that have been familiar with it will be hard-pressed to vote against this claims bill for what all the family has had to go through."
A trial for the drill instructors and nurse will likely happen this fall.