FL H8053

Designates October 17, 2026, as "Jean-Jacques Dessalines Day" in Florida to honor the founding father of Haiti who proclaimed Haitian independence on January 1, 1804

Recognizes Dessalines as the first ruler of independent Haiti under the 1805 Constitution and the first emperor of Haiti beginning in 1804

Acknowledges that under Dessalines, Haiti became the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery

Notes the date commemorates the anniversary of Dessalines' assassination on October 17, 1806, which is celebrated annually in Haiti as Dessalines Day

Cites the strong connection between Haiti and Florida, with hundreds of thousands of Haitian Americans residing in South Florida