WEST PALM BEACH — Chanting and waving signs, more than 100 church members and immigrant advocates marched down Clematis Street Saturday, calling on the federal government to extend new rights to illegal immigrants and warning state lawmakers not to enact a law similar to a controversial one in Arizona. CLICK FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- One of the hot-button issues this election season is immigration reform, and supporters and immigrants calling for fair and equal rights gathered for a rally in West Palm Beach on Saturday. click for complete coverage

To the chants of:   “WHAT DO WE WANT? IMMIGRATION REFORM!, WHEN DO WE WANT IT?, NOW!” an enthusiastic crowd of over 200 demonstrators marched from Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach beginning at City Hall and ending at Centennial Square.

Organized by Church of all Nations Pastor Mark D. Boykin, the event was informative, energized and allowed a wide berth for a diversified group of churches and organizations the platform needed to express their views on this controversial topic.

Serious and focused but fun enough for the whole family, the Immigration Reform March was a blazing success that opened the eyes of those in attendance and educated many to the sensitive battle brewing across America. As colorful as the people in attendance, the flag waving and placards served as a reminder of just how seriously close to home in Florida and this issue are quickly becoming. 

Some of the invited speakers include: Monica Delgado – Immigration Reform Leader, Shahid Freedman- Community Leader, Mr. Bob Louie, Haitian United Task Council- West Palm Beach, Pastor Oscar Rodriguez- Cristo Mi Redentor- West Palm Beach, Manuel Guerras- Students Working For Equal Rights-Indiantown, Rabbi Barry Silver, Pastor Valentin Fontanes- President Latino Pastors Association, Aileen Joseph- Honorary Consul of Guatemala , Pastor Mark D. Boykin Church of All Nations, Boca Raton, Mr. Jose Cerrato Honduras Council, Mr. Ben Gaspar- Guatemala community Council, Gayle Zavala- Farm Workers Council, Mr. Martin Alonso- Mexican Council General, Gabe Pacheco- The Walkers- Dreamers, Ms. Jeanette Manzanero- Palm Beach Community College and Father John- St Ann’s Catholic Church- West Palm Beach. For more Immigration Reform March news and how you can become involved, visit the   click for more photos

WEST PALM BEACH — Echoing criticism by Republican governor hopeful Bill McCollum last month, leaders of a Christian group today slammed GOP candidate Rick Scott's investment in a Hispanic-oriented social networking website.

Christian group slams GOP candidate Rick Scott's shares in Hispanic dating website

Echoing criticism by Republican governor hopeful Bill McCollum last month, leaders of a Christian group today slammed GOP candidate Rick Scott's investment in a Hispanic-oriented social networking website. that partners with Playboy Mexico to select a "Cyber Girl of the Month" that partners with Playboy Mexico to select a "Cyber Girl of the Month."

Scott's campaign and the chief financial officer of Quepasa Corp. said Scott is merely an investor in the West Palm Beach-based business who does not have a say in its affairs. An April filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission said Scott had a 13.8 percent stake in the company. His stock is worth about $7 million.

"It's a publicly traded company that he has invested in. It could be in anyone's 401k," Scott spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said.

A McCollum campaign mailer last month referred to Quepasa as "Rick Scott's company" and noted its Playboy connection and its "community pages geared toward gay dating."

Mark Boykin, pastor of the Church of All Nations in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County coordinator for the Christian Family Coalition, made similar criticisms today on the sidewalk outside Quepasa's Datura Street headquarters.

"This is not exactly the profile of a true conservative," Boykin said of Scott's investment.

Boykin described the pictures of bikini-clad Cyber Girl contestants on the Quepasa site as "soft porn" and "racy, indecent, baudy and burlesque."

Quepasa CFO Mike Matte said there is no nudity on the site and "we don't allow any type of pornographyIf you look at some of the other networks, there's much more racy content than ours."

Scott spokeswoman Baker called today's event "a cheap political stunt by Bill McCollum."

Boykin said he's "leaning" toward McCollum in the GOP primary, but he and Christian Family Coalition Director Anthony Verdugo said their midday event was not coordinated with McCollum's campaign. Boykin and Verdugo were joined by Valentin Fontanes, the head of a local Hispanic pastors group.

In an historic evening at Church of All Nations, candidates for both governor and Attorney General of Florida graciously accepted an invitation to an open style forum discussion moderated by West Palm Beach affiliate CBS12’s Suzane Boyd and Rev. Mark Boykin of Church of All Nations in Boca Raton. Gubernatorial candidates included Bud Chiles, Brian Moore, and current Attorney General Bill McCullom. Candidates Rick Scott and Alex Cink were no shows.

Rev. Boykin covered a broad spectrum of topics including the economy, big government, unemployment and one of the hottest topics of the evening, Immigration reform. Also covered were education and FCAT’s, the current state of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and future drilling in Florida, social networking and Israel’s settlement of the West Bank.
In addition, Rev. Boykin, representing the Christian Family Coalition, asked family value questions including same sex marriage, same sex adoption, and sonograms before abortion.
Each candidate was brought center stage for individual discussion for approximately fifteen minutes followed by a rapid fire forum where all three candidates participated in the forum simultaneously. Following the Gubernatorial Forum, a brief forum was held for Attorney General. Participating were Holly Denson and Jeff Kottkamp. click for photos