Somebody wake Shakespeare. He's no longer a part of state law.
Legislators voted Thursday night to strike the word "shylock" from the state record books, thus ending years of discrimination against loan sharks.
Shylock was the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare's 16th-century play "Merchant of Venice," who sought a pound of flesh for an unpaid loan. The term is often used to define someone who lends money at exorbitant interest rates.
Florida statutes use the term as a synonym for loan shark and "shylocking" as a synonym for loan sharking. Loan sharks have been steaming at Shakespeare and Florida lawmakers since 1969 when the term hit the books.
Several Jewish lawmakers found the term anti-Semitic and drafted the bill that passed unanimously. Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to sign the change into law.
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Copyright AP - Associated Press
