PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Freedom to Read Project held an event in Clearwater aimed at raising awareness about books being removed from schools.

What You Need To Know

  • The Florida Freedom to Read Project held an event in Clearwater to raise awareness about banned books.

  • The group said 1,100 unique titles have been challenged statewide. 

  • The group Moms for Liberty has been active in challenging books. 

  • The vice chair of the Hillsborough chapter said their focus is on keeping pornographic material away from kids.

Ryan Estrada's book is one of them. Estrada co-wrote "Banned Book Club" about his wife's experiences reading forbidden literature in South Korea in the 1980s. He said it was pulled from schools in Clay County. An official with the project tells us 1,100 unique titles have been challenged statewide. 

Students told Spectrum Bay News 9 they'd like to have a say when a district is considering removing a title.

"I just think that moving forward, consultation of students, especially those of us who are in these specific classes, especially the advanced ones, like AP, IB, Cambridge, where we are fully mature enough to have those discussions and to express our points in mature and productive manners, I really feel that that's something that continues to need attention," said Eliza Lane, a student at Palm Harbor University High School.

The group Moms for Liberty has been active in challenging books. The vice chair of the Hillsborough chapter said their focus is on keeping pornographic material away from kids. She said parents can choose to let children read books that are removed from schools at home.