Stephen King: 'Maybe My Next Horror Novel Could Star Rick Scott'

On Tuesday evening, more than 200 protestors gathered at Sarasota's bayfront at the Unconditional Surrender statue as part of a statewide "Awake the State" rally. 

Today, 33 rallies were held across the Sunshine state, but Sarasota was the only place where best-selling author, and Sarasota area resident, Stephen King showed up to speak. 

"You might say 'hey what are you doing up there, aren't you rich?'" King said. "The answer is, 'thank God, yes' ...  And you know what, as a rich person I pay 28 percent tax. What I want to ask you is why am I not paying 50 [percent]. Why is everybody in my bracket not paying 50?"

King's speech was the climax of an hour-long protest where people lined the bayfront with signs saying "defend education" and "adjust it don't bust it."

While protestors were speaking out against cuts to the drug monitoring program and Scott's decision to deny a high speed rail, the overwhelming issue that people were protesting was education cuts. 

"The budget cuts are wrong," said Mary Lou Keller. "We can’t be sacrificing education and the environment and these things for short-term problems."

Lisa Daily brought her two children with her to the Awake the State rally. She said it is important for them to see what is going on.

"We always try to be really involved in our community," she said. "It's important for them to learn that people can make a difernce. This directly affects them. These are the kids who are going to be affected by these cuts and it's their futures who we are mortgaging."

She said Sarasota cannot afford Scott's budget cuts. 

"We have a good school district here, [but] we are really already hurting," Daily said.  "This is going to be devastating for education."

Across Marina Plaza about 20 Scott supporters gathered to voice their opposition to the Awake the State rally. There they held signs that said "defend the constitution" and "Florida is broke." 

Earlier in the day outside Republican state Sen. Mike Bennett's office.