MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County commissioners voted Tuesday to rename a portion of Northeast 16th Avenue as Trayvon Martin Avenue in honor of the 17-year-old who was fatally shot in February 2012, the office of Commissioner Audrey Edmonson confirmed to Local 10 News.
The portion of Northeast 16th Avenue that will be renamed runs from Ives Dairy Road to Northeast 209th Street.
Martin, who lived in Miami Gardens with his mother, was visiting his father in Sanford at the time of the shooting.
The gunman, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of murder during a high-profile “stand your ground” trial in 2013.
Zimmerman has since filed a lawsuit in Polk County against Martin’s family, their attorneys, prosecutors and the state for damages in excess of $100 million.
The former neighborhood watch volunteer claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot the teen.
Prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is listed as one of the defendants in the lawsuit, issued a statement last December, calling the lawsuit “unfounded” and “reckless.”
“This plaintiff continues to display a callous disregard for everyone but himself, revictimizing the individuals whose lives were shattered by his own misguided actions,” Crump said.
Martin’s death gained international attention and brought forth countless calls to end systemic racism.
His family has since created the Trayvon Martin Foundation to bring awareness and to end senseless gun violence.