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More than 35-thousand people have signed a petition calling for Florida to secede from the union. And tonight the White House is promising to respond to their concerns. As Whitney Ray tells us, calls for secession are increasing following the re-election of President Barack Obama.

David from Arcadia, Bryant from Panama City and Adam from Apopka all want the same thing. For Florida to become its own country, free of federal rule.

The names are just a few of the more the 35-thousand on this petition on the White House website. It asks the Obama Administration to allow Florida to peacefully withdraw from the union and create its own government.

People from almost every state have started petitions to secede from the union. Most of the petitions were started after the Re-Election of President Barack Obama.

Steve Schale is a Democratic strategist. He says the petitioners are representing a small segment of the population.

“People that want to leave the country make up a distinct minority of the country. That being said they have a right to have their voice heard,” said Schale.

Concerns over the federal debt, drone use, the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act and TSA searches are fueling the calls for succession.

Anticipating backlash to the president’s reelection, Florida’s new House Speaker, a Republican, had this message for his colleagues in the legislature.

“We have a president and for those who wish him to fail, or for that matter wish our congress to fail, only wish for American to fail and that is unacceptable,” said Weatherford at his swearing in ceremony.

The White House promises to respond to any petition with 25-thousand signatures, but historically the only road to secession is civil war.

The White House promises to post a response to the petition on its website. A petition for Texas to secede currently has the most signatures with more than 100-thousand. There is also a petition on the site to strip the citizenship of everyone who signs a secession petition with 22-hundred signatures.