Will Bill McCollum Clarify His Statements and Actions Related to Votes AGainst Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday?

From FDP:

QUESTION: DID MCCOLLUM COME TO HIS REALIZATION "IN THE 80'S" AFTER OR BEFORE HIS 1989 VOTE AGAINST THE COMMISSION TO PROMOTE MLK DAY?

1983: McCollum Voted Against Making Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday A National Holiday. In 1983, McCollum voted against a bill to designate the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of the late civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (HR 3706, Vote 291, 8/2/83 and The Miami Herald, 08/03/83)

2010: McCollum Said He Was "Naive" To Oppose MLK Holiday In 1983 And Came To Realization "In The 80's" "Shortly After The Vote". McCollum said he was 'naive' in 1983 to oppose MLK holiday. "When did he come to that realization? 'In the '80s after the vote,' he said. 'Shortly after the vote. I couldn't tell you the exact year, but this is what? Twenty-five years later? It was very apparent to me upon reflection soon after that that it was not a good vote even though it does cost a lot of money.'" (Palm Beach Post, 01/19/10)

But In 1989 McCollum Voted Against Commission To Promote The Observance Of A Federal Holiday In Honor Of Martin Luther King. Bill McCollum, on May 9, 1989, was one of only 42 U.S. House members who voted against "a five-year extension of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission", a commission established "to promote the observance of the federal holiday in honor of King." The "House, in a 359-42 vote, passed the bill in the same form approved by the Senate ... 90-7." The bill gave "the commission a five-year budget of $1.5 million," "providing federal money for its operation" for the first time. (HR1385, Roll Call Vote 45, 5/9/89; Motion agreed to 359-42; AP, 05/10/89 and Los Angeles Times, 05/10/89)
1989: St. Petersburg Times Called McCollum's Opposition "An Embarrassment To Florida" And A Demonstration Of How Far Out Of The Mainstream He Is. The St. Petersburg Times opined: "only three Floridians" in the U.S. House voted "to kill all federal funding of the commission." They were: "Mike Bilirakis, Andy Ireland and Bill McCollum. President Bush has indicated that he will sign it, which demonstrates just how far out of the mainstream are Mack, Bilirakis, Ireland and McCollum." The Times called their opposition "An embarrassment to Florida". (Editorial, St. Petersburg Times, 05/10/89)
QUESTION: Did McCollum refute characterizations in 2000 articles during his Senate race that reiterated his opposition to MLK Day? If McCollum publicly stated his regrets for voting against the holiday, did his 2000 campaign mention this?

2000 News Coverage Reported That McCollum Was Known For His "Unflinching Position" Against The Creation Of MLK Day. In his 2000 campaign for Senate, McCollum's vote against MLK Day was a key contrast in the race in news coverage. Several newspapers reported:

2000- McCollum's "unflinching Opposition": McCollum is "known for his unflinching positions against abortion, against control of assault weapons, and, in the 1980s, against letting Mariel refugees with criminal records stay in the United States, against the congressional report that detailed the Iran-contra scandal, against the Martin Luther King holiday and anti-apartheid sanctions for South Africa, and against political asylum for El Salvadorean refugees." (Miami Herald, 10/15/00)
2000- McCollum's Hometown Newspaper: "Nelson supported the Equal Rights Amendment, the creation of a federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and bans on assault weapons. He also backed waiting limits on handgun purchases. McCollum, by contrast, opposed these measures." (Orlando Sentinel, 10/8/2000)