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I need your help. When the Florida Legislative Session starts in about a month, I will suspend fundraising for 60 days because I am a sitting legislator. This is a good law, but unfortunately in this case it gives a leg-up to the Republicans running for Attorney General. (None of them are sitting legislators, so they can all fundraise freely during this period.)
This is our moment to send a message that grassroots means something. We're currently the best funded campaign on either side of the aisle, and if we can bring a flood of donations in right before the legislative session, it will maintain our momentum and status as frontrunner.
So, today my campaign is announcing a “moneybomb” for 2/25. The idea is to spend the next month getting people to pledge to give online on 2/25.
Can you pledge to donate on 2/25? (Right now -- only takes a second!)
This election is really about the type of state Florida will be – and frankly my opponents have a much different vision and agenda. I believe that most people share our view – but the best way to prove that is with a tangible show of support.
Pledge to make your money talk on 2/25!
I know times are tough, but the consequences of inaction will be much more expensive. Even if you can only give a few bucks -- the number of grassroots donors is just as crucial to our ability to make a statement as the number of dollars raised. So please, make your pledge now.
Thanks either way,
Dan Gelber
PS: Want to go the extra mile? Sign up to host! My campaign will help you learn how to fundraise, and the website can help you track which of your friends are pledging...and the site also allows you to automatically solicit through your Facebook or Twitter.
Link
There has been a substantial increase in the unlawful slaughter of horses recently in the State of Florida and particularly in Miami-Dade County. These horses are being slaughtered in connection with the illegal sale of horse meat.
State Representative Luis Garcia (D-Miami) and State Senator Victor Crist (R-Tampa) have joined together and filed HB 765 to combat this growing problem.
House Bill 765 provides a greater deterrent to the illegal slaughter and sale of horse meat by increasing the penalties and imposing mandatory minimum sentences.
The legislation increases the criminal penalty to a third degree felony and imposes a mandatory minimum fine of $3,500 and a minimum period of incarceration of One year for the killing of a horse in violation of this statute.
HB 765 also expands the scope of the statute to include any person who knowingly transports, distributes, sells, purchases or possesses horse meat that is not clearly stamped, marked and described as horse meat for human consumption or horse meat which has not been acquired from a legally licensed slaughterhouse.
Additionally, House Bill 765 authorizes local governments to revoke or suspend local business licenses of restaurants, stores or other businesses after being convicted of violating this statute and expands scope to include all horses not just recognized breeds and hybrids.
Criminals are profiting from this misconduct. A full-sized horse can provide more than 300 pounds of meat on the black market, and horse meat sells for as much as $40 per pound.
Representative Garcia stated, “If they want to steal and kill our horses then we will take their livelihoods and possibly their freedom.” Garcia went on to say, “In the old west they used to hang horse thieves. We no longer practice vigilante justice, nor am I advocating as such, but I will not sit back any longer and let this horrendous crime continue.”
House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands and Representative Ron Saunders, the Democratic Ranking Member on the House Full Appropriations Council, issued the following statements in response to Governor Charlie Crist’s budget presentation.
Democratic Leader Franklin Sands (D-Weston):
“I congratulate Governor Crist for recognizing the important priorities of job creation and economic development, the need to develop the talent of Florida’s students and workforce with increased education spending, and for keeping in mind the health care and other priorities of Florida families.
“Governor Crist wisely embraces the use of federal stimulus aid provided by President Barack Obama and Congress. Unfortunately, his budget dangerously relies on draining important state trust funds, draws down budget reserves to levels that will require close scrutiny, and is built on a sunny optimism that is in sharp contrast to the dire warnings of Republican legislative leaders.
“I once again call on Republican legislative leaders to begin the state’s budget writing process by committing to holding all budget talks in the sunshine, and to make budget-allocation decisions in public rather than relying on the secretive process of the past that drew criticism in a grand jury report.
“Meanwhile, I am hesitant of the governor’s call for changing the Class Size Amendment in the state constitution. I seriously doubt that Floridians will want to undo what they approved in 2002. I strongly support giving school districts the flexibility they need to deal with small increases in the student-teacher ratios. But it is important to remember that Florida still averages more students in its classrooms than any other state in the Southeast. The flexibility our schools need can be achieved by changing state law to implement the Class Size Amendment. There is not presently a need for voters to change the amendment.”
From Representative Ron Saunders (D-Key West):
“It is abundantly clear that Florida’s Republican leadership is at sharp odds with our Republican governor. While Governor Crist is eager to embrace federal stimulus funds for Florida, the Republican legislative leadership is still sounding a message of worker layoffs, stagnant education spending and painful budget cuts. It’s no wonder that Floridians are looking for an alternative to our current Republican leadership.”
Meek: "Equal Pay for Equal Work is Progress Florida Families Can Count in Dollars and Cents."
Miami Gardens, Fla. - Today, Kendrick Meek released the following statement regarding the one year anniversary of passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a measure that requires equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, age, race, religion, or national origin:
"Equal pay for equal work is a right that should not have required legislative action, but it took Democratic leadership to pass and a new president to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. Florida's families and households are better off when a woman's income isn't shortchanged because of unfair business practices that pay working men and women unequally. More than ever, Florida families are working longer and harder only to take home less. With rising costs of college tuition, child care and retirement, this reform ensures Florida's working parents are in a better position to support their children. Equal pay for equal work is a Florida right that was long overdue."
Lilly Ledbetter worked for nearly 20 years as a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company facility in Alabama. She sued the company after learning that she was paid less than her male counterparts at the facility, despite having more experience than several of them. A jury found that her employer had unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of gender. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Ledbetter had waited too long to sue, despite the fact that she filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as soon as she received an anonymous note alerting her to pay discrimination. The court ruled that since Ledbetter did not raise a claim within 180 days of the employer's initial decision to pay her less, she could not receive any relief. Employees in Ledbetter's position would be forced to live with discriminatory paychecks for the rest of their careers under this Supreme Court decision.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman issued the following statement on the news that the nation's GDP grew by 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, the fastest growth since 2003--a sign that the national economy is moving out of recession:
"Today's news that the GDP has grown at its fastest rate since 2003 is a welcome sign that our nation's economy is turning a corner. President Obama and Democratic Leaders have worked tirelessly to implement smart policies like the Recovery Act that will help our economy grow and end the decline we experienced due to failed Republican policies.
"But as President Obama has made clear, our unemployment rate is still unacceptably high. Until every Floridian has a job, until every student is able to attend college, and until folks are able to stay in their homes and make their monthly mortgage payments, the President and Democratic Leaders will continue working to build our economy and create growth for the long-term. Floridians call on Republicans like Gov. Charlie Crist, former Speaker Marco Rubio and Sen. George LeMieux to stop playing politics with Florida's jobs and start working with Democrats to move our country forward. The Sunshine State deserves nothing less."
State Sen. Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) offered the following response to President Obama’s announcement today that Florida is a recipient of the federal High Speed Rail grant:
“This is a huge twofer. We get an immediate boost to Florida's ailing economy while modernizing our antiquated state-wide transportation system. Moving forward with infrastructure projects like high speed rail will help rebuild our short and long term economy by putting thousands of Floridians back to work. It will also put us on track to begin modernizing our transportation system for the challenges of tomorrow.
“I was very proud to be a part of the bipartisan team that, working with Florida's labor community, helped make this moment a reality. As the President said last night, we must commit ourselves to never being anything other than the greatest nation in the world, which means right here in Florida, we have to continue to invest, to innovate and to create a workforce that can compete with anyone, anywhere. Today's announcement is an important first step on that journey.
Today candidate for Agriculture Commissioner, Scott Maddox, praised Attorney General Bill McCollum for his newfound opposition to near-shore oil drilling. Maddox, the first statewide candidate to take a firm public position against this dangerous idea, welcomed McCollum to the right side of the debate.
“I don’t care if it took a new Quinnipiac poll or another revelation, he is now where he should be on this issue, and that’s good for Florida,” stated Maddox.
Last year it was Scott Maddox who took the issue head on and laid out why such an idea as near-shore drilling would hurt more than just our environment but jobs, our economy, and our state’s budget as well.
Maddox added, “For the good of this state and for the good of our economy, we can only hope that McCollum can also persuade his fellow Republicans, namely incumbent Congressman and fellow candidate, Adam Putnam to also read those polls and take a stand in the best interest of Florida’s future.”
