Diaz-Balart Statement on the Electoral College Vote

/0 Comments/in , /by

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) issued the following statement after the House voted to certify Electoral College votes.

“This year, we had a very close presidential election where razor-thin majorities in a handful of states determined the outcome. A thriving democracy depends on much more than just elections –it requires trust, transparency, and fairness. All Americans must be absolutely confident, without a shadow of a doubt, that their differences can be resolved at the ballot box, and that they have full say in the selection of their leaders. Unfortunately, to this day, many Americans still do not trust the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

“The presidential election has concluded, and Joseph R. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20th. Just like the challenges to members of the Electoral College in 2000, 2004, and 2016, the 2020 challenges will not change the outcome of this election. However, I take my oath to support and defend the Constitution very seriously. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the Constitution provides that state legislatures have the sole authority to determine the manner of choosing electors. Yet, in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, in several states, many state officials nonetheless changed the presidential election rules and regulations despite lacking the constitutional authority to do so. It is precisely for this reason that I agreed, along with 125 of my colleagues, to join the amicus brief in State of Texas v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, brought by 17 states against Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. I am gravely concerned about numerous reports of irregularities and last-minute changes that violated basic constitutional requirements in those states and others such as Arizona. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case and did not address any of the important constitutional questions presented. So now, the responsibility falls to Congress as to whether the electors from these states were “regularly given” and “lawfully certified” under the Electoral Count Act of 1887. For this reason, and after much study and deliberation, I have become convinced that the electors in some states were selected in an unconstitutional manner. I simply cannot vote to uphold a slate of electors under those circumstances.

“I understand full well that we live in extremely polarizing times. That is why I feel it is especially important that we redouble our commitment to the Rule of Law, institutions and customs that have served us well for over 200 years. When we finally put the 2020 election behind us, and the Congress resumes its work on behalf of the American people, these troubling issues must be resolved for future elections so that all Americans can be fully confident in their fairness, and in their outcomes.”

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Partnership with Publix to Open COVID-19 Vaccination Sites

/0 Comments/in , /by

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and Florida Department of Health (FDOH) have partnered with Publix Supermarkets to establish COVID-19 vaccination sites. Governor DeSantis made this announcement at the first Publix vaccination site in Ocala.

Through a partnership with FDEM and FDOH, Publix is receiving 15,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to launch a new pilot program at 22 select Publix Supermarkets, beginning Friday, January 8. Appointments can be made beginning Thursday, January 7.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to increase vaccinations and put Florida’s seniors first, I’m pleased to announce this innovative partnership with Publix,” said Governor DeSantis. “At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and the state of Florida thanks Publix for their willingness to step up and lend their infrastructure to this critical cause.”

The 22 pilot locations will be open in three counties: three in Citrus County, 11 in Hernando County, and eight in Marion County.

All vaccinations by Publix at their select locations will be by appointment only. Beginning Thursday, January 7, qualified individuals can make an appointment by visiting www.publix.com/covidvaccine.

Commissioner William L. McDaniel, Jr. Announces A Night With Your Commissioner

/0 Comments/in /by

January 13, 2021
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Collier County Commissioner William L. McDaniel, Jr. District 5, invites Collier County residents to attend A Night With Your Commissioner event on Wednesday, January 13, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at UF/IFAS Collier Extension, 14700 Immokalee Road, Naples, Florida. Guests are invited to attend either in-person or remotely. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, a maximum of 50 guests are allowed at this
event on a first-come, first-served basis. Face coverings are mandatory.

To participate remotely, register at https://us02web.zoom.us/s/87077569122?pwd=dDRiMzJ5NktiRjN6UWNuRzhodGJPQT09

Beginning January 13, 2021, and every second Wednesday in 2021, Commissioner Bill McDaniel will host this series of events designed to facilitate open discussion on a variety of relevant topics.

“A Night With Your Commissioner is our way of encouraging District 5 residents who are interested in Collier County Government to participate in open and casual conversations about topics that are important to them,” said Commissioner McDaniel. “I am looking forward to meeting both face-to-face and virtually with folks who may not have had much contact with their government in nearly a year. As a public servant, I intend to stay in close communication with the community to make sure that we are providing the very best level of government services possible.”

Commissioner McDaniel will provide opening remarks and introduce several key members of the County administrative team. Guests are encouraged to submit questions that will be drawn randomly during a question and answer session.

More than one commissioner may be present and participate in Commissioner McDaniel’s District 5 event. The discussion may include items for action at a future Board of County Commissioners meeting.

For more information, call Sue Filson, Executive Aide to Commissioner McDaniel, at (239) 252-8605 or via email at Sue.Filson@colliercountyfl.gov

Diaz-Balart, Soto Reintroduce Venezuela TPS Act

/0 Comments/in , /by

Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Darren Soto (FL-09) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) introduced the bipartisan Venezuela TPS Act of 2021. The legislation designates Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), protecting approximately 200,000 Venezuelan nationals in the United States from deportation.

“I am proud to once more join my colleague, Congressman Darren Soto, to introduce the Venezuela TPS Act in the 117th Congress,” said Congressman Diaz-Balart. “Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans remains a top priority for me, and it continues to be crucial to the thousands of Venezuelan nationals that have sought safety in the United States after fleeing the oppressive, murderous Maduro dictatorship. I will continue working tirelessly with my friend, Congressman Soto, and my other colleagues to advance this important legislation.”

“The whole world has witnessed Maduro’s blatant disregard for human rights, including arbitrary arrests, media censorship, imprisonment of the opposition and the use of lethal force against peaceful protesters,” said Congressman Soto. “Until political stability and food security are restored and economic recovery is underway, designating Venezuela for TPS is the best way to show our support to refugees in Florida and across the country. I thank my colleagues Reps. Diaz-Balart and Wasserman-Schultz for joining this bipartisan effort to assist the thousands of Venezuelans who now call Florida home. It’s time to carry out our nation’s strongly held American values of compassion and democracy!”

The bipartisan Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 passed the House of Representatives on July 25, 2019.

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Four New Actions to Increase Vaccinations, Reaffirms Commitment to Putting Florida “Seniors First”

/0 Comments/in , /by

Longwood, Fla. – Today, during a press conference at Orlando Health in Seminole County, Governor Ron DeSantis announced four new actions the state is undertaking as it enters the fourth week of a proactive approach to increase vaccinations, especially for Floridians 65 and older.

Governor DeSantis said, “Florida is putting Seniors First and I’m pleased to announce four new actions that will continue our proactive approach to offering the vaccine to Floridians 65 and older, as well our continued efforts to vaccinate frontline health care workers and long-term care facility residents. Partnerships with Florida hospitals remain critical to our efforts, but this alone is not enough to reach our vaccination goals.

“To that end, I am directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to partner with the Florida Department of Health to identify additional sites to administer the vaccine and to be open 7 days per week, including the conversion of state-supported testing sites and partnerships with places of worship in underserved communities. I am also directing the Division to hire additional nurses to support these sites and accelerate vaccinations in Florida’s over 3,000 assisted living facilities. We will continue to build on these efforts in the coming weeks.”

The Governor was joined at today’s event by Orlando Health CEO David Strong, State Senator Jason Brodeur and State Representative Scott Plakon, where he also helped kickoff the opening of Orlando Health’s seven new community vaccination sites.

Watch the full press conference by clicking HERE.

 

FOUR NEW ACTIONS TO CONTINUE FLORIDA’S PROACTIVE APPROACH TO VACCINATIONS

1) Expanding access to vaccine with additional state-supported sites. Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to work with the Florida Department of Health to identify state-run COVID-19 testing sites that can convert into vaccine sites. Additional information regarding the locations of these sites will be available in the coming days.

2) Deploying the vaccine into underserved communities.
Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to identify places of worship and other locations in underserved communities where the vaccine may be administered. Florida has already begun a pilot program in Escambia County, where over 500 seniors have received their vaccine and have been scheduled for their booster shot, which they will receive at the same location.

3) Reinforcing vaccination efforts with additional staff.
Governor DeSantis has directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to immediately hire 1,000 contract nurses to support vaccination efforts. These nurses will be deployed throughout the entire state to help run vaccination sites, including public sites run by the state or counties and private sites such as South Seminole Hospital. These nurses will supplement the many personnel already in the field, including 800 Florida National Guardsmen, who have been supporting the state’s response since the beginning of the pandemic.

4) Continuing to prioritize long-term care facility residents.
There is no time to waste to vaccinate Florida’s most vulnerable residents. Governor DeSantis is directing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to assume additional responsibilities regarding the administration of vaccines in Florida’s over 3,000 assisted living facilities, supplementing and accelerating the efforts being undertaken by CVS and Walgreens, pursuant to their agreement with the federal government.

STATE OF FLORIDA VACCINE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO-DATE

The opening of hospital vaccination sites along with these four new actions are a timely complement to our first three weeks of vaccinations, which included the following accomplishments:

Florida was the first state in the nation to:

  • Begin offering vaccines to staff and residents of our over 4,000 long-term care facilities.
  • Begin offering vaccines to EMTs and paramedics; and
  • Mobilize our county health departments and county emergency managers to actively vaccinate seniors in the community.

Week One

  • Five pilot hospitals received an allocation of the Pfizer vaccine for frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. At the Governor’s direction, they shared with neighboring hospitals.
  • The Governor directed the Florida Department of Health, Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida National Guard to mobilize EMS strike teams to immediately begin offering vaccines to staff and residents of long-term care facilities to supplement Operation Warp Speed partner efforts a week ahead of schedule.
  • Florida offered vaccines to all staff and residents at over 100 facilities in Pinellas and Broward Counties in just 6 days.

Week Two

  • Florida received the first shipment of the Moderna vaccine, which was immediately sent to over 170 hospital locations that spanned the entire state.
  • The Governor also signed an executive order to give next vaccination priority to seniors over the age of 65, as well as highlighting the start of CVS and Walgreens’ administration of vaccines at long-term care facilities.

Week Three

  • Florida remained full speed ahead at vaccinating the state’s most vulnerable residents and sent doses of vaccine to all 67 county health departments.
    • Florida received over 127,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine and distributed doses to the remaining county health departments and hospitals that had not received the vaccine to-date.
  • Florida received over 118,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is being used to administer the second dose at the original five pilot hospitals, and long-term care facilities in Broward and Pinellas Counties who received their first dose through Florida Department of Health and Florida National Guard strike teams.

Week Four (Underway)

  • As Florida enters Week Four, Governor DeSantis’ administration is taking the necessary steps to ensure the vaccine – that is now present in every corner of the state – gets administered as quickly as possible.

ORLANDO HEALTH VACCINATION SITES

Today, Orlando Health announced the opening of the following community vaccination sites:

  • Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital
  • Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital
  • Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies
  • Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital
  • Orlando Health South Lake Hospital
  • Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital
  • Bayfront Health St. Petersburg

Orlando Health has the capacity to administer over 10,000 vaccines per week. As is the case with all vaccinations in the state of Florida, vaccines will be reserved for individuals 65 years of age and older, frontline healthcare workers, staff and residents of long-term care facilities and individuals hospitals deem to be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19.

To receive a vaccine at one of the Orlando Health locations, please visit vaccine.orlandohealth.com to register.

Supporting Governor Ron DeSantis on Nikki Fired Silly Accusations

/0 Comments/in /by

Statement by RPOF Executive Director Helen Aguirre Ferre
Re: Letter from Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to Governor Ron DeSantis related to the distribution of the COVID vaccine

Tallahassee, FL—”It’s nice to see that Commissioner Nikki Fried is taking time out of her vacation to send out an ill-informed, irresponsible letter on social media that prioritizes politics over helping Floridians who are interested in the vaccine. Frankly, she should be embarrassed to have signed this letter (let’s be honest – it was auto-penned).

“Either the Commissioner is asleep at the switch or she is intentionally sharing misinformation.

“Here are corrections to some of the most egregious lies in her letter:

  • Commissioner Fried incorrectly states that Florida has received over 1.2 million doses of the vaccine. However, this number includes projected vaccine deliveries in the future and is not the actual number of doses that have been sent to Florida. Florida continues to work with county health departments to ensure that shipments are utilized as quickly as possible.
  • In a letter dated December 30th, Commissioner Fried cites that yesterday the state had a 22.75% positivity rate, when in fact the positivity rate was 8.72%. Commissioner Fried is intentionally citing an obvious data outlier from December 28th, as pointed out in a press release issued by the Florida Department of Health (link here). Citing obvious data outliers is dangerous and inflammatory.
  • Commissioner Fried’s insinuation that the Governor is not properly utilizing the Florida National Guard is ridiculous. In fact, the Governor mobilized the Florida National Guard weeks ago to form strike teams with the Florida Department of Health to begin vaccinating residents of long-term care facilities, making Florida the first state in the nation to begin vaccinating long-term care residents. Since March, the Governor has mobilized the Florida National Guard to coordinate multiple facets of our state’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and they continue to operate state supported testing sites.

Just this morning, Governor DeSantis held a press conference at Kings Point in Delray Beach to provide an update regarding Week Three of Florida’s vaccine distribution plan and to kick off the vaccinations for 300 senior citizens 65 and over at Kings Point. At the event, the Governor was joined by Palm Beach County Mayor and Democrat Dave Kerner, Dr. Alina Alonso from the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, and staff and administrators from Kings Point, a community for seniors. Today’s event was a great example of the ongoing collaborative effort between the state of Florida, county health departments and community partners.

Since day one, all Commissioner Fried has done is politicized the pandemic. If Commissioner Fried actually cared about what is happening, she would take a lesson on leadership from Governor DeSantis to help unify and coordinate resources to achieve results for Floridians. She is clearly only interested in being a partisan hack– Floridians deserve better.

If Commissioner Fried is still confused and wants a briefing, she should call DEM Director Moskowitz– or Mayor Kerner who attended this morning’s 9 am press conference with the Governor – instead of rubber stamping a letter at 3pm which was written by her political team.