Governor Rosselló invites Puerto Ricans in Florida to use their political power to advocate for the Island
(January 12, 2018 - Kissimmee, Florida) The governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, today invited the people of Puerto Rico, who are currently living in the state of Florida, to be an active political force in the United States in favor of the Island.
During the town hall—which took place at the Kissimmee Civic Center—the governor highlighted the importance of Puerto Ricans organizing themselves politically to ensure that Puerto Rico receives fair and equal treatment as other jurisdictions.
"We have, unfortunately, a second-class citizenship in Puerto Rico. Those of us that live there, don’t have political power. But those of us that live here do," emphasized the governor.
Likewise, Rosselló explained that "those 5.6 million Puerto Ricans across the United States, the over a million of us that live here in Florida, mostly in Central Florida, have that political power, have that capacity to make change, have that opportunity to make things right, not only in the Island, but to make things right for yourselves as well."
In the face of the upcoming midterm elections in the federal Congress, the governor made an invitation to all Puerto Ricans living in the United States to use their voice and their vote as a powerful tool of democracy for the benefit of Puerto Rico.
In the past few days, the governor visited the federal capital, where he has been emphatic about the need for Puerto Rico to receive equal treatment as other jurisdictions—which have suffered the onslaught of natural disasters—through the supplementary aid project.
Rosselló pointed out that "Hurricane Maria has brought a lot of hardship, but there’s also a silver lining. Before the storm, only about 25% of US citizens in the continental US knew that we were actually citizens. After the storm, about 95% of them now know that we are their brothers, we fight the same wars, we have the same citizenship, and we deserve equal and fair treatment."
Governor of Florida, Rick Scott; senator Bill Nelson (D-FL); representative Darren Soto (D-FL); and the mayor of Kissimmee, José Álvarez; were also present at the event.
Governor Scott talked about the efforts he’s undertaken along with the governor of Puerto Rico and Congress to receive the Puerto Ricans that have traveled to Florida temporarily, so they can thrive while they wait to return to the Island.
Additionally, Scott thanked governor Rosselló for “his hard work and dedication. The first time you meet the governor, what you feel from him is he cares about people. He takes it personally, what is happening to everybody in the Island. He is somebody that will show up and work hard. I admire him for his tenacity and dedication to the people of Puerto Rico.”
Senator Nelson—after sharing his experience of his visits to Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria—emphasized the resiliency of Puerto Ricans in the face of adversity.
“We have a long way to go. And while we are helping the Island to recover, we also need to make sure that we’re taking care of the thousands and thousands of Puerto Ricans that have come here,” expressed the senator from Florida.
Representative Soto said that “we need unity and action at this point rather than bickering and division. We need the leadership from the White House on down, and we need your voices to make it happen.”
The mayor of Kissimmee told governor Rosselló that “the city of Kissimmee stands with you. We have received and still receive everyone here with open arms.”
The event was moderated by the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Washington, DC (PRFAA), Carlos Mercader.
Earlier in Central Florida, Rosselló met with Puerto Rican leaders to discuss the continuing efforts in the recovery and reconstruction of Puerto Rico following hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Likewise, the governor pointed out the urgency in identifying alternatives that help the Island in the mitigation of the impact of the federal tax reform approved by the United States Congress.
