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Our members decided to encourage candidates for the Florida House and Senate to respond to questions they assembled about issues important to Citizens of Florida The following message from the President of CCFJ enables a recipient to determine if candidates in their district responded and what they had to say. *** SEE BELOW *** Special NOTE: When visiting these Web pages take time to click on the REFRESH button to insure you're able to review the lastest responses. If you have a problem with direct access please contact: [email protected] Let us know you visited our Web site by making time to sign our Guest Book and consider clicking on that ever present JOIN button. Sincerely,
Posted 8-10-2002 FLORIDA - As of today the members of CCFJ, Inc. have snail-mailed more than 400 questionnaires to the candidates for Florida Senate and House of Representatives. The Questionnairecontains questions of interest in regards to the immediate legislative goals of our organization. By participating in this effort our members proved their determination to stay in touch with and seek responses from their district candidates. We hope the candidates are willing to show they are interested in the issues their constituents care about by responding to let them know if they'll advocate for or against - if elected. Legislative reforms are definitely necessary in our State of Florida. Many of our Statutes are not consumer-friendly and give the industry a wide range of power, requiring the consumers to enter into costly litigation to fight for their rights. Many elderly citizens living on a fixed income can't afford this unfair burden. The fight for these legislative reforms will already be won or lost at the polls in September - Primaries - and the November Elections. It is important for the consumers to support and/or elect legislators that believe in the principles; "..of, by and for the people..' not simply the stakeholders and industry partisans that have unlimited funds to contribute to a candidates campaign. Remain alert and review the responses of the candidates to our questionnaires and cast your vote accordingly. The first responses have been posted on
our WebPages at :
For the Voters : Please continue to check these WebPages for the additional responses which will be posted as received. For the Candidates : Please respond to
our questionnaires A.S.A.P. , so your constituents will know how you feel
about certain important issues! Your help is very much appreciated!
The posting of these responses and comments of the candidates can not be considered an endorsement of these candidates by our organization because we are non-partisan. Voters will judge candidates based on the responses we receive and other qualifications they're aware when they cast their ballot and vote their conscience! Commentary posted at: http://www.ccfj.net/electquestart.htm
Our friend Michael and his colleagues of FAIR, in Hillsborough county, are continuing to fight the good fight for FAIR representation at the local and state levels of government. Their advocacy has a familiar ring here and elsewhere. Power is, as power begets, and we the voters continue to elect the same power onto the seats of power. Why is that? For example; With an excess of 290,000 Citizens living in Marion county and two of the most aggressive growth oriented governments, Ocala city council and County Commission, creating urban sprawl with no 'managed care' in sight we might have a full-time state Senator, this time around. What a blessing! Amazing isn't it? Michael, there will be lawsuits filed. No doubt about it! It's part of the abnormal redistricting process. Republicans did it when Democrats were in power. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. So, stay tuned! Thank you for the update and don't give
up until the final (i) is dotted and the (t) is crossed.
* SEE BELOW * The best to you and yours,
I have not kept you and your followers up to date on FAIR. That is the restructuring and redistricting in Hillsborough County. Everyone knows that when population increases the state and federal government increases the representation based on population. This year Florida picked up 2 more representative to reflect our Florida population increase. Not so in Hillsborough County. In order to keep the power structure as it is with 5 county commissioners of the seven all living in Tampa, when Tampa represents only 30% of the populations, reflects the very few controlling the masses. In a democracy you always hear you can vote them out if you don't like it. So be it for democracy. When the Charter Review Board met for 12 months with each of the commissioners selecting 2 representatives to this board to review our county constitution, written in 1984, only a few voted for a change. Now, the 5 year delay, (for the next Charter Review Board) means 2006 or 22 years that Hillsboarough County with all its growth has not had an increase in their representatives. Amazing! That a status quo for 22 years without a change and that 14 selected citizems could not find this (a) problem when we preached it every month. No one so blind as one who does not want to see. These same 14 people went out into the redistricting meetings screaming that they did not want their community split when in fact they created the problem. How amazing political people are. Now a second chance...with the Board of County Commissioners who showed 14 maps and selected 2, ...highly visible and advertised, as the selected two of which (would) be the winner. Amazing! When the 150 people showed up at the B.O.C.C meeting to complain about those two selected maps the commissioners unvieled a new map that puts ALL south county west of I-75 into District one with South Tampa. THAT is a rural suburban area with a city leader. Not in line with the criteria of the redistricting, and all the...land in South County earmarked for farming and no sprawl, has suddenly become open to the South Tampa politicians per articles in Tribune today. No voters allowed to vote for or against this by the Charter Review Board, None by the B.O.C.C, and now the Justice department only has to agree with the map. Amazing! That you can not even get the chance to vote on what is a natural land grab and power control. I thought you and your group may be interested in these developements. We now have a few alternatives that we are reviewing. One is a law suit. Second a petition that by-passes all politicians. This cost's money and time and we are a non profit (with limited financial resources)....group. The third possibility is; the state legislature votes for the representation but I am told,...these same Tampa politicos control the Hillsborough County delegation, so (this possibility) will go nowhere. The die is cast for the rest of Hillsborough County to be the same land grab and abuse that ruined a nice community like Brandon. Only public apathy allowed this to happen and again this apathy will let them get away with this current fiasco. Regards,
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