Space
America’s space program is known around the world as leaders in innovation and this tradition of excellence must be continued. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010 and the Constellation program being pushed back to 2015 the potential impact on the communities of the Space Coast is drastic and must be moved on by political leaders. I am committed to working with other elected officials protect against the loss of over 6,500 jobs at Kennedy Space Center and connected industries. Private space ventures do have a home here on the space coast and would be welcomed with sensitivity to the delicate ecosystem and thriving tourism industry that already exists.
Government Efficiency/Taxes
Government should work to the benefit of the people it serves. We need a Florida government that responds to the people. Now more than ever, due to the reduced revenues, we need an efficient, effective government that stretched every tax dollar to benefit the most amount of people. As your representative, I will work to cut the fat from the budget while maintaining the vital services that important to all Floridians
Illegal Immigration
In order to protect American jobs, it is necessary to stop the hiring of illegal aliens. I support stiffening the fines for employers and closing the loopholes that companies use to conceal illegal workers to the detriment of the community.
Q&A by TC Palm
Q: Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, either through a corporation you are a part of, or personally? What were the circumstances of the bankruptcy?
A: No, I have not.
Q: Why are you running for office?
A: Floridians have been burdened with a legislature that has been out of touch for years. Decisions have been made not on the basis of what is best for the people of the district, or of the state, but what would most effectively secure a political future and earn lobbyist dollars. The time has come for Floridians to take control of our own course. My experience in the Army taught me the value of fighting for a greater goal than simply my own future- this is how a legislator should think.
Q: What qualifies you over other candidates for this position?
A: My opponent is part of the above-mentioned problem in the Florida legislature. When there is a problem, you do not solve it by allowing the problem to remain in power. You find a solution, and my legislative priorities are exactly that.
Q: If elected, what are the first three things you hope to accomplish?
A: First, I will work to bring proper level of funding to back to our public schools. Secondly, I will work with federal entities to help bring renewable and alternative energy companies to the area. Lastly, I will work to ensure that comprehensive reform of the property tax system is a priority for the legislature after years of delays. All three of these issues are related, as we can not bring businesses to this state if we allow our public schools to slip toward a precipice. Neither can we attract them if we do not fix our property tax system. Working to solve these problems will bring all Floridians the rewards that come with living in a prosperous economically vibrant state.
Q: Do you think the salary for the position you’re running for is appropriate? Do you think it ought to be automatically increased, or would you favor a different pay system? If so, what?
A: Salary is irrelevant to my consideration for this position. My concern is not for my paycheck-my concern is for the good of the state and the citizens of my district.
Q: Will you be accepting any campaign contributions from developers, land speculators, and/or consultants who work for or represent developers?
A: I accept contributions to my campaign on a case by case basis based on the best information available to me at the time. Simply being a developer or a land speculator or working for either of these is not a reason for me to decline their contribution. However to be clear any contributions to my campaign do not and will never result in any additional access, favors, or special treatment.
Q: Please explain your level of commitment to Florida’s open-records and sunshine laws? Do you think they are worthwhile?
A: Florida’s sunshine laws have given all citizens equal access to the information that can be used to hold government accountable for its actions. They are without question a vital tool in the ongoing fight to make certain that all parts of our state government keep in mind their stated goals and missions when they are carrying out the business of the people of this state. I am committed to making certain that they continue to be a part of the taxpayer’s arsenal and that loopholes being exploited to undermine their effectiveness are closed.
Q: Please explain your position on energy. Do you support drilling off the coast of Florida and elsewhere?
A: My position is that drilling off the coast of Florida, or anywhere else for that matter is not the answer to our energy woes. Overlooking the fact that there are already 6000 unused drilling leases off our nation’s coasts we still have to realize that it would be between 7 and 10 years before the fruits of new drilling actually reached the US market. The United States has only 3% of the world’s petroleum reserves yet uses 25% of the world’s supply. We must shift our focus towards attaining energy independence by developing new alternative energies in the long-term as well as the possibility of older, already abundant alternatives like natural gas in the short term.
Q: The “portability” measures don’t seem to be making a great impact on the housing market, which is in severe doldrums. What other measures could the state take to improve the real estate market, or is it just a situation where the market has to right itself, without governmental action?
A: While I believe that the market must and would right itself without governmental action, I believe that comprehensive reform of the property tax system is a vital part of not only ensuring that the market gets back on track as soon as possible, but also ensuring that another similar situation does not arise in the future. Right now the influx of new residents to the state has slowed, in part due to the cost of property tax to new residents in the state. Along with this there are less first-time homeowners due to a shift in mortgage lending policies as well as the higher cost of property taxes to those individuals as well. If we are able to fix our property tax system it would go a long way towards restoring the health of our real estate market.
Q: What is your plan to address the tens of billions of dollars in risk the state has taken on with regard to Citizens insurance? What will happen if the Big One hits and Florida homeowners are on the hook?
A: If the Big One were to hit Florida today, Citizens Insurance would probably fail as a result of the amount of risk it has taken on. While Citizens may have been a good idea in theory, in the real world that our homeowners are living in, theories will not help them rebuild after a devastating storm. The goal is to raise the level of competition in Florida to the point where Citizens Insurance is not even needed to keep our homeowners protected. We must also work to make the larger insurers accountable to their customers in this state. We now have laws on the books that force them to open their books before requesting rate increases, but if they are forced to compete with more and more insurers, price increases will be controlled naturally.
Q: Please explain your position on illegal immigration.
A: The first thing we must do is work to eliminate the availability of jobs for illegal immigrants by closing loopholes that allow some industries to take advantage of cheap undocumented labor. We must hold businesses that hire these workers accountable. Second, we must provide a path for law abiding individuals who wish to come to the United States legally to work that is not as paper intensive.
Q: Please explain what you think should happen to improve the health of the Everglades and the St. Lucie and Indian River estuaries.
A: We need to continue to move forward with the multi agency Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The plan will significantly reduce the discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon by redirecting it to storage areas. The water stored in these areas will be used to maintain the natural ecosystems and will be released for urban and agricultural supplies as needed.
Q: How would you deal with declining tax revenues? What parts of the budget would you cut? What programs or services are essential and should never be cut?
A: We must make sure that all expenditures are put through a vigorous and thorough auditing process so we can determine where there is inefficiency, waste, and redundancy of services. This will allow us to make an informed decision about which parts of the budget should be considered for cuts, which in turn will permit us to avoid undue budget cuts in essential areas, such as our schools, or fire and police departments.
Q: Would you support higher taxes to maintain current levels of services expected by county residents?
A: The revenue shortfalls have indeed left us with some tough decisions to be made. First I believe that is possible to avoid having to roll back essential programs and services or raising taxes to make up the difference if instead look at non-essential services and other vanity projects being funded with tax-payer money. When our taxpayers are earning less than they’re used to, they must create a budget and stick with it. We need to prioritize our needs and re-think our wants to make sure that we can continue meeting the needs of all our citizens without putting an undue burden on them.
Q: What role should the level of government associated with the office you seek have in retaining or attracting businesses to the area?
A: It has been proven that there is a direct connection between the quality of education and the economic prosperity of a community and state. The legislature’s record of putting education at the bottom of the priority list is a deterrent to brining good businesses to Florida, and has discouraged good businesses from staying. A representative must act in a way to combat this trend.
Q: Do you favor the state ballot amendment that would reduce property taxes and increase the sales tax? Why/why not?
A: Moot point Amendment 5 was found to be unconstitutional.
Q: Do you support a Taxpayer Protection Act, which would limit increases in government spending to population growth and inflation? Why/why not?
A: The act as described would put the state government in the untenable position of being unable to act on behalf of its citizens when the need arises. While I believe that we should hold government accountable for any wasteful spending, we must not tie the hands of the legislature to such a degree that renders it unable to act or react at the proper times.
Q: Please explain your position on the proposed Florida Hometown Democracy amendment to the state constitution.
A: Citizens should take an active role in their government and encourage any efforts to make certain that they have more input into the comprehensive plans for their respective counties. However, it is important that we not tie the hands of our city, county, and state officials when it comes to issues that could potentially harm the community
Q: Do you support purchase of development rights as a conservation tool? Why or why not?
A: Yes. Since purchase of development rights is a voluntary transaction it is less burdensome on a property owner then zoning. They receive the value of the development rights and in return a permanent agreement is provided guaranteeing the land is conserved in perpetuity. This is less expensive then outright acquisition since the land is conserved in perpetuity. This is less expensive then outright acquisition since the value of the land itself is removed from the price and the property is maintained by the owner.
Q: What will you do to ensure road-construction projects are completed in less time?
A: I will work to make sure that strict timetables are an integral part of the contract-bidding process. Not meeting the timetables given during the bidding process would result in smaller payouts for the construction companies. We will not pay a premium for slow work. Completing projects ahead of schedule would result in bonuses, assuming that all other quality benchmarks are met.
Q: Would you favor restrictions on private or commercial use of products that could potentially enter the Florida aquifer, the Indian River Lagoon or the St. Lucie River?
A: Yes, for example, some products contain chemicals such as phosphorus which are already present and not needed in Florida soils. In these increased quantities, they detrimentally impact the health of our water supply and fisheries. By restricting these products to those with minimal amounts of phosphorus or limiting the application we protect our vital natural resources.
