As the Florida Legislature gears up to open its 60-day session next week, some groups representing labor and working families held a legislative town hall on Thursday night to talk earned sick time, foreclosures, voting rights and a myriad of issues impacting local communities.
Representatives Joe Saunders and Victor Torres were part of the legislative panel as well as Senators Geraldine Thompson and Darren Soto.
All four members heard testimonies from delegates of the SEIU, Organize Now, Home Defenders League, Community Business Association, Florida New Majority, Mi Familia Vota and members of the community about how certain bills coming out of the legislature may impact them.
These community representatives asked the members of the panel what they were doing to thwart efforts to halt the movement of earned sick time in Tallahassee and how the members planned to aid those who may be under water on their mortgages.
As the panelists heard the statements and responded to the questions, it was quite obvious that the goal of this town hall was met early on. The representatives and senators aligned themselves with the movement via their replies, which is great for the cause.
Yet the meeting left a lot to be desired as the other side of the debate wasn’t there to respond. Now that is no fault of the organizers as they reached out to all local representatives asking them to attend, but only four decided to show.
Still, it is commendable that so many members of the community decided to show up and participate in the act of democracy. Those who spoke and asked questions were energetic and ardent about their concerns, almost forcing the panelists to listen and engage in their concerns.
-JH
