This month, Senator Annette Taddeo announced her diversity platform for her campaign for Governor. As a woman of color, and as the first Latina Democrat in the Florida Senate, Taddeo says that she values and understands the importance of representation more than any other candidate in Florida. Taddeo is running in the Democratic primary against Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried.
“Diversity begins on day one, when I take office as the first Latina Governor of Florida,” Senator Taddeo shared. “With my victory, we will break not a glass ceiling but a cement ceiling, as minority women have to work twice as hard to get half the respect. I know from personal experience that diversity does not come at the expense of qualification, because no matter the color of our skin, our gender identity or sexual orientation, the way we look or the accent we have, what makes this country great is the strength in our diversity and our belief in the promise of America!”
Sen. Taddeo’s diversity plan if elected Florida Governor, in her own words, includes:
- Appointing a second African American woman to our highest court.
- Appoint the most diverse secretaries and agency heads in Florida history.
- Appoint leaders to numerous Florida boards who are representative of the vast diversity across the state of Florida.
- Creating the position of Labor Czar, who will be a current or former union member, within the Executive Office of the Governor who will serve as liaison to all labor groups in Florida, advise me on any legislation or executive action that would impact unions, and help promote more union jobs across the state.
- Create an initiative to recruit and retain minorities in the state employee system. With the Great Resignation seeing a plethora of public employees retire, the need to fill these positions is dire to ensure our public goods and services are up to par. We can use this unique opportunity to usher in more diversity in our state employees and come up with ways to make public service more appealing to a variety of backgrounds across the State.
Sen. Taddeo has taken on Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to hold him accountable recently on numerous issues. “It was an affront to the vast diversity of our state when those maps, which erase Black and Brown representation from the electoral process, were confirmed,” Taddeo said about Gov. DeSantis’ last-minute redrawing of congressional maps. She also attacked the Republican Governor over a censorship bill she said puts severe restrictions on discussing issues Tallahassee politicians and political appointees deem “inappropriate” including historical facts and factual discussions on subjects like race. She added, “we’re looking at another affront to freedom and democracy as DeSantis signs a bill that continues his obsession with race-baiting and government control of our citizens.”
Annette Taddeo for Governor’s “commitment to diversity” can be viewed here: Medium.
