PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR CALLS FOR POLITICAL ORGANIZATION
KISSIMMEE – In a movement that he hopes will mirror Cuban-American movements in South Florida, the governor of Puerto Rico on Friday called on Puerto Ricans in Central Florida to flex their political leverage against lawmakers who have voted against the island’s interests.
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said his initiative is a “Get Out the Vote” movement that would expand into several other states. The objective would be to register newly arrived Puerto Ricans to vote, “to have a clear set of values, to be vigilant, to see if they [candidates] respond on those values.”
“We’re going to make an evaluation. In this phase, we don’t want to enter into who’s a friend and who’s not; we want to give everybody a space to show that they can be a friend and ultimately see if they are friends of Puerto Rico,” Rosselló said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.
Rosselló said he does “not at all” regret his comments in December to seek political retribution against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and other lawmakers who voted against Puerto Rican interests. But he assured they would still have chances to redeem themselves.
“There’s going to be many opportunities,
whether it’s the senator or other people. They have a chance to demonstrate that they’re vying for the best interests of people of Puerto Rico,” Rosselló said.
The island’s governor was critical of the new tax bill, which includes a 12.5 percent income tax imposed on patents and licenses from foreign companies in the U.S. The provision could deal a significant blow to manufacturing jobs on the island because companies based in Puerto Rico were previously exempt from federal taxes.
“Was I disappointed with the decision? Of course I was. He knows what the effect is on the people of Puerto Rico … we were expecting him to vote otherwise, which is something he was saying publicly, actually,” Rosselló said of Rubio, adding that his decision to call out Rubio may have been “blown out of proportion.”
During a town hall meeting Friday at the Kissimmee Civic Center, Rosselló called out politicians who vowed to help Puerto Rico, which was hit hard by Hurricane Maria.
“Many of them stood on a podium just like this, looked at a camera just like that and said that they were going to be there to support the people of Puerto Rico,” Rosselló said. “But then the time came to bat for Puerto Rico, when the opportunity showed up so that Congress could make good on their word. … Many of them turned their back on Puerto Rico and not only forgot about us, but made things increasingly worse.”
Some lawmakers are skeptical of the call to action, which they say is untimely.
“If the governor’s here trying to influence people to vote because he didn’t like the tax bill… I think it’s the wrong message he’s sending,” said state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, who added he did not receive a formal invitation for the governor’s town hall but reiterated his support for fair treatment of Puerto Rico.
“He should be in Puerto Rico making sure that 40 percent of the island that’s still without power gets power and focus on restructuring and rebuilding up the island instead of worrying about political influence,” Cortes added. “At the end of the day ... if this is anything political, this is not the time or the place to be discussing politics. We still have people without power.”
And back home, Puerto Rican Rep. Manuel Natal — a supporter of the commonwealth status who has been critical of the governor’s actions in the hurricane’s aftermath — said Rosselló “lacked credibility” to mobilize Puerto Ricans on the mainland.
“If there’s anyone who has attacked the best interests of the Puerto Rican people — especially in recent times, especially in the face of our youth staying on the island — is the governor himself,” Natal said.
The governor, meanwhile, urged Puerto Ricans in Central Florida to exercise their voting power.
“This is where we need to be outraged,” Rosselló said. “This is the opportunity for Puerto Ricans to band together, so that we can have a significant change.”
Rosselló — who was joined on stage by Florida Gov. Rick Scott; U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando; and Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez — stopped in Kissimmee after promoting the island’s Statehood Commission in Washington, D.C., earlier this week. He continued his push for a supplemental hurricane-aid package and relief from the federal tax-reform package.
Nelson weighed in on the need to address affordable housing in Florida and attacked the federal government’s inaction for Puerto Rican aid, adding that Puerto Rico’s professional class is dwindling at an alarming rate as they flee to other states.
“No human being should have to go through what they are going through,” Nelson said. “Congress has refused to provide the resources. In fact, they passed legislation that makes it worse.”
Scott said he will continue to support recovery efforts on the island. “Long-term I know the governor wants them to go home, but in the meantime we want them to be prosperous,” said Scott, who announced $1 million to help Hurricane Maria refugees find jobs.
A small group of hecklers briefly interrupted the meeting, shouting at Rosselló for the slow recovery on the island and calling him a “vendepatria” — or a sellout.
“Those of us that live there, we don’t have the political power. But guess what?” Rosselló told the packed room of supporters, who replied with cheers: “We do!” bpadro@ orlandosentinel.com or 407-232-0202 Follow her on Twitter @BiancaJoanie