Philip Levine,
Democrat details progressive goals in Orlando town hall
a Democratic candidate for governor, told an Orlando town hall Thursday night that Florida needs a “culture of excellence.”
Philip Levine told an Orlando town hall Thursday night that he’s the Democratic candidate for governor with a real progressive record — and he pointed to businesses as a guide on how the state could become more liberal.
“People say: ‘Phil, you’re in business. How can you be a Democrat and be in business?’ ” said the cruise line and real estate executive and former mayor of Miami Beach. “Have you ever taken a look at humanresources manuals for the most admired companies in America? … They’re pro-education, pro-health care, pro-environment, anti-discrimination. And by the way, if they want to come to your community, they want good public transportation.”
While Levine said Florida should remain a low-tax state, he pledged the state would no longer give out tax incentives to companies and would make sure companies pay their fair share of taxes.
“Companies don’t relocate headquarters based on a measly tax incentive. It’s because you have the right stuff,” he said. “That’s how you take the Space Coast and turn it into our Silicon Valley.”
His native state of Massachusetts, he said, has high taxes and bad weather. “And by the way, all the great companies are there, all the great start-ups are there. Know why? They have the best education, the best public transportation. They have a culture of excellence. That’s where Florida needs to go.”
The event was the third in a series of town-hall meetings hosting all four Democratic candidates for governor, organized by the Central Florida chapters of Grassroots Progressives, the Women’s March, Indivisible, Tuesday Resistance and Challenge Politics. Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and Winter Park businessman Chris King have appeared in the past few weeks, and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum’s meeting will be later this month.
“If you’re very progressive, you want to elect someone who does progressive things instead