TO PST ORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.

Mike Caruso, member, Florida House of Representatives. This week, Gov. DeSantis called for a special session to be held Nov. 15-19 to address the vaccine mandate currently being pushed by the federal government. I chose to get vaccinated, but I think it is wrong of the federal government to use a heavy hand to force people to get the vaccine. I believe religious and medical exemptions should be considered as well as natural immunity from previous infection. Further, our first responders and medical communities are already suffering staffing shortages, and this mandate will further jeopardize the health and well-being of our communities. Currently, we have the lowest per capita positive COVID rate in the entire country. The governor is trying to protect people’s right to work and support their families.

Mitch Ceasar, former chairman, Broward County Democratic Party. All of Florida’s 67 election supervisors have written a letter to voters, urging the rejection of falsehoods relating to the 2020 elections and the integrity of the Florida voting systems. The nonpartisan group letter was necessitated by the call for an Arizona-type forensic audit. This demand came from several Republican county committees. Historically, politically inspired audits have failed nationally. The supervisors remind us that voter rolls are accurate, machines are periodically tested and public audits are completed after the election cycle. It is time to simply deal with the facts and not kooky fiction.

Conor Delaney, president and CEO, Cleveland Clinic Florida. This week, Cleveland Clinic announced it had opened a first-of-itskind preventive breast cancer vaccine study. The study will seek to determine if a vaccine could eventually prevent triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive and lethal form of the disease. While the study is in the very early stages, researchers are hopeful that in time, the vaccine could be taken by healthy women to prevent triple-negative breast cancer. If successful, it could be a game changer in the battle against breast cancer.

Ted Deutch, member, U.S. House of Representatives. It became clear this week that, contrary to the company’s claims, Facebook knew about the proliferation of hate speech, racism and terrorist content on its platform and failed to act. From anti-Black content in the U.S. to anti-Muslim content in India, the problem is systemic and global. Days ago, we marked three years since the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. We know how deadly online hate can become. Racism, hate and antisemitism have no place on Facebook or any platform. It is time to demand tech companies fix their algorithms and face accountability for failing to police dangerous content.

Charlotte Mather-Taylor,

executive director, Area Agency on Aging of Broward County.

Medicare can be difficult to navigate and it can be difficult for a senior to know which plan is right for them. Medicare Open Enrollment started in October and continues through Dec. 7. The SHINE program provides free, unbiased, confidential counseling and support to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers who are seeking guidance. There are over 451,000 seniors in Broward County. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact 954-745-9779 or visit adrcbroward. org.

Tina Polsky, member, Florida Senate. Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s shameful excuse for why he wouldn’t wear a mask in my office — that he can’t communicate with a mask on — is not only absurd, it is insulting. It is especially insulting in that immediately following our abruptly canceled meeting, he was bragging to staff that he was “having fun” arguing the point with me. It is the epitome of disrespect. Further, physicians, nurses and support staff wear masks during surgery and other procedures where communicating clearly is literally a matter of life and death. His outlandish notion that one cannot communicate with a mask on all but renders his qualifications as our state’s surgeon general an absurdity.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, member, U.S. House of Representatives. As we end Breast Cancer Awareness Month, please remember that sharing detection information and promoting screenings doesn’t end when we flip the calendar. COVID caused sharp declines in mammography screenings, with the CDC reporting severe drops throughout the pandemic. I was 41 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and an early diagnosis was key to my survival. Fourteen years later, I am cancer-free. Since my fight began, my goal was to make sure young women have better access to information, as well as the tools to detect, fight and survive breast cancer. Let’s all make this a year-round goal.

Thomas Wenski, archbishop, Archdiocese of Miami. Haiti continues its descent into hell. Gangs govern more of Haiti’s territory than the de facto government of an unelected and unaccountable prime minister. The kidnapping of American missionaries, including children, has gotten the attention of the U.S., but to date, there has been little progress in securing their release or encouraging Haiti’s economic and political elites to come together to establish rule of law that would permit Haiti to emerge from its political, economic, health and natural disasters. The much-admired resiliency of Haitians is being severely tested as the country slips into becoming the Caribbean’s Somalia.