Time for another round of hugs, slugs.
It’s time for another round of hugs and slugs.
■ A hug to Republican Congressman Dennis Ross for holding a town-hall meeting in Clermont. Sure, Ross got booed and heckled by his critics. But at least he was willing to face his constituents, tweeting afterward: “This is what democracy is all about.” Ross is exactly right. And you know what? Reps who follow his lead come out ahead. Sure, they may have to endure 500 angry people fussing at them for an hour. But in the days after, 500,000 people (or more) see that they showed up to listen. Bottom line: If you’re afraid to face the people you serve, you have no business being in office. Which brings us to …
■ Slugs to members who are hiding. Republican Rep. Daniel Webster actually turned tail and bolted from a room full of his constituents Tuesday. And Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s office has been dismissing constituents trying to catch the attention of Florida’s junior senator as “paid protesters.” You know, some Democrats offered up the same kind of weaselly excuses back in 2009 when they were trying to avoid Tea Party protesters at health-care town halls. (Everybody who disagrees with me is
paid!!!) It didn’t fly then, either. Webster’s office said his Tuesday event was never envisioned as a town hall — and that he typically schedules “community listening sessions” in the spring. Rubio’s office offered no dates for future town halls.
■ Hugs to Democratic State Sen. Linda Stewart and Republican Rep. Mike Miller for fighting to fund an innovative PTSD clinic at UCF. Last fall, I wrote about this pioneering program that uses virtual reality to help treat veterans and first responders suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The program has seen success rates far greater than standard treatment — but is running out of federal funding. Fortunately, these two Orlando-area legislators have teamed up in bipartisan fashion, filing a $4.4 million appropriations request. Hopefully, other legislators will support this program, which helps soldiers and first responders from all over the state. It’s easy to yap about veterans on the campaign trail. It’s harder to do the work that matters when the campaigns are over.
■ A slug to OPD and the City of Orlando for being dangerously behind the times on body cameras for its front-line officers. Wednesday’s story by the Sentinel’s David Harris revealed that the Orlando Police Department’s force of more than 700 officers has only 32 operational cameras. Not only is that a fraction of the 670 cameras up and running in the Orange County Sheriff ’s Office, it’s a fraction of the 92 cameras operating in Apopka. OPD and the city offer all kinds of reasons for the delay, some of which are legit. But it still reminds me of the first time I got a
speeding ticket and tried to give my parents excuses. My father said: “Son, I don’t care what your excuses are. I don’t even care if they are valid. All I know is it’s possible to drive without speeding … and you didn’t.” Well, by now, it’s quite possible for any police force that wants body cameras to have them … and OPD doesn’t. And that’s all that really matters.
■ A hug to Yold Delius and students at Evans High School for their colorfully creative efforts to paint traffic-control boxes around Pine Hills. Delius, who has since graduated, told the Sentinel’s Steve Hudak that she saw the similar urban art projects in other Orlando neighborhoods and thought: “I wanted something beautiful for my community.” Well, Pine Hills most certainly deserves beauty as well. So big props to Delius and the other students for planting the seeds of beauty themselves. ■ This week’s Only-in-Florida
headline: “Half-eaten shark washes up on Florida beach.” The story went on to suggest that it appeared a single, larger predator took a bite out of the once-5-foot-long shark. So this final item isn’t really a hug ora
slug. It’s more of a shrug, since it’s pretty amazing that — with pythons, alligators, jellyfish, Zika-infested mosquitoes and now maybe sharks so big they eat other sharks — people still want to come here.
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