Miami-Dade County, FL: COVID-19 VERY HIGH RISK

Source: New York Time: See the New York Times for much more detailed information

CORAL GABLES CANDIDATES for “Quality of Life”

Having followed a number of municipal elections in the City of Coral Gables, it is frequent that many, if not nearly a majority of the candidates’ assert their support for sustaining quality of life in the city as a central feature of their platforms.

The term quality of life is both vague and undefined–perfect for a political campaign. It is defined by the potential voter who conveys and translates “quality of life” into their own immediate concerns as a resident and voter.

In fact, quality of life has absolutely no measurable content. It can mean more development, less development or overdevelopment, more or less public security, more or less traffic, more or less racial sensitive and integration, and more or less government transparency.

Quality of life may be code words for a Coral Gables as insular, provincial, separate, well-off. over-permitted city, unsympathetic to critical social, economic and health matters of our times.

Best to ignore political slogans like “quality of life.”

Ordinary citizens will largely be left out in the 2021 legislative process | Florida Phoenix

With the Florida Legislature convening next week, regular citizens trying to participate in the legislative process will face tough hurdles under COVID-19 protocols set by the House and Senate chambers. For Floridians who want to engage in the process of creating laws and providing testimony, access in general will be limited and residents with disabilities will face even more difficulties during the pandemic. What’s more, the two chambers in the Legislature are inconsistent in their COVID protocols. In a Thursday briefing, a frustrated group of Florida advocates found little help in expanding public access, following a letter to several lawmakers.

Ordinary citizens will largely be left out in the 2021 legislative process | Florida Phoenix

Thinking about VOTER SUPPRESSION in CORAL GABLES and similar Municipalities

Voter participation in many municipalities is weak and the voting systems lead to voter suppression. There is an insufficient 25% voter participation in local government elections. Coral Gables is a clear example low voter turnout that could be easily fixed. South Miami recency moved the dates of its elections with the approval of the voters.

Many municipal government elections for key positions of commissioners and mayors in Coral Gables are elected by a total vote of 20% to 25% register voters, essentially because the elections are held on off-year national and state election years when the public is not paying attention. The winners may accumulate no more than one-half of actual voters, which is only 10% to 15% of the registered voters.

A great example is the forthcoming election in Coral Gables for mayor and commissioners on April 13, 2021. Be assured that only about 25% of registered voters will even know and care about the election. We know that active participants are driven by their commercial or personal interests in the coming election–donors, attorneys, contractors, builders and developers, large real estate investors, architects, local activists and land owners.

It has been proven that changing the date of the election to national and state voting dates in November will easily double voter participation to 50%.

Let’s make Coral Gables a strong, active democracy, but none of the candidates are interested.