Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo was one of the first to call for the resignation of Sen. Jack Latvala. We spoke to her about the upcoming legislative session and the air of discomfort around the capital over numerous claims of sexual harassment. She also told us she was once the victim of sexual harassment when she was younger.
The culture in Tallahassee is increasing with controversy and numerous claims of harassment and misconduct. “I felt it was the right thing to do for the state of Florida,” Taddeo said about calling for Latvala’s resignation. “When we elect someone we trust them and we hope that they would respect the amazing honor that they’ve been given.”
Taddeo felt it was imperative to speak up and not back down from the conversation about sexual harassment.
In the past, Taddeo was a harassed by someone in religious position but did not speak up for fear of backlash. It was until another woman reported inappropriate touching from the same person that Taddeo privately spoke against the individual. Many women have had similar experiences of sexual harassment that go unreported for fear of repercussions.
The national #MeToo movement has given women the platform to denounce sexual assault and harassment. Regarding the state of controversy in politics, Taddeo said: “It was a wake up for a lot of us women to say enough, we need to have a voice, we need to talk and we need to change things.”
The work is cut out to set a new standard of professionalism in Tallahassee. “I think we have a lot of work to do,” said Taddeo. She’s hopeful that something positive could come out from this trend. “If we set up processes and procedures for people that feel they have been touched inappropriately or harassed that they have a way of saying it without risking their job or their career,” she said.
Taddeo won a special District 40 election back in November. She will only be in that seat for this session. When it's over she will hit the campaign trail to try and keep the position.
While in session she plans to focus on improving the environment and related side effects. She introduced SB 1282: Residential Property Insurance. The bill’s intent is to encourage policyholders to purchase sufficient coverage to protect them in case of floods.
When the session is over, she will hit the campaign trail to try and keep the position.
You can see all the bills Sen. Annette Taddeo has introduced for the upcoming legislative session.
Sanctuary No More
Miami abandons its tradition as one of the most welc0ming cities for immigrants. 436 immigration detainees were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement during 2017, about a detainee a day. That’s according to a year-end tally released by the county on Tuesday.
This pace was set after the Mayor Carlos Gimenez decided to comply with President Trump’s strong illegal immigration stance. The mayor threatened to withhold federal funding from local governments protecting undocumented immigrants. Trump praised Gimenez’s decision, but locally the mayor was criticized for ending Miami-Dade’s status for welcoming immigrants.
Miami Herald’s Doug Hanks reported this story. He joined us in the program to talk about the future of undocumented immigrants in Miami-Dade County.
Post Irma in 2018
As the New Year begins, many residents in the Keys continue to live life after the effects of Hurricane Irma. Residents have cleaned up the immediate debris, while slowly making repairs, but many of them are thinking about the longer-term changes to their community.
NPR’s Florida correspondent Greg Allen is in the Keys talking to people about the future. He joined us to tell us more about the current state of the Keys and what residents expect for 2018.
