Following the deadly synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, candidate for Lieutenant Governor for Florida, Jeanette Nuñez says she is "singularly focused on safety and well-being of the community."
Rep. Nuñez is running alongside Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis for Florida’s governorship. She is current Speaker Pro Tempore of the Florida House of Representatives and began her career in 2004 as the State Director for Government Relations at Jackson Health System.
Rep. Nuñez joined Sundial to talk about the issue of safety following the shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the role divisive political rhetoric is having on our culture and the key issues for the DeSantis campaign. She said the Ron DeSantis Campaign is committed to safety and focusing on the issues of the economy, health care and red tide.
WLRN: When you consider the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, who was sending pipe bombs in the mail and then Robert Bowers, the shooter in Pittsburgh this past weekend. What can you say to Florida voters right now that you and Ron DeSantis will do to keep us safe?
NUÑEZ: First of all those two acts were atrocious. We condemn them. We are saddened by the loss of life and we want to make sure that Florida voters know that Ron DeSantis and I are focused on their safety and well-being. And that's important because we can talk about all the other issues education, economy, and health care, but if you're not safe in your own community then all those other issues are for nothing.
So that's why we're proud that the PBA [Police Benevolent Association] and sheriffs throughout this state of Florida have endorsed us, because they know Ron as someone that has served in the Army -- I'm sorry, served in the Navy. He's worn the uniform. He's someone that has protected us and made sure that he's focused on the safety and well-being of this country. And so he has a history and has a record of safety commitment to safety and making sure that our folks that wear the uniform, that serve and protect that they're standing with us because they know that we're going to stand with them.
We talk about safety and related to it is the issue of guns. I mean, you have the Pittsburgh shooting, the Parkland shooting that brought up the issue of gun legislation. What do you think will happen in the next legislative session and where does the DeSantis campaign stand on the gun debate?
Well, certainly I was in the legislature when we had that terrible tragedy in Parkland and we worked with both sides of the aisle to make sure that we could come up with commonsense legislation that will keep our children safe. I think as a mother of three I'm singularly focused on safety and well-being in our community.
Did the law go far enough or would you have done anything differently?
Oh no. I think that the law struck a really important balance and you can see that by some of the discourse on both sides. I think you see what we are focused on ... We have a huge problem in this community and in this state with mental health crisis. We see that day in and day out and so we're focused on really tackling the issue from multiple fronts.
It's not just about the issue of mental safety, school security or providing additional resources. It's a comprehensive issue. It's something that requires comprehensive thought and I think that it's important that we continue to talk about it but in a way that's going to protect Second Amendment rights and also provide the assurances to the parents that want to make sure that when they drop their kids off at school that they can pick them up healthy and happy.
Are you concerned in any way that the president's rhetoric is fueling political polarization? I mean, look at the rally Mr.DeSantis had recently and there were shouts of "lock him up" talking about Mr. Gillum, and the same thing they said about Hillary Clinton in 2016. What are your thoughts about what politicians should and should not be saying?
Well, certainly Ron DeSantis didn't say that and I've seen him in various forums, you know, try to dissuade things like that because again that doesn't really help the situation. I think what we're focused on and what Ron is focused on is making sure voters understand the issues. What is our platform, what do we stand for and what do we want to accomplish? And yes, unfortunately, the rhetoric sometimes gets a little heated-- on both sides. Let's be honest. And so what we want to do is make sure that people understand that Ron DeSantis and I are focused on issues.