2021: A Year To Remember In Politics

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Typically, odd-numbered years connection small governmental excitement, but 2021 was thing but typical.

It was a twelvemonth marked by loss. In April Congressman Alcee Hastings died. A legendary fig who spent 28 years representing parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, helium was remembered successful a Congressional memorial arsenic a tireless advocator for his district.

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His decease acceptable disconnected a huffy scramble to regenerate him with eleven candidates jumping successful the race, including Broward County Commissioners Dale Holness and Barbara Sharief. But it was Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a governmental neophyte who pumped much than a cardinal dollars of her ain wealth into the contention who won the Democratic superior and an astir definite triumph successful the peculiar wide predetermination aboriginal adjacent year.

Cherfilus-McCormick won by conscionable 5 votes and erstwhile she goes to Washington adjacent year, she volition go the lone Haitian American successful Congress.

Because Holness and Sharief had to resign to tally for the legislature seat, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed their replacements connected the Broward Commission – helium chose Jared Moskowitz and Torey Alston.

In Miami Dade, it was a trio of municipal elections that generated each the thrills. On Miami Beach, voters backed the conception of rolling backmost the past telephone from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber won re-election and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez – the unconventional campaigner who claimed to beryllium Hispanic erstwhile she is not – returns to the Miami Beach metropolis committee acknowledgment to a runoff successful which 93 percent of voters didn’t fuss voting.

In Miami, the city’s bitcoin loving bro Mayor Francis Suarez was re-elected arsenic was the bombastic and ever colorful Joe Carollo, who theatrically claimed helium was profoundly disquieted then-Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo was going to person him assassinated during a bogus apprehension successful which rogue cops would changeable him and past works a throw-away gun.

In Hialeah, riding precocious with the endorsement of Donald Trump, Steve Bovo was elected mayor. Bovo, who ran for region politician and lost, said this was not a consolation prize and that helium was committed to helping the radical of Hialeah.

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Across the state, Governor Ron DeSantis battled section districts implicit disguise mandates and vaccinations, calling a peculiar league to artifact efforts by employers to support their workers harmless by requiring vaccinations.

And critics reason the Republican-controlled Legislature during its league continued to instrumentality the broadside of large concern implicit the volition of voters by overturning the predetermination results successful Key West, which had voted to support the situation by limiting the fig of monolithic cruise ships which tin dock successful their port.

With sportfishing usher Captain Will Benson informing different radical crossed the authorities that what happened successful Key West could hap to them if they ever effort to defy the request of large businesses similar the cruise vessel industry.

And arsenic the twelvemonth drew to a adjacent different historical governmental fig successful South Florida died – erstwhile Congresswoman Carrie Meek.

Her decease astatine the property of 85 connected November 28, prompted an outpouring of remembrances – her grandma was calved a slave, her parents were sharecroppers and she roseate to beryllium the archetypal achromatic pistillate elected to the Florida authorities legislature and the archetypal achromatic pistillate elected to Congress from Florida.

Standing connected the steps of the Capitol, present is however she described the infinitesimal to C-Span successful 1992: “To me, it’s precise redemptive to accidental that I’ve been capable to – done the assistance of God and the radical of Florida to basal present and to look astatine the Capitol. And it shows that the times person changed. The cognition of the state has changed. Carrie Meek has changed. I’m truly pleased to beryllium here.”

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Next twelvemonth Governor Ron DeSantis is up for re-election, arsenic is Senator Marco Rubio and the full Florida legislature delegation. 2022 promises to beryllium different absorbing governmental twelvemonth for Florida.