Why are you running?
I want to give back to the community that gave me so much. I will only serve four years and as such will have no need for future campaign funding nor special interest dough.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Miami right now?
Housing for anyone in the 60% to 160% of current AMI (49,900.00), wages, and compassion. You are young now, BUT you will become old…if you are lucky.
What are some of the solutions you would propose?
We need to review and amend Miami 21 to reflect needs of the residents and neighborhoods, not developers and foreign cash.
If we gave you a $100 budget, how would you spend it?
Please share a few words about how you would tackle the some of the following challenges:
Poverty and the low median wage: I support increasing minimum wage to $15.00 and as a real business owner I KNOW it can be done.
The high cost of rent/real estate: Concentrate on in‐fill projects outside of the district, lobby FEDS to increase FHA borrowing limits and ease FHA guidelines for condominiums. Reduce or eliminate EB 5’s investments in Miami real estate (will never happen and I will be viewed as a pariah for even mentioning it). See above comment on Miami 21.
Congestion and transit options: Flying Cars??? Work on closing the gap of the last mile of transit with any and all resources available to us. We also need to make public transportation cool and not like you’re some loser (or DUI) for using it. Support ALL initiatives that make financial sense AND fund/complete The Underline.
Climate change and environmental damage: Stop FPL from building 2 nuke plants at Turkey Point and lobby state for “Save Everglades” funds. Force D2 Commission seat to stand up and proclaim “this is an issue that we MUST address” and spend $$$ to make it relevant throughout the county. (Think folks who do not live on the water front….think not as rich as D2)
Transparency in government and access to open data: www.miamid2.com is a site I am working on that will ease the navigation of local government services/public info. It is not a “look at me” site but will provide fast/quick relevant info for residents….think “The New Tropic,” but for government info.