Gillum stresses environment at Fort Myers town hall
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and running mate Chris King visited Riverside Community Center in Fort Myers Tuesday evening where they were greeted by a large crowd of supporters encouraging the team to “bring it home” on Nov. 6.
A line to enter the Town Hall visit extended around the property with many not able make it inside the just over 200-seat facility.
Upon their arrival, Gillum and King addressed those outside from the community center’s balcony, so the crowd could get to hear their message despite the building having reached capacity.
“I am overwhelmed by this amazing showing,” Gillum said to the energetic supporters outside. “I believe I’m going to bring this win home – in less than seven days, we’re going to bring this win home.”
Inside, Gillum and King spoke on their vision for the state of Florida, accompanied by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.
“Many of you followed us during the primaries, and you know that both Andrew Gillum and I are both environmentalists,” King said. “We both believe in science; isn’t that a crazy thing. And we both can talk about climate change, but more importantly, we have policies to address climate change. And most importantly, we are the only ticket that is willing to stand up for the environment and against all of the forces against it to stop the toxic discharges and stop the destruction of our coasts.”
“Are you all ready to flip Florida blue?” Gillum asked the audience, to a raucous applause. “Even better, are you all ready to flip the state of Florida green?”
With the Caloosahatchee directly adjacent to the building, it was a close-to-home setting for the team to speak on the environmental issues that have plagued Florida waters in recent years.
Both Gillum and King called Republican opponent Ron DeSantis and Gov. Rick Scott, “Election year environmentalists.”
“It requires making sure we have a governor that keeps that picturesque view exactly as you see it,” said Gillum of keeping our water clean. “Not with blue-green algae, not with red tide, not with all of the kinds of environmental degradation that we have suffered under for these last, nearly 20 years. We have literally handed over they keys to our environmental protection to some of the biggest polluters in this state.”
Gillum said change is afoot if he is elected, and urged those present to “vote as if our lives depend on it.”
He spent most of the forum answering pre-written questions submitted by members of the audience. Topics included the environment, housing, water, invasive species and more.
He stated that some of his top priorities include health care, water management district issues, solar energy, listening to science and bolstering Florida’s ways of thinking “green.”
“We live in the Sunshine State, we ought to make it mean something to live in the Sunshine State,” Gillum said. “Florida ought to be second-to-none in production of solar energy.
“When you live in a state that is surrounded by water on three sides, you better believe your very livelihood, your very survival depends on building a state that is more resilient in the face of (issues).”
He believes that scientists, biologist and ecologists have been undermined in the most recent regime, something he plans to change by working with those professionals and experts to get in front of potential environmental catastrophe, as we’ve seen this past summer.
“The environment is on fire in Florida,” said King.
The final question from the audience asked how Gillum’s values tie into his commitment to the environment.
“It is completely connected to my value set,” Gillum said. “So far as I can tell, we only have one earth, and we’re responsible for taking care of it.
“If we’re going to be a state that people continue to come to, not just to visit, but to make home, we have a responsibility to take care of that, not just as our responsibility as governor and lieutenant governor, but quite frankly as parents, as folks who are raising kids in this state – who I want to choose the state of Florida as home. We want to make sure they grow up in healthy, safe, reinforcing environments and we can’t do that if we continue to allow the most powerful interests to run roughshod over all of us. Their time is up. It is our time. It’s our time. This is our air. Our water. Our quality of life. And we deserve to have it work for all of us again.”
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