Letter to Florida Governor regarding Voter Redistricting

The Honorable Rick Scott

Office of the Governor

The Capitol

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

2/7/2011

Governor Scott

In November 2010, the citizens of Florida went to the polls and voted in a new Governor and several amendments. Two of these amendments covered redistricting. The redistricting amendments passed with greater than 60% of the votes

Per published reports shown at the State of Florida web site, Mr. Scott, has decided that all regulations that cost money to implement would be shelved. He asked the departments that would be affected with the new amendments what would happen if they were implemented. They all said the amendments "may" or "might" have some costs and those costs were indeterminate.  But at the same time Governor Scott also decided that Florida must effect a requirement that all employers must screen for illegal immigrants when posting for a job. The same proposal of identifying illegal immigrants has proven to have additional costs based on Arizona's legal troubles by employers bringing suit over the same issue.

Here is the problem. How can the Governor stall execution of a voters demand for redistricting that "may" cost money, and allow a check for immigrant status that clearly will cost money?

Holding government physically accountable cannot supersede the will of the voters. Governor Scott may be within his rights. It may be legal. However, in light of what is happening in the Mideast with Tunisia and Egypt, I think our Governor needs to listen to the voters. To do otherwise places him on the same plane as Egypt’s President, Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a dictator that does not hear the voters.

This letter has a long list of ‘carbon’ copies. I am hoping the elected officials contact the Governor and persuade him to follow the dictates of the voters and the newspapers publish this letter and citizens of Florida can see that our new Governor is playing fast and loose with our votes.

George A. Edwards

cc: The President of the United States, The Honorable Bill Nelson, The Honorable Marco Rubio, The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart, Jose Felix Diaz, The Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel, Florida Times Union, The Palm Beach Post, Tampa Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, The Florida Democrat, The News-Journal