Politics & Government
Crist, Fried And Tadeo Take On Gun Violence, DeSantis And Each Other In Gubernatorial Forum
"He's wrong on women, he's wrong on Blacks, he's wrong on the environment, he's wrong on doing the right thing" -- Crist, on DeSantis
May 31, 2022
“He’s wrong on women, he’s wrong on Blacks, he’s wrong on the environment, he’s wrong on doing the right thing.”
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That was the opening salvo Congressman Charlie Crist lobbed against Gov. Ron DeSantis at a gubernatorial forum hosted by the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee May 28, 2022, at the Julius Littman Performing Arts Center in North Miami Beach.
No matter that DeSantis wasn’t there. He was still the opponent three of the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates present chose to attack.
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Crist, Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried and State Sen. Annette Taddeo spoke with confidence about defeating DeSantis and their respective stances on affordable housing, abortion and voting rights, among other topics like gun violence – again top of mind after recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas.
State Sen. Annette Taddeo, Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried and Congressman Charlie Crist during a lighter moment at a May 28, 2022, gubernatorial forum in North Miami Beach.
(Marjorie Vital Herne)
Taddeo said she has co-sponsored legislation banning assault weapons during every legislative session since the 2018 Parkland, Fla., shooting, while Fried said she’s required background checks on anyone with a concealed weapons permit and has fired staff who emailed with representatives from the National Rifle Association.
As the expressed owner of a 20-gauge, 1100 model Remington for bird hunting, Crist reiterated his support for the Second Amendment, but questioned the sale of assault weapons.
If elected governor, Crist vowed he will work with the Legislature and Republicans who are being “suppressed.”
“If you work with them and you give them some respect and you develop relationships with them you can do better,” Crist said. “But if you can’t and you have to stop them, that’s a veto pen.”
Crist, who previously served as a Republican governor for the state, also talked about the potential use of executive orders and a constitutional amendment to address gun control, but Fried took a jab at Crist for his ties to the gun lobby.
“You fought to get the NRA’s past boss in the Women’s Hall of Fame,” Fried said.
When addressing street crime, the candidates agreed investing in Black and brown communities is the best way to reduce gun violence in neighborhoods, but sparred over the best approach to raising the necessary resources to do so.
Evan Ross, a communications consultant, speaking with State Sen. Shevrin Jones and Miami Gardens Councilman Robert Stephens III (L-R) at the Democratic gubernatorial forum at the Julius Littman Performing Arts Center in North Miami Beach May 28, 2022.
(Philippe Henold Buteau for The Miami Times)
Fried talked about raising money through the “sin tax” on alcohol and tobacco, while Crist talked about investing revenue from the legalization of marijuana on raising teacher pay and better policing.
“I will fund the police, particularly police training,” Crist said.
Fried opposed spending money from marijuana sales on policing and insisted it should go back “into the communities most harmed by the war on drugs.”
On the subject of affordable housing, the candidates turned to criticizing a state law that cuts in half dedicated state dollars – known as the Sadowski Trust Fund – to build affordable housing.
Crist said the cut should be repealed. Taddeo said she’s co-sponsored a bill blocking taking money from the Sadowski Trust Fund and said as governor she would declare a state of emergency. She added that she’s already asked the governor to declare a state of emergency and would do so if elected, to dedicate money in reserves for the construction of affordable housing.
Fried reminded the audience that four governors have raided the Sadowski Trust Fund to the tune of $2.3 billion, which elicited no response from Crist.
Fried also proposed litigation against predatory landlords by the attorney general and local district attorneys.
“That is what this is, pure greed,” she said.
Abortion was a hot topic, with a 15-week abortion ban recently signed into law by DeSantis and the anticipated Supreme Court Ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
A former pro-life supporter who has changed his position, Crist pledged to veto any anti-abortion bill that came to his desk, while Taddeo and Fried talked about using the courts and a constitutional amendment to expand the right to privacy in the Florida Constitution to undo the state’s restrictive abortion law.
Florida’s more restrictive election laws that make it harder to vote by mail also were a hot topic, prompting the candidates to discuss their support for an Election Day holiday. As governor, Fried said she would set up same-day voting and automatic voter registration upon obtaining or renewing a driver’s license.
Robert Dempster, chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee, speaking at a Democratic gubernatorial forum May 28, 2022.
(Philippe Henold Buteau for The Miami Times)
Saturday’s forum was free and open to members of the public who signed up in advance through the event page on Mobilize.us. Interpretation services in Spanish and Haitian Creole were offered by phone, according to the event page. A Zoom option for those who wished to watch or listen virtually was made available, but hundreds attended in person and hundreds more viewed the forum on YouTube.
WFOR’s Jim DeFede served as moderator and said he had sole control of questions asked.
While not a debate, the candidates provided opening and closing statements and answered a series of questions within 90 seconds.
“We felt like a forum (was) the best way to allow the candidates to be able to differentiate themselves and their ideas from one another,” said Robert Dempster, chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee.
Aside from answering questions on substantive issues, the candidates also provided their opinions on what it will take for Democrats to succeed in Florida.
Taddeo said a winning strategy requires a story that would draw out a large Hispanic turnout in the state’s top five counties, which she assures would result in an additional 350,000 votes. She also said it would be really new if there were an African American woman running for Senate (referring to Val Demings), alongside a Latina running for governor.
Meanwhile, Fried vowed to lure back the 12% Jewish vote lost to DeSantis in 2018 and criticized her own party’s approach to winning in Florida.
“We gotta support our bottom races. We gotta be supporting our House races, our Senate races,” Fried said. “And I don’t care about the money; I got the people.”
While Crist called money the root of all evil, he said DeSantis can be outraised.
Taddeo said she’s filed a lawsuit to investigate the source of dark money in political campaigns – money from donors who do not have to be disclosed.
Local elected officials in the audience were pleased by the event’s turnout and with the candidates.
North Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Joseph said the candidates showed the passion behind the party.
“They engaged each other,” he said.
North Miami Beach Vice Mayor McKenzie Fleurimond was particularly pleased with the way candidates addressed the affordable housing issue.
Crist, Fried and Taddeo will square off in the primary this August.
The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
