Florida Is Not a Prop in a Political Campaign
May 2, 2023 12:50 pm ET A home with a "Sold" sign in Surfside, Fla., May 2, 2021. Photo: Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press In an effort to paint Florida as a destitute wasteland, former President Donald Trump recently cited the Florida Policy Institute’s research describing our state’s affordable-housing crisis. Your editorial retorts, “They say politics makes strange bedfellows, but Mr. Trump’s one-night stand with this outfit is bizarre,” citing our organization’s support for an inclusive economy for immigrants, while touting Florida as an economic standard-bearer (“Florida’s a Dump, Says President Trump,” Review & Outlook, April 25). Most Floridians know, however, that our home is neither. It’s a complicated, sometimes heartbreaking mix of growing inequity and hardship for too many, but also an incredible tapestry of cultures, unique natur
A home with a "Sold" sign in Surfside, Fla., May 2, 2021.
Photo: Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
In an effort to paint Florida as a destitute wasteland, former President Donald Trump recently cited the Florida Policy Institute’s research describing our state’s affordable-housing crisis. Your editorial retorts, “They say politics makes strange bedfellows, but Mr. Trump’s one-night stand with this outfit is bizarre,” citing our organization’s support for an inclusive economy for immigrants, while touting Florida as an economic standard-bearer (“Florida’s a Dump, Says President Trump,” Review & Outlook, April 25).
Most Floridians know, however, that our home is neither. It’s a complicated, sometimes heartbreaking mix of growing inequity and hardship for too many, but also an incredible tapestry of cultures, unique natural treasures and a resilient spirit.
Despite the ubiquitous “Florida man” trope, we have come together against formidable odds in the face of disaster to do good by each other. We take care of our neighbors, offer opportunities to the newly arrived and pass laws like a $15 minimum wage.
Florida has structural policy issues that are decades, even centuries, in the making. We have long seen the push and pull with outsiders who attempt to shape our state and tell our story. But the economic future of 22 million people shouldn’t be weaponized in a political tug of war.
Sadaf Knight
CEO, Florida Policy Institute
Orlando
What's Your Reaction?
