State Rep. Cindy Polo is not taking anything for granted. The freshman, elected two years ago in the wake of the high school shooting in Parkland, is fighting to keep her seat against the Republican challenge from Tom Fabricio, an insurance defense attorney who believes in conversion therapy and is, apparently, the GOP’s choice to reclaim District 103.
On Wednesday, she released a new web video on Facebook that has firefighters from several agencies endorsing her because of her work getting their cancer presumption bill passed last year.
“As a firefighter no matter what time of night, no matter what neighborhood, we take care of our community,” say a group of firefighters who include Hialeah Fire Union President Eric Johnson and Coral Gables Firefigher David Perez.
“But when it came to cancer treatment, no one took care of us,” they said, referring to a bill that covers out of pocket expenses for certain job-related cancers, which the Republican leadership let languish as a form of retaliation after Perez ran against Manny Diaz Jr. for Senate.
Read related: Jose Oliva holds firefighter cancer bill hostage for political payback
“Cindy Polo stepped in, used her voice and revived it, pushing it forward to a vote,” the firefighters say, taking turns. “Cindy Polo works for real people who live in our community, not big corporations. She fought for us and we know she’ll fight for you.”
Diaz, of course, is in an earlier video endorsing Fabricio, who beat former Miami Lakes Councilman Nelson Rodriguez in the primary. Even though Rodriguez is a firefighter, the firefighters’ union had already endorsed Polo.
Fabricio’s disingenuous 30-second spot on YouTube says that Polo voted against raises for teachers, healthcare for children and hot meals for the elderly. What it doesn’t say is that she didn’t vote against any of those things, but cast a protest vote against the budget because, Polo told Ladra, it didn’t do enough to take care of the neediest.
Read related: State Rep. Cindy Polo gets firefighters endorsement — against a firefighter
“Please vote for my friend, Tom Fabricio,” says Diaz, who also supported Frank Mingo against Polo in 2018 and we know how that went. Fabricio says nada.
“I find it telling and sad that the only person asking for a vote in this video is Manny Diaz Jr., proving that my opponent is already quite comfortable relinquishing his voice to his handlers,” Polo said.
Polo also has the Sun-Sentinel endorsement (the district runs from Doral through Miami Lakes and into Miramar) because of her fight. She is a single mom with a young son — a voice we sorely need in Tallahassee. The editorial board said it was notable that Fabricio didn’t bother to answer their questionnaire, but did answer the one from the Christian Family Coalition, where he expressed support for abortion restrictions and conversion therapy, which is a hoax treatment supposed to “fix” gays.
Seriously. That should be enough to tell you that Fabricio doesn’t belong in the legislature.
Fabricio still had $32,705 of the $104,400 he raised (minus a $10K loan to himself) as of the last campaign finance reports through Oct. 2. But Polo still had $78,480 from the $126,565 she raised, but she didn’t have a primary like he did.
Ladra suggests she take that firefighter spot and put it on TV.
State Rep. Cindy Polo fights to keep House 103 vs Broward’s Tom Fabricio added by Ladra on
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