Newt's
Platform
Living Wage Jobs
"We must support good paying jobs recognizing the plight of the working-poor. In an attempt to mitigate rising inequality and raise the standard of living for those at the bottom of the wage distribution."
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I support:
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Public Private Partnerships.
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Access to Higher Education and Certifications.
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Reimagining Education and Career Help (REACH) Act. has $35 Million dollars in funding for Vocational Education, Career Education and Technical Education skilled trade.
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
Educational Eco-System
“Education Options are critical for healthy cities; we must embrace our educational eco-system from the Cradle to College.”
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I support :
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
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Local Funding Referendums
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Early Learning, because 0 to 5 is the most critical time for a young child's brain development.
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Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-Scholl Youth (HIPPY) - I brought home $3.9 Million dollars every year for this excellent Early Learning Reading Program that has a 96% readiest rate for Kindergarteners. They come into the home with book, shapes, phonics and colors providing 30 weeks of Parent Instruction to be the Childs first teacher. All they ask is you cut the idiot box off 2 hours and read to your children or someone else will and it will go like this " You Have The Right To Remain Silent, If You Give Up That Right Any Thing You Say Can And Will Be Used Against You"
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Parents should be able to choose the best education for their children for better outcomes. No matter your financial situation, income or zip code. Your child shouldn't have limited options, be bullied or become a statistic of the School To Prison Pipeline.
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Funding to allow high schoolers to start apprenticeships and other job training while still in high school, eventually spitting them right out into Florida's high-demand job market.
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Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program - has $15.5 Million to close the gap for high school students who struggled to access dual enrollment opportunities year-round at Florida's state colleges and universities.
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Insist on accountability and performance in schools to end the School to Prison Pipeline.
Our Environment
“The effect of Climate Change is real and we must do all we can to protect this world for our children’s, children’s future.”
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I support :
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Smart Development – Create Policies for Smart growth practices can lessen the environmental impacts of development with techniques that include encouraging compact development, reducing impervious surfaces, safeguarding environmentally sensitive areas, mixing land uses.
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Piney Point Clean Up and Closure The State has secured $100 million to permanently clean up and close the former phosphate plant.
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Red Tide - Approved $85 Million dollars in funding for Mote Marine Laboratory to study and combat the algae blooms that causes massive fish kills every year. "Water is at the heart of the state's terrific quality of life, and what makes tourism the backbone of our economy"
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Clean Energy – We must encourage the use of Solar, Natural Gas, Biomass and other renewable energy sources.
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Sea Level Rise – Preserve and protect natural structures such as barrier islands, oyster and coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass, and salt marshes can work in unison with built infrastructure, such as seawalls, to absorb storm surges.
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Wastewater Treatment and Sewer Infrastructure Funding - The closing of the Albert Whitted Wastewater Treatment Plant by the current administration took 20% of the City's capacity offline and caused over 500 million gallons of raw sewage to dumped into Tampa Bay. We also treat sewage from Gulfport, St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island and not having enough capacity caused massive sewage dumps all over St. Petersburg. This also caused 43% higher water bills hitting our Seniors and Students on fixed incomes hard in the wallets. With your Vote and the Relationship and Bridges that I have built, I can go to Tallahassee and lobby my colleagues for much needed Infrastructure resources.
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Climate Change State Funding - For the first time in Florida's history the Legislature has money in the budget to combat the effects of Climate Change. I am the only candidate with proven legislative experience. Which means when the legislature is in session I will be able to lobby my former colleagues for much needed resources.
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
Economic Opportunities
"For a City to enjoy true prosperity all its citizens must have access to economic opportunities."
I support:
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Boost Home Based-Businesses - Self-employment is an important way for people to earn a living in difficult economic times, making it critical that cities support home-based businesses.
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Youth After-School and Summer-Job Program - Fully Fund youth After-School and Summer Jobs Programs. Every year we have over 1000 youth that want to work but only money in the budget for 160 jobs. (The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, - Mathew 9:35) Also over the summer Chief Harmon informed me that we arrest 600 to 800 juveniles putting great strain on our Police resources. That juvenile arrest causes lost in opportunities like No Military, No Student Aid and No Jobs because you now have a criminal background.
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Youth Sports Programs - Fully Funding our Youth Sports Programs like First Tee, Football, Baseball, Basket Ball and Soccer. Each of these youth programs accommodate 100s of juveniles thus freeing up Police recourses by not having to deal with arresting them.
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Redevelopment of the 86 acre Tropicana Field Site - With a billion-dollars in development opportunity we must ensure that every citizen has access and participate. This is a Second in a life time chance to do the right thing for the community that lost everything through eminent domain and the promise of jobs and economic opportunities .
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The Rays - Major league baseball is an economic driver I have always supported the Rays. The Rays control 50% Development Right to the 86 acre Tropicana Field Site. In 2008 the Rays wanted to consolidate all baseball operations to 15 acres on the downtown waterfront. I support building a new stadium on 15 acres at the Tropicana Field site. With my experience serving with 3 Mayors and 8 years on City Council, I know how to get this done.
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Groceries Stores - I plan to use some of the $45 Million from the American Rescue Plan Act funding to put Grocery Stores in Midtown and 62nd Avenue South centers. To provide access to fresh fruits, meats and vegetables and alleviate the current food desert situation.
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Emphasize the employability of our workforce, entrepreneurial development and Midtown successes in our Challenge Area.
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Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) - $600,000 in funding to help small businesses maintain and grow their talent, but also are meant to support underrepresented and minority residents' access to the necessary training and education for upward mobility.
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Financial Literacy for All - I believe that financial literacy is the civil rights issue of this generation. Financial literacy empowers all of us to make smart decisions – how to budget, save, borrow, and invest.
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Creating much needed Workforce Housing.
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
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Affordable Housing and
Home Ownership
“The only way to truly participate in the American Dream is Home Ownership. If you are paying $1000 to $1800 a month in rent you are already paying a mortgage, it’s just not yours.”
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I support:
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Sadowski Housing Trust Fund - Prevented the sweeping of the Sadowski Housing Trust Fund thus providing for $378 Million for Affordable Housing and down payment assistance for first time homebuyers.
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Habitat for Humanity – Fully support and actively recruit clients for Habitat for Humanity. They provide affordable home ownership, equity, and generational wealth.
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Repurpose Commercial Space - Resilient residential demand and declining commercial demand can be accommodated by allowing re-use of vacant commercial space.
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Allowing Homeowners to construct ADU's - tiny homes, in-law
apartments or granny flats — with relative ease on lots zoned for single-family use will substantially expand the supply of small, affordable homes. -
Zoning Changes - On lots now zoned for single family homes, NTM-1 would allow a duplex or a triplex or even a small four-unit residence.
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Permitting Department - Fixing the extremely long turn-a-round time for housing permits thus causing increase in building and construction cost.
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
Public Safety
“When people live in fear of crime and violence, their communities reflect this loss of freedom, confidence and meaning."
I support:
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The first job of city government is to maintain the safety of its citizens by Fully Funding our Police & Fire Departments.
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Community involvement in our local police and public safety agencies.
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Support community policing and push for strong enforcement of existing laws.
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Continue to fund public education and recruitment programs.
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Gun Buy Back Programs.
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21st Century Policing Blueprint.
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I am the only candidate with proven local and legislative experience. I will be "Ready Day One", with zero learning curve.
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I am endorsed by the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association and the St. Petersburg Association of Firefighters and Paramedics Local 747.
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