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Sen. Victor Torres

Sen. Victor Torres and Florida legislators join call by coalition groups for Spanish-language election materials in all Florida counties

Posted on April 17, 2018

Warning that failure to accommodate Florida’s large influx of Spanish-speaking American citizens in the upcoming elections may violate the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act, state Senator Victor Torres on Monday joined six fellow Democratic lawmakers in calling on Florida’s Secretary of State to ensure bilingual ballot information is available to voters.

“Florida is home to over 20 million individuals and more than 4 million of them are of Hispanic or Latino origin,” wrote Torres in a letter sent to Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “Additionally, with the influx of evacuees from Puerto Rico, there are an additional 300,000 American citizens who are eligible to vote in this upcoming election cycle. Providing election information and ballots in Spanish-language are essential for some qualified electors to participate in the 2018 Florida elections process.”

The letter, signed by Senators Torres, Annette Taddeo, Jose Javier Rodriguez, Linda Stewart, and Representatives Robert Asencio, John Cortes, Carlos Guillermo Smith, and Amy Mercado, follows efforts last week by several Hispanic and civil right organizations, including Demos and Latino Justice, calling for 13 of Florida’s 67 Supervisor of Election offices who are not currently supplying election materials and information in Spanish-language format to do so under requirements of the Federal Voting Rights Act. Their letter similarly asserts that under Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act, bilingual ballots, election materials and poll worker assistance should be provided to America citizens whose primary language is Spanish.

The lawmakers are seeking reassurances that federal law will be obeyed.

“We are requesting that you respond to the allegations that some Supervisor of Elections offices may be in violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act by failing to provide required Spanish-language elections materials. We further request you outline any plans your office has to ensure that no qualified electors are discouraged from exercising their Constitutional rights to participate in the 2018 election due to a failure of the local Supervisor of Elections to provide this information,” they wrote.

“Florida has a long history of failing to accommodate citizens whose native language may be other than English,” said Torres, the only Florida Senator of Puerto Rican heritage and representative for the largest population of Puerto Ricans living in the Sunshine State. “With more than 4 million Hispanics now living in Florida, there is no excuse for not providing election services to citizens in the language with which they feel most confident.”

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: election materials, Sen. Victor Torres, Spanish-language

Sen. Victor Torres Calls for Florida’s Governor to Not Abandon Puerto Rican Evacuees as They Rebuild Their Lives in Florida

Posted on April 9, 2018

As more than 300,000 American citizens who sought refuge in Florida are poised to be left in the lurch as FEMA and the state shutter the last multi-agency resource center in Orlando, state Senator Victor Torres is calling for greater cooperation between Florida Governor Rick Scott and the governor of Puerto Rico to reestablish a central point of assistance.

“With FEMA shutting down help to evacuees and Florida closing the last MARC center in the state, people are being left with no central location to visit to get information for much needed community services,” said Torres. “With so many Hurricane Maria refugees from Puerto Rico, it seems only logical to have a service center located in central Florida to serve the needs of the largest Puerto Rican community in our state.”

Last Friday, March 30, FEMA and the State of Florida closed the last remaining Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in Orlando. Additionally, two weeks ago, the Puerto Rican government closed the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs (PRFAA) office located in Kissimmee and reopened a new facility in Orlando a few days later.

In a letter sent Friday to Governor Scott, Senator Torres is calling for a “One-Stop” Service Center to be opened at the new Orlando PRFAA office, which could be staffed by State Agencies like DCF and Access Florida to assist evacuees with applications for financial assistance as well as using available non-profit and community organization volunteers. He said he is hopeful that Florida’s Governor Scott and Puerto Rican Governor Rossello can find a way to make this service center a reality.

“The people who fled the devastation from Hurricane Maria left with little more than the clothes on their backs,” said Torres. “As a state with so many deep cultural and family ties with the island, we have a humanitarian obligation to keep the lines of communication and aid open as fellow Americans attempt to rebuild their lives in the Sunshine State.”

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Puerto Rican Evacuees, Sen. Victor Torres

Sen. Victor Torres calls on Gov. Scott to expedite stockpiles emergency supplies for Puerto Rico

Posted on October 3, 2017

The former Marine and New York City Cop urges Rick Scott to
tap close relationship with Donald Trump to hasten relief

Less than 24 hours after his return from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, and his first hand observation of one of the island’s largest cities still ignored by relief efforts, state Senator Victor Torres (D-Orlando) on Tuesday called on Governor Rick Scott to cut through the red tape stymieing the shipment of emergency supplies.
“The longer we wait, the worse it gets,” said Senator Torres, whose trip on Monday included the delivery of generators, chain saws, and other critically needed supplies to Ponce, Puerto Rico’s third largest city located in the southern part of the island. “The mayor told us yesterday that we were the first government officials to step foot in her city. No one from FEMA, no one from San Juan, and certainly no one from Tallahassee had preceded us in delivering supplies or accessing the situation in this city or its outlying towns.”
Noting the massive amount of water, food, and additional equipment – all critically needed by the people on the island yet lying idle in warehouses in Orlando – Senator Torres added that although Governor Scott emphasizes his close relationship with President Donald Trump, he has not made an effort to use that tie to cut through roadblocks hindering the shipment of stockpiled supplies to areas outside of the island’s capital.
“We’ve seen both the governor and the president fly into and out of the capital, bringing little more than photographers and promises,” said Senator Torres. “This does nothing to alleviate the suffering and the potential death count as supplies remain bottlenecked in warehouses.”
In his visit to Ponce, Senator Torres observed that the people themselves took it upon themselves to clear critical infrastructure, including roads, as well as the landing strip in the city’s airport for air transport. In addition, five of the city’s eight ports are operational, but no supplies are arriving. Senator Torres said that the governor could easily remedy the situation by asking for federal intervention.
“I saw firsthand the desperation that is mounting on the other side of Puerto Rico that has been neglected,” said Senator Torres. “Two weeks after Hurricane Maria made landfall, Governor Scott’s promises of immediate help while he continues to wait for some kind of formal request from Puerto Rican officials are ringing hollow. It’s time for him to get to work.”

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: emergency supplies, Governor Rick Scott, Puerto Rico, Sen. Victor Torres

Statement by Sen. Victor Torres on State Attorney Ayala's Death Penalty Decision

Posted on March 17, 2017

In response to the decision by State Attorney Aramis Ayala not to seek the death penalty in the murder case against Markeith Loyd, Senator Victor Torres (D-Orlando) released the following statement:
“In any murder case, all legal sentencing options, including the death penalty, should be considered.  I agree that the death penalty in Florida has had a troubled history. Even with the passage of the new law requiring jury unanimity in death sentences, 75% of those currently on death row were reportedly convicted with non-unanimous juries.
“But as a former police detective, I strongly believe that when any law enforcement officer loses their lives in the line of duty and in the service to others, all available legal consequences should be considered. While I respect State Attorney Ayala’s right to decide her office’s future course, I disagree with her decision to leave the death penalty off the table.”
For more information, please contact Senator Torres’s Legislative Aide Al Yorston at (850) 487-5015 or via email at: [email protected].

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Death Penalty Decision, Sen. Victor Torres, State Attorney Ayala, statement

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