Today, the Florida legislature passed a law that effectively ends the immoral and despicable practice of international companies enjoying multi-million dollar public works contracts in Florida while engaging in profitable business deals with the dictatorships in Cuba and Syria.
For reprehensible companies like Odebrecht, who make millions from business deals with the Castro dictatorship AND the victims of that dictatorship in South Florida, the party is, in effect, OVER!
Via Capitol Hill Cubans:
No More Odebrechts
For years, foreign companies like Brazil’s Odebrecht have been partnering with the Cuban dictatorship, while simultaneously profiting from Florida’s taxpayers — many of whom are victims of that dictatorship.
That has come to an end.
The Florida legislature has just passed legislation (see details below) that prohibits the state, its counties, cities and other public entities from contracting with foreign companies that conduct business with the Castro and/or Assad tyrannies. The law also requires the state’s pension funds to divest from these companies.
(U.S. companies and their subsidiaries have long been prohibited from doing business with the Castro regime under federal law. This state law closes a loophole used by foreign companies that have been transacting business with both Cuba and Florida through the use different subsidiaries, e.g. Odebrecht).
Sadly, public entities like Miami-Dade County and Florida International University had been unwilling to take a moral stand against some of these foreign companies, so the Florida legislature has stepped up to do so.
Kudos to Majority Leader Carlos Lopez Cantera, Senator Rene Garcia and Representatives Michael Bileca for their extraordinary leadership in this effort.
CS/HB 959 and CS/SB 1144 – State and Local Government Relations with Cuba or Syria
This bill has passed the Florida House and Senate Florida. State and Local Government Relations with Cuba or Syria: Prohibiting the State Board of Administration from being a fiduciary with respect to voting on any proxy resolution advocating expanded United States trade with Cuba or Syria; prohibiting a state agency or local governmental entity from contracting for goods and services of more than a certain amount with a company that has business operations in Cuba or Syria; requiring certification upon submission of a bid or proposal for a contract, or before a company enters into or renews a contract, with an agency or governmental entity that the company is not engaged in business operations in Cuba or Syria, etc.
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=48114&amp
So how does this affect the charter companies? Are they not doing the same?
This law only affects state contracts, Pototo. What it does do is end the shameless behavior of Mayor Carlos Gimenez and some Miami Dade commissioners who gifted billion dollar contracts to Odebrecht while that company is doing hundreds of millions of dollars of business with the Castro dictatorship.
Its a start
Alberto,
Does it means that any ongoing state contract with Odebrecht must be stopped?
According to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s press release, “The bill also requires the termination of state and local government contracts with businesses that partner with Cuba or Syria,” so that seems to the case.
I’d love for this to work as intended, but I’ll believe it when I see it, especially regarding pre-existing contracts and deals. There’s a LOT of money and vested interests involved, and entities like Odebrecht aren’t going to just accept this, pack up and go home. The local enablers for such outfits are also unlikely to cooperate if they can help it. Unfortunately, such deals should have been vigorously opposed before they went through, but most people had no idea what was going on, and the people who did probably stood to gain something from playing along. There’s never a shortage of opportunists. Ever.