Remarks by René Garcia
82 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 4
- Play at 2:13:26
“I know we don't want to belabor a point, and I know that the item already passed, and I think there was a public opportunity to testify on this item. There was. It was open to the public, and I understand that we're using another item to testify, but I just want to be very clear what this is and what this isn't. The reality is the state legislature passed a new regulatory scheme for investments. We are following state law based on what was passed. I have a hold on a lot of these state requirements and implementation language. Therefore, that's why we're sponsoring this. The reality is when we…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:54:54
“Mr. Chairman, that's just a vote no for me.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:58:37
“Thank you for that clarification. Thank you. It made no sense otherwise.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 3:17:06
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Commissioner Orvis. Thank you for bringing this item to us. And I completely agree with your stance and your positioning that you're taking on this. And I understand the argument that we have about ensuring that the community is changing and we need more workforce housing or we need more housing in general. But the reality is that we have to be careful in how we proceed with some of these items. Seeing what Commissioner Orbis brought to us, Will really does not go along with the integrity of that community itself. It's not along a rapid transit zone. It really…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 4:00:38
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And by the way, I kind of wish this would have gone through committee, but I appreciate what you're doing here and giving it to Committee of the Whole, so I appreciate that. I'm throwing that out there, and I thank you for that. And I do thank you for bringing up some of these and resolving some of these issues that were outstanding that really go a long way to help our small businesses. I do have one question, if I may, and it has to do with the startup businesses. that we have removed we went from okay yeah we should not have a requirement of three full-time staff…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 4:02:35
“I just got a little more confused right now. Let's talk about local preference and then small business. The definition of a small business is what?”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 4:03:10
“Okay, Mr. Chairman, that's for the small business, correct? Yes. And then now for local preference. Yes. Now for local preference, what is it for local preference?”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 4:03:39
“Okay, so if you're qualified as a small business, can you qualify for local preference? Yes.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 4:03:45
“Okay, that's fairly fair. Let me, Mr. Chairman, I think that addresses my concerns, and I think I feel fairly comfortable, but I'll get back to you. Thanks. And thank you for what you're doing here, Mr. Chairman. I really thank you for this.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 5:12:44
“Actually, before you do that, Mr. Chair, I'm sorry.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 5:15:25
“Right. Mr. Chairman, before you move on, over here. Can I release 8A4 and 8A5? My question about the square footage cost was answered. Not to my satisfaction, but we'll talk about that later. Thank you.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 5:44:56
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And just to read this into the record, this is a naming of a street. And just for the record, just for everyone's information, again, what I said earlier, I have the state hold, so a lot of these state designation, road designations will come through our office.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 5:45:19
“So this is the role designation for Celia Cruz. Celia Cruz was a unique and dynamic becoming enduring symbol of strength and freedom for the Cuban exile community. Celia Cruz's life is a story of talent, perseverance, cultural pride, and joy. Her music uplifted millions, her voice broke barriers, and her legacy remains a vibrant beacon of what it meant to lead with artistry, authenticity, and corazon. Her trademark phrase, Azuka, became an empowering culture symbol, reflecting joy, resilience, and Afro-Cuban identity. Mr. Chairman, that is the resolution that was passed by the Florida State…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 5:57:28
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to tell you something that Manolo Reyes is an amazing individual. All of us, especially in the Hispanic community, knew exactly who he was. We've worked with him, and he was someone that always stood up for what's right. He always worked within the rules. He was not someone that you could owe. He's not someone that when he made a decision or when he took a vote, you knew where that vote was coming from. It was coming from a place of honesty, integrity, and making sure that he stood up for his community. He was a man who I admired. I had man who I respected…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 6:04:35
“No, no, I think that's because I've been on first.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 6:07:42
“Mr. Chairman, thank you. It's a quick question. A couple of months ago, we passed the standardization of the budgets because we were having all these budgets that were coming to us were not standardized. I just want to ask a question of the administration. What is the status of the standardization of the budgets for the- Bless you. Good afternoon. The standardization on the budget. We had a big sneeze back here. Bless you. Actually, it was a cute sneeze.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 6:08:28
“And by then, we will have them all standardized. We'll have all the detail that we asked for.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 6:08:35
“I appreciate that. Thank you very much. I move the item.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 1, 2026
- Play at 2:44:15
“No, Mr. Chairman, I want to try to waive the rules to make sure this is placed on the following agenda on September 22nd. This is the hospital funding bill that we've done previous times, so because of ACA constraint, time constraints, we want to make sure it's on the agenda for the next one.”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 2:44:35
“And if we can do 15B1, which is a public hearing notification, that'll be great.”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:22:58
“Chairman. Senator Garcia. Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you Commissioner Gilbert for reminding us about the governor. And he was an amazing, when I was at legislature I worked a lot with him on a couple different issues. And there's no doubt that he really did care about his community, loved his people, and fought tirelessly for them every single day. So whether you agreed with him or not, The one thing that you could be certain of is that he really did love his people. And Commissioner Bastien, thank you so much for bringing this before us, and please list me as a co-sponsor as well,…”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 3:41:42
“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I agree with everything that's being said, but however, what the request is is an opt-in provision. That's what I was going to say. It's an opt-in provision, opting into the rules that are being established for the municipalities. I get what that is specific to a road. I get that it went through the committee process, but at the end of the day, we are representatives of the people. We speak for the people. You have used that line before, that we are the representatives of the people. I think it's incumbent upon the municipality itself that wants to opt in to do…”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 4:37:44
“Senator Garcia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't doubt anything that Commissioner Gilbert said. He said it so eloquently, and I think you're absolutely right. If you want to have more people interested in running and I think we need to make sure that they're compensated appropriately. However, when we decided to run, this board decided to run, we knew what the compensation package was. So I think I have no problem for it going to the voters. However, it should be something should not be self serving. And for me, when would this go into effect?”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 4:38:27
“All right, so the only way that I would be able to support something like this is if it does not go into effect until after the current board is no longer here. Because I just find it a little self-serving for us to vote for something. And it goes to the voters. I get it. I understand Commissioner Bermudez and I understand everyone's debate. But it needs to be something that should not affect me or anyone on this board because we When we ran for office, we ran with the understanding of what we were being compensated for. So that's my only objection to the item. And I hate to vote against an…”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026
- Play at 5:01:54
“Thank you, Mr. Commissioner. For the same reasons, I think that when we look at annexation, I think the process is complicated enough. We have safeguards and hurdles in place. This is just adding even more hurdles, making it more difficult for municipalities to try to annex. So I do think that this is an overreach and putting this in the charter will make it even that much more difficult for municipalities to try To create annexation. So I, uh, a two will be a no on this one.”
Board of County Commissioners · Jul 21, 2026