Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 12-31-21

Feature
Tampa Bay Leaders Look Forward To 2022
By MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
With 2022 on the hori- zon, a few local leaders were asked to share their hopes and plans for the new year. Here are their re- sponses:
FENTRICE DRISKELL ...Florida House of Representatives, District 63
“It is one of my life’s greatest honors to serve our state and our commu- nity in the Florida House of Representatives. Last year, I was able to pass a police reform bill as well as legis- lation that established a statewide task force on abandoned African Ameri- can cemeteries.”
“Next year, I look for-
ward to working hard to ac- complish even more for our community. I believe it is essential to promote poli- cies that ensure every Floridian’s freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe, regardless of their zip code or what they look like.
“In the upcoming 2022 legislative session, I look forward to advocating for greater access to high- quality, affordable health care for all Floridians who need it, lower property in- surance rates, the re- sources we need to address Florida’s affordable hous- ing crisis, and legislation that helps safeguard our democracy by teaching so- cial media literacy in our
schools. “IfIcaneverbeofas-
sistance, please do not hes- itate to reach out to me at FentriceForFlorida.com. I wish each one of you a safe, healthy and blessed New Year!”
GWEN MYERS
.... Hillsborough County Commissioner
“I want people to come together and stop fighting over small things. We have big issues to face as African Americans and we need to
fight them together. We need to stop the division in our community and come together at the ballot box.”
“I will continue my focus on gun violence, champion the 1% trans- portation tax, continue to fully support the African American Arts and Cultural Center, and encourage unity in the African Ameri- can community.”
ORLANDO GUDES .... Tampa City Council Chairman
“For 2022, I’d like peo-
ple to be empowered. Those in our community need to be empowered to fight injustices.
“I am also tackling the affordable housing crisis in Tampa. We have to do something with the afford- able housing crisis in Tampa. I have asked our legal team to see what we can do to fix this situation. If we don’t do anything, we will have families that are homeless.”
DIANNE HART ....Florida House of Representatives, District 61
“I am looking forward to having meaningful legisla- tion for our incarcerated loved ones in 2022. Al- though we are facing many issues such as decent hous- ing, legislation to help in- carcerated community members means the most to me.”
YVETTE LEWIS ...
President NAACP Hillsborough County
“It is my hope that everyone understands we are stronger together, we are powerful together, we are courageous together. We must learn each other’s differences, we must accept each other’s differences, and we must recognize each other’s differences. We need to look beyond someone’s skin tone; we need to look beyond some- one’s texture of hair, and we need to look beyond someone’s economic sta- tus.
“It is my hope that everyone asks themselves “what am I doing”. It is my hope that everyone has a joyful New Year. It is my wish that we all stand to- gether in 2022 because When We Fight, We Win.”
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021