>> FROM THE CHEESE TO THE CAPITOL THE STATE REP WHO REPRESENTS MONDAY WOE COUNTEE
NOT ONLY HAS THE LONGEST DRIVE
TO TALLAHASSEE BUT SOME OF THE
MOST FRAGILE TERRITORY IN
FLORIDA, THE KEYS DID NOT MAKE
THE HEADLINE THIS SESSION LIKE
THEY DID IN THE PAST.
AND ABORTION AND EDUCATION
ISSUES WERE PREEMINENT IN
TALLAHASSEE.
REPUBLICAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE
JIM MOONEY FIRNED HIS FIRST
TERM, HE IS RUNNING FOR YET
ANOTHER, AND THERE HE IS JOINING
US REPRESENTATIVE MOONEY, GREAT
TO SEE YOU.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I’M ACTUALLY JOINING YOU
FROM-- FLORIDA MY MOTHER’S 91ST
BIRTHDAY, AT MY DAUGHTER’S HOUSE
AND SON-IN-LAW’S HOUSE.
>> HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAMA
MOONEY, FIRST AND FOREMOST.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU, SHE IS OUT
WITH HER GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, MY
GRANDBABIES, SHE IS OUT THERE
HANGING OUT.
>> WONDERFUL.
SO THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME
JOINING OUR PROGRAM.
WE ARE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU.
AND I WANT TO START OUT WITH
MICHAEL MENTIONED SOME OF THE
CONTENTIOUS ISSUES.
WE HAVE STATE REPS HERE ALMOST
EVERY WEEKEND TALKING ABOUT
THOSE, THE BIG ONES, RIGHT NOW
STILL IN COURT.
THE MORE RESTRICTIVE ABORTION
LAW THAT FLORIDA NOW HAS.
YOU VOTED FOR THAT, AS DID EVERY
GOP REP AND SENATOR.
I ALSO WANT TO BRING UP THOUGH
YOU VOTED GERNS AN AMENDMENT
FLOATED TO MAKE AN EXEMPTION FOR
CRIME VICTIMS PEOPLE IMPREGNATED
BY RAPE OR INCEST, WATCHING THIS
IN THE MIDWEST WAY YOUNG GIRL
RIGHT NOW.
CURIOUS WHY THAT EXEMPTION
COULDN’T BE SOMETHING YOU COULD
VOTE FOR?
>> I WILL TELL YOU, I STRUGGLED
GREATLY WITH THIS BILL EARLY ON.
I DUG DEEP INTO IT.
I DO APOLOGIZE FOR MY ATTIRE BY
THE WAY. SO I DUG DEEP INTO THE
BILL.
I DUG DEEP INTO ABORTION ISSUES
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND ACTUALLY AROUND THE WORLD.
AND AT THE END.
DAY I ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS
OF SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE PROBABLY
SMARTER THAN MYSELF AND I FELT
COMFORTABLE THAT GIVEN A NUMBER
OF CIRCUMSTANCES YOU COULD STILL
GET AN ABORTION AFTER 125
WEEK-- 15 WEEKS AND I THINK THAT
IS THE REASON I VOTED FOR IT.
IT WASN’T THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS
A HORRIBLE AMENDMENT.
I FELT COMFORTABLE THAT IF YOU
ARE PUT IN A POSITION IN THAT
PLACE, THE REALITY OF IT IS I
STILL BELIEVE IF YOU HAVE TO GET
AN ABORTION AFTER 15 WEEKS YOU
CAN GET THAT DONE IN FLORIDA.
>> THERE IS NO ABORTION PROVIDER
IN MONROE COUNTY.
SHOULD THERE BE WITH THESE NEW
RESTRICTIONS.
>> YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SAY THERE
SHOULD BE BECAUSE THE PART OF
MEDICAL CARE IN MONROE COUNTY,
IS THAT WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF
THINGS IN MONROE COUNTY THAT
PROBABLY SHOULD BE THERE.
WE JUST DON’T HAVE THE
POPULATION BASE TO ACTUALLY MAKE
ANY ONE THING SUPPORTIVE.
IF YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK YOU
WILL NEED TO BE AIR LIFTED OUT,
IF YOU NEED BRAIN SURGERY SO A
LOT OF THINGS ARE GOING TO THE
MAIN LAND ON A DAILY BASIS IN
ALL REALMS OF THE MEDICAL WORLD.
I DON’T SAY THAT THERE SHOULDN’T
BE SOMETHING.
THERE I JUST THINK THAT PROBABLY
THE REALITY OF IT IS AND I HATE
TO SAY THIS, THERE IS PROBABLY
JUST, THESE DOCTORS NEED TO MAKE
MONEY, WHETHER THEY LIKE WHAT WE
DO OR NOT, DOESN’T MATTER BUT
THEY DON’T HAVE BRAIN SURGEONS
IN THE KEYS, WE DON’T HAVE ANY
OF THAT IN THE KEYS.
SO EVERYTHING COMES TO THE
MAINLAND.
I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY THE
BIGGEST SINGLE REASON, IT IS NOT
ABOUT SHOULD OR SHOULDN’T BE.
I THINK IT IS JUST THE REALITY.
>> YEAH.
>> YOU KNOW, FOR AS MUCH PEOPLE
AS COME TO THE KEYS WE ARE
EXTREMELY RURAL WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT IT.
>> REPRESENTATIVE MOONEY, YOU
DID VOTE, I KNOW, AGAINST THE
PARENTAL RIGHTS AND EDUCATION
BILL, THE CORRECT TITLE FOR THE
BILL WHICH CRITICS CALL DON’T
SAY GAY.
WHAT WERE YOUR REASONS FOR
VOTING AGAINST THAT?
>> 155 BILL, WHILE THE PREMISE,
CERTAINLY NO ONE DISAGREES WITH
THE PREMISE, I THINK IF YOU SAT
EVERYBODY DOWN IN THE HOUSE NO
ONE WANTS ANYTHING TO BE TAUGHT
THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO BE
TAUGHT.
I THINK SOME OF THE ISSUES I HAD
WITH THAT WERE THE AGE
APPROPRIATE, SO WHAT IS AGE
PROAMENT.
WELL, WHAT IS AGE APPROPRIATE
FOR HOW I TAUGHT MY CHILDREN
ABOUT THE BODY, SO I SAW
EDUCATION, I WAS A FIST ED
EDUCATION TEACH TER, I HAD A LOT
OF FISSOLOGY CLASSES AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
I TAUGHT MY KIDS SCIEN TIFNG
TERM, SOME PARENTS DON’T LIKE IT
I FOUND THE AGE APPROPRIATE TO
BE A LITTLE MISLEADING, IF YOU
TAKE SOMEBODY LIKE MYSELF WHO
WAS THE YOUNGEST IN THE CLASS,
I’M IN FOURTH GRADE, PROBABLY
SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THIRD GRADE,
THE CUTOFF POINT BETWEEN THIRD
AND FOURTH, I DON’T SEE THERE IS
THAT MUCH DIFFERENCE.
I ALSO, THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION DOESN’T HAVE ANYTHING
IN THE CURRICULUM THAT THE
SCHOOL BOARDS DRAW FROM THAT
TEACHES ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO
BEGIN WITH, ANY KIND OF SEX
EDUCATION, K THROUGH 3, THERE
WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE CHARTER
SCHOOLS, THEY ARE FUNDED BY OUR
TAX DOLLARS AND YET THEY WEREN’T
SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED IN THERE
AND I LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO
WITH ORDINANCES WHEN YOU WRITE
AN ORDNANCE, YOU NEED TO BE
SPECIFIC AS TO HOW IT APPLIES
AND IF YOU DON’T THEY WILL
ALWAYS FIND A GRAY AREA.
SO I HAD A PROBLEM WITH OUR TAX
DOLLARS NOT BEING EQUALLY SPREAD
ACROSS, AS FAR AS THE BILL GOES.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE A PARENTS WITH
A CHILD IN CHARTER SCHOOL AND
THEY THINK THEY ARE PROTECTED IF
THAT IS WHAT THEY FEEL THEY NEED
TO BE, AND THEY ARE NOT.
THE ANSWER WAS IT IS NOT IN
THERE BUT IT COULD BE IN THERE.
SO THAT WASN’T WORKING FOR ME.
BEING A FORMER EDUCATOR, I THINK
THAT THERE ARE SOME AREAS WITHIN
THE BILL ITSELF WHERE YOU PUT
TEACHERS IN A PRECARIOUS
POSITION OF HOW TO DEAL WITH
WHAT THESE KIDS TELL YOU, IN
YOUR REALM AS A TEACHER.
AND TO HAVE TO SAY THAT I’M
PRUDENT ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THAT
CHILD MAY HAVE SOMETHING BAD
HAPPEN TO THEM WHEN THEY GET
HOME AND I SAY LISTEN, YOUR SON
OR DAUGHTER WITHOUT LIKE TO HAVE
A SEX CHANGE OR WHATEVER THAT
MAY BE, YOU END UP, JUST TOO
GRAY AN AREA.
I JUST FEEL LIKE THE LAWSUITS
ARE GOING RUN RAMPANT.
>> I DON’T MEAN TO INTERRUPT, I
WANT TO GET IN, WHAT IS
INTERESTING IS YOU WERE ONE OF
SEVEN WHO BUCKED THE GOP PARTY
LINE ON THAT ONE AND HALF OF
THOSE REPS WERE FROM SOUTH
FLORIDA, THAT WAS INTERESTING.
BUT REPRESENTATIVE, YOU HAD
SPONSORED A BILL TO EXEMPT KEY
WEST BUILDING RESTRICTIONS TO
GETS SOME AFFORDABLE HOUSING
BILLS FOR THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
WE WERE TALKING TO MIAMI DADE A
MAYOR EARLIER.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD ABOUT
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
HOW DID YOU DO THAT AND COULD
THAT BE A BLUE PRINT MAYBE FOR
OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
ESPECIALLY FOR LAW ENFORCE.
AND TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY LIKE
THAT.
>> I THINK IT COULD BE A BLUE
PRINT.
IN MONROE COUNTY WE HAVE A RATE
OF GROWTH ORDINANCE ANDS YOU
PROBABLY ARE WELL AWARE OF, IN
2023, THERE WILL BE NO MORE NEW
PERMITS ISSUED, SORT OF WHAT YOU
SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.
SO TO GO OUTSIDE
ITS-- ALLOCATION, THE CITY OF
KEY WEST AND SHERIFF’S OFFICE
DID AN INTERLOCATAL AGREEMENT
THAT THE CITY OF KEY WEST, A
STATE BUILDER WOULD BUILD IN THE
CITY OF KEY WEST UP TO 50
AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS.
I THINK IT IS 24 RIGHT NOW IS
THE PLAN.
I HAVEN’T SEEN THE PLANS
THEMSELVES BUT THERE IS A STATE
STATUE THAT DOES ALLOW FOR A
FIRST RESPONDER BUILDING OUTSIDE
OF OTHER ORDINANCES AND
STATUTES, DO I BELIEVE THAT
ANYBODY IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
HAS THE ABILITY, FOR TUS WAS A
MATTER OF GOING OUTSIDE THE RATE
OF GROWTH ORDINANCE AND NUMBER
OF ALLOCATIONS SO WE WOULD HAVE
HAD TO THROWN WORKS FORCE
HOUSING UNITES OUT OF ONE
SECTION GIVE TONE THE SHERIFF’S
OFFICE.
DN.
OFFICE. DN. >> REPRESENTATIVE MOONEY, I WILL
TO BEG YOUR PARDON, WE ARE OUT
OF TIME, GREAT TO SPEAK WITH YOU
AND KEEP UP THE PROTECTION OF
THE GREAT FLORIDA KEYS.
>> I LOVE WHERE I LIVE, THAT IS