Florida is home to more than 1 million Puerto Rican residents, the second largest of any state.
Many have come to the state in search of better economic opportunities that can be provided stateside, in part because the island’s current status as a territory chases away potential investors and businesses from setting up shop.
One way to promote economic growth on the island is to address the status issue, and thankfully, voters on the island have already decided on their preferred status.
Three times since 2012, Puerto Ricans were asked at the polls about the status of the island, and each time statehood won the most support. Most recently, in 2020, Puerto Rican voters were asked a straightforward and simple question: “Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State?” And the majority–52.34 percent–said “yes.”
Statehood is the only status option that has ever gotten more than 50 percent support from voters, and since Congress has the power to decide the island’s fate, it is incumbent upon our congressional representatives to act.
U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., in particular, has an outsized role to play given his position on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, which is the congressional committee with jurisdiction. The committee chair, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., has indicated that he intends to hold a vote on Puerto Rico’s status in the fall. Hopefully, Webster will honor the votes of Puerto Ricans, and support the Puerto Rico Statehood Admissions Act. The Puerto Ricans, both on the island and in Florida, deserve this at the very least.
Dr. Miriam Ramírez served in the Senate of Puerto Rico.
Joaquin Alers
September 4, 2021, 11:19 am at 11:19 am
No one has the right nor to mandate to support any bill in congress to shove statehood down the throats of island territory residents who repudiate statehood.
Miguel A Torres
November 4, 2021, 11:21 am at 11:21 am
In order for Puerto Rico to fully progress Puerto Rico must become a state of the United States so that the American citizens could benefit from all the benefits that all the 50 states benefit from for example Government resources like Housing, infrastructure to build or maintain our roads and bridges, clean water, 21st century well trained Police Force, Homeland Security, Federal Agents, Futuristic public transportation, easy access to mountain areas, A Well Planned Coordinated Force to deal with Emergencies such as Hurricanes, A Well Equipped And Prepared 21st century Military Force and National Guards, Most Importantly A New State Of The Art 21st Century A New and Powerful Grid That Could Sustain Any Hurricane.