How Coronavirus blurs the line between campaigns and public office in South Florida
Were it not for a long-sleeved polo shirt identifying him as a state official, state Rep. Javier Fernandez might have been unrecognizable Saturday morning to the dozens of people who flocked to a South Miami community center to receive bags of free food as part of a coronavirus relief effort.
The Miami Democrat was nearly incognito in a ball cap, face mask and latex gloves as he handed out unemployment benefits applications in pre-addressed envelopes to motorists waiting for Farm Share volunteers at the Gibson-Bethel Community Center to toss sacks of potatoes and oranges, boxes of raisins and frozen chicken patties into open trunks.
Fernandez, who is running for Florida’s Senate District 39, said the event was not political. His potential opponent in November, Republican state Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez, said the same of a food giveaway she joined Saturday in Tropical Park— even though both politicians promoted the events through their campaigns.
“I do what I do because I was elected to serve my constituents and I think all of us, including my opponent, we’re all in this to help the communities we serve,” Rodriguez said in an interview. ”I don’t see it as a way to coerce people to vote for you.”
At a time of national crisis, when social distancing measures have forced much of Florida and Miami-Dade County into six-foot buffer zones and financial uncertainty, elected officials’ responsibilities include providing public information and assistance to the needy. But with those same conditions halting most campaigning, it’s perhaps never been less clear where public service ends — and the campaign begins.
“Direct service and outreach is what we’ve been doing. That’s the only way I know how to campaign right now,” said Fernandez, whose campaign activities now revolve around job applications, rent issues and calling people to ask about their problems. “Traditional campaigning pretty much is on hold.”
Fernandez and Rodriguez both said their campaigns promoted the food giveaways only to ensure a greater number of people are aware of free services and relief at a time of crisis. And yet, from the White House to the State house, press conferences, public information campaigns and even food giveaways have taken on a political hue.
Ethics experts say the line between public office and political campaigning has always been blurry. But the question of politicking in a pandemic presents a whole new challenge for candidates.
“When you’re campaigning at a time of national crisis, you have to be a little tasteful about it And yet you have to campaign and people have to know you’re out there,” said Katy Sorenson, an ex-Miami-Dade Commissioner and the former head of the now-defunct Good Government Initiative. “It’s a double bind.”
In Washington, President Donald Trump has been criticized for taking the unprecedented step of signing his name to the stimulus checks that went out last week. The president has also remarked several times that millions watch his daily coronavirus task force briefings — a potential campaign advantage over former Vice President Joe Biden.
At Miami-Dade County Hall, Democrats rolled their eyes when Republican Mayor Carlos Gimenez attached his name to county emergency text messages that, with sirens wailing, interrupted calls and warned people to stay home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
And to the north, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony recently invited reporters to cover his efforts to help a food pantry. He has also distributed mailers with coronavirus safety advice — and his likeness.
Tony is currently campaigning to keep his seat as Broward’s top law enforcement officer against a large field that includes former Sheriff Scott Israel, who was removed from office by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and replaced with Tony. Israel has had his own issues with blurring the lines between office and campaign: when he was sheriff, he was at times accused of hiring political cronies for the sheriff’s office to help promote his political career.
Tony’s chief spokeswoman, Veda Coleman-Wright, told the Miami Herald that it’s not about politics when Tony is providing information about resources, health guidelines and scams.
“Sheriff Tony is committed to keeping our community and all BSO employees safe during these unprecedented times and will continue to update the public with the latest information available,” she said in a statement. “Election year or not, the public can depend on BSO to be a reliable source of information and help during a crisis.”
Still, Tony’s public responsibilities as sheriff give him an advantage over Israel, the last person elected to the position four years ago.
The same could be said in the Democratic primary for Senate District 39, a Miami-to-Monroe County district where Fernandez is running against Daniel Horton-Diaz. And yet Horton-Diaz had no complaints about Fernandez and Rodriguez being in the public eye right now: “It’s totally fair game for them to be doing advocacy in their district where they serve.”
The food giveaways in which Fernandez and Rodriguez participated were just two among many across South Florida Saturday by Farm Share and Feeding South Florida. Rodriguez joined Republican state lawmakers for one. Fernandez joined Democrats for another. A third event, at Miami Executive Airport, featured more politicians: Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez and Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, a candidate for county mayor.
Miami-Dade County Comissioner Xavier Suarez, a registered Independent who helped coordinate authorities to manage the crush of people food at the event promotd by Fernandez, doubted that he’d receive any political benefit from his participation in the event.
“Nowadays, the way the election is shaping up, all the elections are almost all going to be social media,” he said, occasionally tugging on the mask that covered his mouth and nose. “You’re not going to increase your voting tallies sitting here with a mask on. You can’t even tell who it is.”
Suarez, whose staff helped organize the event, said it’s more likely that people would notice a politician’s absence than presence.
“If they weren’t here,” Suarez said, “then people would complain: ‘’Where the hell are you?’”
This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 5:52 PM.
