Fried meets with supporters to talk about guns, abortion, rising costs and more

Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried met with a small group of seniors Wednesday afternoon at a private home in Parkland to discuss her gubernatorial campaign and policy issues.

About 12 people, either friends of the host, Sheldon (Shelly) Plotnick or Democratic Club members sat around Fried in an intimate setting where everyone made introductions and encouraged support in a pep-rally fashion for Fried’s campaign. Fried covered various topics for about 30 minutes, from abortion and concealed weapons permits to affordability and the increase in the cost of prescription drugs. The group chimed in with questions and responses about their concerns and opted in for photos and hugs at the end of the discussion.

While there was no central issue during the discussion, Fried and the attendees all shared stories and very similar opinions, and touted their resentment for Governor Ron DeSantis.

Here are a few of the issues that were discussed:

▪ Abortion: Fried mentioned the leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade early in the discussion, tying in the importance for seniors who had lived through a pre-Roe era to take to the ballots to vote on the matter. Fried said this is the first step to not only taking away abortion, but many other women’s and minorities rights that would land on the chopping block.

“That’s how they envision Make America Great Again, literally,” Fried said to the group.

▪ Guns/concealed carry: Second Amendment rights and gun control were dominant talking points, with the recent mass shooting in Buffalo that killed 10 people as a primary topic. Fried conversed with the group while explaining how she oversees the concealed weapons permit program, and how over 6,000 permits were rejected this year due to background issues.

Fried recalled how her father was a “die-hard Republican” and kept guns in their home but with safety precautions and bullets hidden somewhere else. The group chimed in with a favorable majority supporting mental health initiatives and safety measures, and some of the group mentioning universal background checks.

“ ’You do not touch this.’ This is for an adult if you have a problem,” Fried said, referencing what her parents had told her about guns in their home.

Fried touted how DeSantis didn’t make a comment on the Buffalo shooting, as attendees called him racist, insensitive and antisemitic.

▪ DeSantis and Democratic opponents: DeSantis and his administration were brought into the conversation as topics like gun control and affordability were discussed.

“There’s no one in the state of Florida who gets under his skin like I do, and I wear that with a badge of honor,” Fried said to the group, speaking about DeSantis.

“We have Nazis in Florida that are in Orlando, they’re protesting,” Fried said. “Where is the governor?”

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, one of Fried’s Democratic opponents, was not mentioned much in the discussion. When asked by the Herald how her housing plan was different from Crist’s, Fried said she didn’t know what Crist’s housing plan was. State Sen. Annette Taddeo, the other Democratic opponent, was not mentioned at all.

“We are seeing that, you know, he’s underwater,” Fried said, referencing Crist. “My biggest gap is 65 or above ... and so once we close that gap of 65 and above, it’s game over for Charlie.”

Fried said in order to win the gubernatorial election, she is going to outwork her opponents, and let the people know she is going to fight for them, not fight at them.

▪ Retirement and affordable living: Although not discussed much at the roundtable, Fried told the Herald affordability is one of the biggest threats to Floridians. She said the issue is apparent from skyrocketing rent and insurance to taxes and everyday living.

“If you want your dollars to go further, right now Florida’s not it,” Fried said.

Fried’s housing plan, “Lower Costs, Higher Standards” would create a billion dollar senior rebate among other steps, such as vetoing any bill that diverts money from the state’s Sadowski funds that are specifically for affordable housing projects.

▪ Venezuela: Fried said there needs to be a fight for democracy here in order to fight for democracy in Latin America.

“We know that this is a very sensitive issue for so many of our Floridians who have left the regimes of Latin America, including Venezuela,” Fried said. “There’s so much oppression and death that is in Venezuela, that we need to support the Venezuelan community and to make sure that we’re fighting for democracy in Venezuela.”

President Joe Biden’s latest measures towards Cuba, such as relaxing travel restrictions and lifting limits on remittances were not discussed among the group, and neither were the increasing numbers of Cuban migrants.

Fried said she will continue her plan to help seniors throughout the week as she travels to talk and listen to more of the 65+ communities in Florida.