Page 123

19137EE

SUMMER/FALL 2016 INFLUENCE | 121 Every election cycle, a small army of political consultants and campaign workers tasked with capturing the Hispanic vote descend upon Central Florida. Some call them “the parachutists” — a reference to how they simply seem to materialize and the little connection they have with the community. To rely so heavily on outsiders isn’t an ideal situation for any campaign, however, it is a necessary evil in a community that is strong in numbers — but lacking in political infrastructure. As Election Day draws near, parties and candidates strategize, canvass and organize the Hispanic vote in Central Florida with lots of imported talent, in part because there aren’t enough people here with the necessary experience and acumen to do those jobs. “It is a challenge,” said Javier Cuebas, a Washington D.C.-based government and political consultant who works with Latinos in Central Florida on behalf of Democratic national campaigns. “Sometimes the people on the ground don’t know the Puerto Rican community very well at all. But because there isn’t a strong Hispanic political infrastructure in the area it becomes an unavoidable risk.” Puerto Ricans are key for campaigns wanting to capitalize on the area’s Hispanic population for a couple reasons. For one, their numbers are stronger than those of any other Latino group and keep surging across Florida. There are more than 1 million Puerto Ricans in this battleground state and the I-4 corridor is their preferred destination, with more than 400,000 Boricuas residing here. The heaviest concentrations can be found in Osceola, Orange and Seminole counties. Yet it is still a relatively young community that isn’t fully politically acculturated. Their mass exodus from the island began in 2006 as its economy began to crumble. More than half of all Puerto Ricans have been in Florida 10 years or less, according to U.S. Census data and a study recently published by the National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group. “We are an emerging population, even if there are 1 million of us in Florida,” said María Padilla, an independent journalist covering the community in her Orlando Latino blog. “We are still in the midst of a migration of historic proportions which doesn’t appear to be slowing down, and the community isn’t fully acclimated yet. So if you came here last year, or two years ago, you still probably haven’t gotten your bearings.” Unlike other groups of Hispanics, Puerto Ricans are in a singular position for potential political power because they can become registered voters the minute they disembark at Orlando International Airport. Puerto Ricans were conferred American citizenship in 1917, almost two decades after the U.S. annexed the island as booty after the Spanish-American war. Yet they are not consistently showing up at the voting booth. “They turn out for presidential elections in decent numbers, above 50 percent,” said Angel de la Portilla, a business and political consultant who has run local campaigns for Republican candidates. “But then we don’t see them for another four years. They don’t come out for mayoral races, they don’t come out for legislative races, and they don’t show up for primaries. There’s not going to be a high demand for people like me if candidates know that the population I target isn’t going to be a decisive factor.” Hispanic voters’ participation in non-presidential election years is usually between 25 percent and 28 percent of registered voters in Central Florida. By contrast, more than half of white registered PHOTOS: Mary Beth Tyson Politics and Puerto Rico Central Florida’s Hispanic community is almost — but not quite — ready for the political prime time BY JEANNETTE RIVERA-LYLES “... The Hispanic people who will be future campaign managers and consultants are already pounding the ground as volunteers and accumulating experience ... they are poised to be a force to be reckoned with.” — JAVIER CUEBAS


19137EE
To see the actual publication please follow the link above