Plant City residents had the opportunity to hear from candidates Patricia Rendon and Lawrence McClure as they laid out their proposed policies at a political forum, on Aug. 18. – five days before Tuesday’s primary election.
Rendon was running against Hunter Gambrell and Danielle Smalley for Hillsborough County Public Schools Board of Education District 4. She clinched the seat immediately over her two opponents as the general election for District 4 was cancelled.
McClure was the victor over Paul Hatfield during the Republican primary for Florida House of Representatives District 68.
He will now be contending for the seat during the general election, against Lorissa Wright, who was the sole Democratic candidate during the primary.
In 2017, McClure was elected as a Florida State House Representative for District 58.
During the forum that preceded election night, the candidates broke down the rationale behind their policies and what they believe are issues that need to be addressed.
Patricia Rendon
Special needs programs
Rendon is a staunch supporter of implementing more Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs for students with special needs in Hillsborough County.
“I just strongly believe in service and advocacy for the children and people with developmental disabilities, and so serving on the school board seems to be the next best thing – to be able to have a stronger voice,” she said.
Rendon spent the last 30 years as a case manager serving such individuals.
In 2020, she was named the executive director of the Columbus Organization, which assists about 2,400 children and adults in Florida to become independent despite their physical or intellectual disabilities. The Hillsborough County public school system has not been providing the proper resources to accommodate ESE programs and needs to be addressed starting with the school board, Rendon said.
Ten years ago, the county was at the top of the state when it came to work-based programs, but its ranking has dropped, she added.
However, she stated that charter schools have been successful when it comes to these programs, using Pepin Academies as an example.
School board budget
Rendon opposed an increase in the millage rate which would have funded schools by increasing homeowner’s property taxes at $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s value.
While it sounds like a good idea, it’s problematic because there’s already been a gradual tax hike over the years and those funds should not keep going to the school system when its budget is already not balanced, she said.
She went on to say that it would ultimately hurt teachers who are homeowners and those paying rent when they are already being paid a low salary.
“Hillsborough County (Public Schools) budget is $3.4 billion,” Rendon said. “They want us to give more money to what they should have been balancing and that should be the very first thing they vote in our budget.”
The proposed tax increase did not pass, being defeated by a margin of just 619 votes.
Teachers
While Hillsborough County ranks at No. 4 for a higher average teacher salary, it’s at the bottom when it comes to beginning teachers and those who have been in the line of work for five years or more, Rendon said.
“We’re great when it comes to the average, but that doesn’t help our new teachers…and getting new teachers,” she said. “We need them, and it doesn’t help those teachers stay. How are we accommodating them? We’re not – that’s because we’re not putting teachers first.”
She noted that teachers’ raises should be coming out of the new budget instead of another millage rate and increasing their salaries will be a top priority for her.
The shortage in teachers comes with few signing contracts, being that some are under a union and may not be satisfied with the salary that they are being offered. Also, teachers are scored based on the disciplinary measures they use, by monitoring how they instruct in the classroom, and the test results of students. Instructors can be penalized if they receive a low rating from the school system which Rendon said is unfair and needs to end.
“It’s got to come from our superintendent down and it’s got to be given through our administration and each individual school.”
Lawrence McClure
Education
Like Rendon, McClure opposes the use of the millage rate to fund Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“There’s been generational misuse of our tax dollars,” he said. “If you pay taxes that go toward education, you should be pretty upset on what you’re getting in Hillsborough County.”
He also said that addressing the dwindling number of teachers in schools and their low wages should be a top priority.
“There’s a national shortage of teachers,” he said. “The Florida Teachers Union would have you think it’s just here in Florida. It’s not, it’s nationwide. It’s in Democratically led states and Republican led states, and the problem is that we need to pay our teachers more. We need to support them in classrooms. We need to give them the tools.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed a $4,000 bonus for retired first responders who take on teaching as another career, which McClure is in favor of.
“I want our schools to be the safest places in America,” he said.
He also wants teachers to have the option of carrying a firearm in class, providing that they go through the proper training. In addition, McClure criticized the National Teachers Union’s stance on taking law enforcement out of public schools.
Agriculture
As someone who has interest in agricultural topics, McClure continues to be a supporter of the Right to Farm Act which was implemented in Florida two years ago.
It essentially lays out the protections the farmers have, should someone on the neighboring property make complaints about their farmland.
Domestic migration in Florida has been doing well, with up to 1,800 people coming into the state a day versus 1,000 people a day before COVID-19, he said.
However, the Hillsborough County Commission is making it difficult for farmers to thrive because it is instilling overlays and memorializing densities, he added.
If a farmer goes to the bank to borrow funds to grow produce, the bank could deny them if it doesn’t believe the land has the potential to grow.
“…Domestic food production is a national security issue,” McClure said. “As far as I’m concerned, our biggest competitor is Mexico. I was proud to work with President Trump and his administration on the USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) to put trade remedies in place, and our strawberry industries have had a phenomenal three years.”
Property Insurance
When it comes to property insurance, Florida makes up 7% to 8% of the claims nationwide but has over 80% of the litigation, because it has been stacked in favor of the contractor’s attorneys when they go to court, McClure said.
He used the example of a roofer promising a homeowner an inspection and possibly a new roof if that individual assigns the benefits to the roofer.
“Insurance at the end of the day is a form of crowdsourcing socialism, let’s be honest,” McClure said. “Everyone pays in, the insurance folks make an evaluation. That’s how they come up with rates and premiums and your coverage, and if everyone is flooding the market all of a sudden…with new roofs, only one thing can happen – rates go up.”
Two years ago, the Florida legislature passed a law that mandates no more soliciting assignment of benefits for roofs and McClure wants to keep that restriction in place.
While Rendon has already secured her seat, McClure will move on with his Democratic opponent to the general election, held on Nov. 8.