In his own words, my opponent says he will defend the Rural Boundary “but”…
There’s no “but” when it comes to the Rural Boundary in Seminole County. The voters approved the Rural Boundary in 2004 and that’s how it should stay. And taxpayers should NOT pay off developers who now own land in the Rural Boundary!
I PLEDGE to continue to DEFEND the Rural Boundary in Seminole County!
The citizens have spoken – and it has been my honor to help them defend Seminole County’s Rural Boundary. Over the last few years, I have voted to defeat the River Cross project, fought against legislative amendments that were designed to circumvent the county’s protection of the Rural Boundary, and led the charge to “Stop the Swap” of our Econ River Wilderness Area. I PLEDGE to continue to preserve and defend our Rural Boundary and Seminole County’s natural lands.
Below, please find various links to the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections website to help you cast your ballot when you are ready to vote this election year. I humbly ask for your vote for Seminole County Commission, District 3.
Here’s the first step: Are you registered to vote in Seminole County? Check your voter status/record on the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections website.
If you’re not registered to vote or need to update your voter information, click here.
Second step: There are three (3) ways for you to vote:
Third step: Know which election you can vote in.
The PRIMARY ELECTION will be on Tuesday, August 18th and ONLY registered Republican voters can vote for me in this particular election.
If I win the primary election, then I will go to the GENERAL ELECTION on Tuesday, November 3 where ALL REGISTERED VOTERS (Republicans, Democrats, NPAs, and Independents) will have the opportunity to vote for me.
How you can help me win these elections to ensure the safety of the Rural Boundary?
Thank you for your support!
Your Servant,
Lee Constantine
By Lee Constantine
July 2, 2020
Thank you, Gov. DeSantis! Once again, by vetoing Senate Bill 410 you have elevated yourself above the gamesmanship of the Tallahassee insiders. With a stroke of your pen, you took those shady special interests who want to usurp the state Constitution for their own gain to the woodshed. Well done, sir. You have sent a clear message that a last minute amendment to destroy Seminole County’s pristine rural boundary will not be tolerated. Hopefully, every lobbyist and politician who feels that local government is their personal ATM heard you. Local officials and the citizens they represent have the right to control their own destiny.
July 2, 2020
Whether we like it or not, COVID-19 is surging in central Florida. In Seminole County alone, fewer than 20% of hospital beds are available for all patients. Furthermore, patients with COVID must be separated from other patients, and these patients require more nurses and a segregation of hospital resources. This rapid increase in hospitalizations could cause hospitals to be quickly overwhelmed. This is exactly the circumstance that the CEO’s of all the hospitals in Seminole County shared with the Seminole County Emergency Management group last week.
When a State of Emergency is declared, the Seminole County Emergency Management Director looks to the emergency management executive policy group for recommendations and advice regarding emergency policy measures and directives. The executive policy group includes professionals specifically trained and experienced in policy development and trained in emergency management disciplines. These individuals include the County Chairman, the County Manager, County Attorney, the Seminole County Sheriff, the Florida Department of Health, the Seminole County Medical Director, the Seminole County Emergency Management chief administrator, and the Superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools. Additionally, Seminole County Emergency Management Director regularly communicates with the designated emergency management directors for the seven cities in Seminole County, which are typically the city managers, for input and comment on potential policy directives. These are the professionals who the County and each of the cities have designated to make good decisions for all of us without the influence of politics.
Under Chapter 252 of Florida Statutes, the Seminole County Emergency Management Director is charged with making apolitical decisions to implement emergency safety measures while we are under a State of Emergency. The decisions are not permanent; they are decisions effective only during the State of Emergency to address public safety. This is a not new group. For decades now, the Emergency Management group has guided us through hurricanes and our recovery from them. This emergency management process was established via a County ordinance, providing for public comment and input. All decisions relating to the COVID-19 crisis have been made via this publicly approved process.
I support keeping our Seminole County community safe from the coronavirus. If our local hospitals, along with our medical experts, believe social distancing and facial coverings are necessary public safety measures, I believe we have an obligation to formally ensure those practices in order to stem the tide of this disease and to avoid more draconian measure such as the reinstitution of business shut downs. This is a public health crisis, and I defer to the advice of the true experts, our medical professionals, when determining the appropriate methods to keep our community safe. The County’sExecutive Order 2020-030 to social distance and wear a face covering is similar to a mandatory hurricane evacuation order; it is put into place to protect you. It is short term but could save lives.
I hope Seminole County residents heed their medical advice to help protect our community. We will get through this together. God bless us all!
By Scott Powers
Florida Politics
July 1. 2020
SB 410, sponsored by Republican Sen. Keith Perry of Gainesville, began as an attempt to restrict his home county of Alachua’s abilities to control growth into rural areas. But it got amended in the closing days of the Legislative Session to extend the effect to up to 13 counties, including charter counties such as Seminole.
From the perspective of some Seminole County Commissioners, notably Lee Constantine, the amendment meant the controversial, twice-defeated River Cross land development pushed by former Rep Chris Dorworth in eastern Seminole could find new life.
Once the bill got approved, 23-16 in the Senate and 71-43 in the House Constantine and others in Seminole and in statewide groups, including the Florida Association of Counties, lobbied hard to get DeSantis to veto it.
On Sunday Constantine published an op-ed piece in the Orlando Sentinel declaring, “This week you have a rare opportunity. With a swipe of your veto pen, you can send a resounding message of ‘not on my watch’ to those who wish to undermine our state Constitution for personal gain and save millions of taxpayer dollars. … It would open the door to special interests wanting to destroy our rural boundary.”
“I believe the Governor understood the constitutional implications and did the right and ethical thing,” Constantine said. “This is a good day, another good day, for protection of the rural boundary in Seminole County.”
Full article on Florida Politics
Lee Constantine has been all about fairness , the little people, nature and conservation for over 30 years. Lee has advanced his ideas regarding parks, recreation, clean water and especially protecting our streams, rivers and springs. Lee has been at the forefront of protecting Seminole County’s Rural Boundary and the Eastern Rural Area. He fought hard against a major developer in “stopping the swap” when the developer wished to run roughshod over the citizens and at least one Commissioner regarding gaining control of a Wilderness Area that the Citizens already owned. Lee Constantine led the charge on that and that is all there is to it. Lee is a CHAMPION for the people. The citizens need him desperately to continue our fight against urban sprawl, everything green and supporting keeping our rivers and Springs protected.
Don Peterson
June 26, 2020