René García (politician)

During the 2013 Legislative Session Senator Garcia worked in stopping two pieces of legislation. CS/CS/SB 306 Economic Development or better known as the Miami Dolphins Stadium Bill would have created the Sports Development program. This program would have allowed applicants to apply to the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) for funding to assist in the construction, reconstruction, renovation, or improvement of a sports facility.

The senator had many concerns with the Dolphins bill since it was filed for the 2013 Legislative Session. There was a lot of information being discussed regarding how good or bad the passage of this bill would be. Unfortunately the more information the senator reviewed and the more he spoke to people knowledgeable on the sports stadium funding process, the more skeptical he became and the greater his worries were. His biggest concern with this bill was that both the State and Local governments were going to hand over a total of over $300 million of tax payer money to fund a renovation project for a private entity who could afford to pay for renovations on their own.

During the 2013 Legislative Session, the Florida House stopped the State of Florida from receiving billions of dollars to expand Medicaid. The Florida Senate President formed the Select Committee on PPACA to study Medicaid. The Senate came up with a Florida-based alternative to expansion of the current Medicaid program. It was called the Healthy Florida. The proposed program would have used available federal tax dollars to fund premium assistance for uninsured Floridians to purchase private health insurance. There had been concerns in both the Senate and the House about adding an estimated one million new enrollees to the current Medicaid system during a critical stage of implementation for the statewide Medicaid managed care reforms passed by the Legislature in 2011 and also about the cost to the state after the first three years the Federal Government promised to pay 100% of the Medicaid costs.

When Rudy García could not run for the Senate again due to term limits, René García once again ran to succeed him. He faced no opposition in the primary or the general election, and thus won his first term in the 40th District unopposed. When Florida Senate districts were redrawn in 2012, García was redistricted into the 38th District, which included most of the territory that he had previously represented. Once again, he was elected unopposed.

During the 2012 Legislative Session the following bills were filed and passed into law. The first was SJR 1740/HJR 169 Homestead Exemption for Seniors. This joint resolution proposed an amendment to the Florida Constitution allowing for counties and local governments to provide certain low income seniors with the opportunity to be exempted from paying their property taxes. To qualify for the additional homestead tax exemption, a senior has to be 65 years old or older, have lived in their residence for at least 25 years, have an annual income of no more than $27,030 and the property must have a value of less than $250,000.00. This amendment was approved by the voters in 2012.

Another bill passed during the 2012 legislative session was CS/SB 1144/ CS/HB 959 State and Local Government Relations with Cuba or Syria. This bill creates a prohibition against contracting with companies that have business operations in Cuba or Syria. It prohibits a company with business operations in Cuba or Syria from bidding on, submitting a proposal for, or entering into or renewing a contract with an agency or local governmental entity for goods or services of $1 million or more. Beginning July 1, 2012. The law prohibits the State Board of Administration from investing in either country or companies that do business with Cuba or Syria. In 2013 the courts ruled against this legislation explaining that individual states do not have the power to determine the foreign policy of the United States as a whole.

A second bill passed into law during the 2011 Legislative Session was CS/SB 1922/ CS/HB 1125 Health and Human Services. During the 2008 Florida Legislative session, Senator García played an integral part in the creation of the company Florida Health Choices. This organization was set up to establish a voluntary marketplace in which insurance and health care vendors, insurance agents, employers and their employees could do business. It is a web-based shopping experience that will provide easy access and side-by-side comparison of products and services. The program will assist small employers with compliance of all rules and regulations.

The third bill passed during the legislative session of 2011 was SB 880/HB 281 Value Adjustment Boards. This legislation deals with cash strapped school districts, cities, and counties in obtaining greater funding during difficult economic times. Property owners who disagree with their property’s assessed value would be able to continue appealing to their county’s value adjustment board (VAB). There would just be needed changes to ensure that the process be done equally and beneficial to all citizens of the counties they reside in.

During the 2011 Legislative Session, Senator García passed various pieces of legislation. The first was SB514/HB 347 Vehicle Crashes Involving Death. This bill was done in memory of Ashley Nicole Valdés who was struck and killed by a vehicle on January 8, 2009. The driver of the vehicle which struck Ashley never stopped and was arrested 8 days later only because he had taken the vehicle to get repairs done. Crime Stoppers were notified by the shop owner after realizing the truck matched the description of the vehicle police were looking for. Soon after the driver was apprehended, but only spent 2 hours in jail before he was able to post bond. The criminal case against the driver who struck down Ashley in 2009 was tried in 2011. This legislation creates new penalties for those drivers involved in car crashes which result in death and speed away instead of stopping at the scene of the accident. A person arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident will be charged with a felony of the first degree. Those who have been previously convicted of leaving the scene of an accident, racing on highways, driving under the influence (DUI) or felony driving while having a license suspended, revoked, canceled, or disqualified must be held in custody until first appearance before a judge for a bail determination. If the accident occurs while the driver is under the influence, they shall be sentenced to a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 2 years. This legislation change gives judges the flexibility in setting the proper bond amounts.

In 2000, when incumbent State Representative Rudy García ran for the Florida Senate, which resulted in an open seat. René García ran to succeed Rudy García, and defeated Andy Pérez in the Republican primary with 55% of the vote. He was re-elected without opposition in 2002, 2004, and 2006, and could not seek another term in 2008 due to term limits.

García was born in Hialeah and attended Miami-Dade Community College, where he graduated with an Associate degree in 1996. Afterwards, he attended Florida International University, where he received a degree in political science in 1999. García then graduated from the University of Miami with a Master of Business Administration in health care administration in 2004. In 1995, while still in college, he ran for a position on the Hialeah City Council, but he received only 2% of the vote. Two years later, he ran again, and this time won with 18% of the vote. García was re-elected to his position in 1999.

René García (born July 10, 1974) is a Republican politician from Florida. He has served on the Miami-Dade County Commission since 2020, representing the Hialeah area. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008 and in the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2018.

Senator García and then-incoming Senate President Don Gaetz passed CS/CS/CS SB 1568. This bill set up new requirements as to the steps needed to take when a public hospital is going to be sold or leased. Some of the new requirements included requiring any sale or lease of a public hospital that is owned by a county, district, or municipality to be approved by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Florida.