As Jamaicans rally behind Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris- the California Senator of Jamaica heritage, so have they equally shown their support for Steven Meza: the 21-year-old Caribbean-American seeking to become a Florida state senator.
Meza, a second-generation American born to a Jamaican mother and a Peruvian father, is the youngest candidate running for the Florida State Senate.
Should he win the Florida State Senate District 33 seat, he would become the youngest state senator in the history of Florida.
District 33 encompasses a large area of Boward County, home to many immigrants, including a large number of Jamaicans.
There is no doubt that Jamaicans are among some of the most supportive people in the world, and throughout his campaign, Meza said he has experienced this first-hand.
“I’ve received so much support from the Jamaican community,” Meza said in an interview with CNW Network.
“I recently had an interview with Smile Jamaica on TVJ and it was broadcasted to the entire country of Jamaica and local areas within our senate district. That energy has stretched from abroad, back to home and many Jamaicans in the district have reached out to me with support of my candidacy. It’s honestly unimaginable, so I am extremely grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to really connect with the Caribbean and Jamaican community here and abroad.”
Currently a student at Florida Atlantic University, where he is studying philosophy and business law, Meza pledges to bring bold, new, and progressive leadership to the Florida legislature. He also believes that young people should get a say in the policies that affect them.
“One of the reasons I decided to run is because I don’t see enough young people in the process. We are stifled by many who tell us to wait our turn, but that should never be the case,” he said to CNW Network.
“Young people need to have a seat at the table and I’m hoping to encourage others to be bold, unafraid, and to fight for what they believe in now not later because the issues we see need to be apart of the conversation for the welfare of our future generations.”
“I’m willing to do the work and treat this position with the respect and time it demands.
Fighting for a better world and an equitable society is a full-time job and the work never ends when fighting for real change”
– Steven Meza
Among the policies he supports and plans to introduce if given the opportunity are: a tenants bill of rights to protect renters, expand per student funding within the public education system while also creating new state grants to develop magnet programs in the state, additional oversight over the charter school system to protect state taxes, stronger environmental and agricultural practices and implementation of a global payment system to reinvent our state healthcare system, among others.
Meza has made the ballot and will contest the Democratic Party’s primary on August 18.
