A crowded field of 11 candidates will be contesting the November 2 Democratic primary election to select the nominee to represent the Democratic Party in the January 11 elections to fill the Florida US District 20 congressional seat vacated by the death of US Congressman Alcee Hastings earlier this year.
In the district that encompasses portions of Broward and Palm Beach County, 52 percent of the population consists of African and Caribbean Americans. It’s therefore not surprising that all eleven candidates are black, but only one, former Broward Commissioner Dale Holness is a descendant of the English-speaking Caribbean which represents some 30 percent of the district’s population.
Why Dale Holness?
We are confident that Dale Holness based on his years of experience as an elected official in Broward County, and his knowledge of the core needs of residents of the community will serve the district competently, especially in these difficult times.
He has over 17- years of experience representing South Floridians in public office. First elected to the City of Lauderhill Commission in 2004, and later a Broward County District 9 Commissioner in 2010, an office he held until he resigned a few months ago to seek the congressional seat. He served Broward County as Vice-Mayor in 2019, and as Mayor in 2020.
A realtor by profession, throughout his tenure representing South Floridians, Holness has focused his policies on business and economic development, affordable housing, education, and immigration.
Among his notable achievements, Holness was the architect of Florida’s International Trade & Cultural Expo (FITCE); led the effort to build 120 new and affordable single-family homes in Broward; and successfully championed increased contracting opportunities for small, minority, and women-owned businesses.
As Chairman of Broward Black Elected Officials, Holness devised and implemented the county’s first Broward Black Action Plan. He is also Co-Chair of the United Negro College Fund’s Annual Fundraising Luncheon.
As the 2020 Mayor of Broward County, Holness competently guided the county through the drastic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dale Holness Knows the Districts
Having served regions of District 20 throughout his tenure as an elected officer, Holness is intimately knowledgeable of the district’s needs, especially in the areas of economic development, education, healthcare, affordable housing, and immigration. This knowledge will assist him in representing District 20 in the US Congress.
In building his platform to seek voters to elect him to represent District 20, Holness has given assurances he’ll follow in Congressman Hasting’s footsteps in seeking economic prosperity for the district. He said, residents in the district “can be confident I will bring the money back home to the people in the district to help them grow.” With the economy still in the grips of the effects of COVID-19, Holness’ experience is vital in securing the development of the district’s business sector, and in securing well-paid, living-wage, jobs for residents.
Dale has Plans
Referring to his plans to grow the district’s business sector, Holness said, “As we continue to rebuild our economy, I can truly say that no one has fought harder for our small, minority, and women-owned business than I have. As the next District Congressman, I will continue to fight to rebuild and mitigate the economic impact from COVID, work to ensure there is a streamlined process to manage the challenges of unemployment. Just as I have over the past 11 years on the Broward County Commission, I will continue to fight for the people of Florida in Broward and Palm Beach Counties as the next Congressman for District 20.”
Affordable housing has become a very serious problem throughout South Florida, as the cost of renting increases. Holness is convinced the key to coping with the problems is to create homeownership opportunities for residents. “I will work to ensure Congress provides affordable housing for all people,” he said, “so opportunities are provided for homeownership to everyone who wants to be a homeowner. I plan to work with communities within the district to expand the number of First Time Home-buyer Workshops while expanding and enhancing participation in homeownership training/mentoring. I plan to foster and identify construction opportunities with local municipalities on vacant lots, and target government-owned and non-profit vacant property and work to ensure they build a comprehensive plan for an affordable housing program”.
District 20 is home to a large immigrant community, most of which are from the French (Haiti) and the English-speaking Caribbean. We believe Holness has the experience gained in the Broward County Commission to address the challenges, resistance, and struggles immigrants are facing in Washington, DC, and work with other members of the US House to construct an improved immigration policy.
Accordingly, the Caribbean National Weekly, without hesitation, endorses Dale Holness to be elected in the District 20 primary elections on November 2.
