Sarasota Speaks

Sam Rosenfeld has a simple explanation when people ask him why he’s running for the Florida House District 70 seat against incumbent Doug Holder.“I was tired of complaining, so I felt the only thing left was to go do the job myself,” said Rosenfeld, 57. The Pittsburgh native moved to Sarasota five years ago, after operating a dental practice for 25 years. He says his successful business background and the leadership skills he acquired in that business give him an edge over Holder.“I have the ability to bring people together,” the Democrat said. “I don’t think Doug is a leader, and I feel that’s my strong suit.” Rosenfeld said Holder hasn’t done anything in the Legislature that he feels exhibits strong leadership. Rosenfeld considers the three bills Holder authored that passed the House and Senate to be insignificant and says that the Republican leadership in Tallahassee simply gave them to Holder. “I think a district where our voter base is so knowledgeable and engaged deserves a representative with real leadership capabilities and the proven record of competence to represent them in Tallahassee,” Rosenfeld said. Rosenfeld and his wife of 25 years live on Siesta Key.What is your philosophy of government?Less government is better, but there are times when individual citizens face obstacles beyond their abilities and government needs to be there to offer temporary assistance.What do you propose to solve the shortage of property insurance in Florida?Begin by taking windstorm off the table completely. Invite all the private insurance companies back into the state. Market forces, supply and demand, will force premiums lower, and families can begin to save some money. Citizens Insurance, the state backed insurance company, will handle all windstorm in the entire state. Everyone in Florida, not just the coastal areas, will have windstorm insurance through Citizens. This will allow Citizens to build up the CAT Fund (Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund) to be able to handle major losses when they occur in the future. The federal government should provide a national CAT Fund to issue reinsurance at a reasonable rate. This program will go a long way to solving our state property-insurance problem.How would you change the Florida property-tax system?With the projected budget deficit of $3.5 billion dollars, I don’t see property- tax relief on the agenda for next year. In the future, the state government will need to address the inequity built into the present property tax situation.The Legislature is going to have to cut the budget again because revenues are falling short of current estimates. What would you propose to do?There are going to be some very tough choices facing the next session of the Legislature. We need to take a close look at all aspects of the budget and see where additional cuts can be made. We need to try and protect the most vulnerable in our society — the children and the elderly. We need t guard against forcing more layoffs at this point in the economic cycle. We need a plan to prevent more people from losing their jobs. A plan to stem the tide of houses headed for foreclosure, more abandoned neighborhoods and more of our citizens from packing up and leaving Sarasota County. I will work closely with the county commissioners to improve the business climate in Sarasota County. We can no longer rely on tourism and construction. We need to broaden our tax base by attracting renewable energy companies while protecting our environment. I will push for more tax incentives, research-and-development tax credits and matching research grant programs to promote Florida’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. If we see revenues need to be raised, I will consider taxing Internet sales. This will do two things: First, it will protect the brick-and-mortar businesses in our community preventing further job losses and all the associated problems, and second, it will raise between $1 billion to $2 billion.What’s your position on offshore drilling in the Gulf and building nuclear power plants in Florida? To begin, let’s put everything on the table. Secretary of Defense (Robert) Gates, is opposed to drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, for national security issues. He doesn’t want the Air Force having to fly training missions over oil rigs. If we all want more domestic oil production, let’s introduce a “use it or lose it” policy for oil leases. Big oil is presently drilling on only 20% of existing leases. If they won’t drill, take back the lease and give it to a company who will drill now. I am opposed to offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. We need to protect our $65 billion-a year tourism industry. Nuclear power takes a very long time to permit, build and make operational. These plants have traditionally come in way over budget. Although improved, problems still persist with safety and waste disposal. We need a cap-and-trade policy on carbon emissions. This will free up capital to invest in renewable energy. We can provide much needed jobs for our citizens, protect our environment and furnish electricity cheaper in the long run. It’s not a lack of ideas holding us back from creating a more sustainable world. It’s a lack of leadership.