Farmworkers call on Governor to reinstate advisory council

The Migrant Service Providers, a coalition of South Florida organizations, is asking Governor Ron DeSantis to reinstate the Governor’s Advisory Council on Farmworker Affairs.

W-F-T-X STUDIO IN CAPE CORAL.

.FLORIDA FARM WORKERS AREDEMANDING CHANGE.AS CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS SPIKESTATEWIDETHEY’RE ASKING FOR APARTNERSHIP WITH STATE LEADERS.THEY SAY THEIR CALLS FOR HELP TOFIGHT COVID-19 FELL ON DEAFEARS BEFORE.SO NOW THEY WANT TO MAKE SURETHAT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN.FOUR IN YOUR CORNER’S RACHELLOYD HAS THE STORY.1:08 - 1:13YOU CAN’T MISS IMMOKALEE ONFLORIDA’S COVID-19 DASHBOARD.IT’S SHADED REDLEADING THESTATE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES WITH1,355 AS OF TODAY.THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY ISJUST ONE OF MANY ACROSS FLORIDATAKING A BEATING FROMCORONAVIRUS.

SOMETHING GOVERNORRON DESANTIS POINTED OUT LASTWEEK.They’re finding these areoverwhelmingly Hispanic workersand day laborers.You know, some of these guys,they go to work in a school bus,and they’re all just packedthere like sardines going acrosslike Palm Beach County and someof these other places.

All theseopportunities to have thistransmission.DR. TOM FELKE, THE SOCIAL WORKDEPARTMENT CHAIR AT FLORIDA GULFCOAST UNIVERSITY SAYS THEGOVERNOR’S STATEMENT WASN’TGROUNDBREAKING.Individuals in that community,they knew.

They’ve always beenaware that they are working inthese substandard conditions.That’s why we saw a lot of earlycalls to get hand washingstations, and sanitizingstations.FELKE SAYS IT’S THE GOVERNOR’SREFERENCE TO ETHNICITY AND HISTIMINGCOMING AFTERORGANIZATIONS ASKED FOR HISHELP... THAT MAKES HIS COMMENTSA SLAP IN THE FACE FORFARMWORKERS.By using the language that heused and really kind ofscapegoating these individualswho again in my opinion areproviding an essential service.THE MIGRANT SERVICE PROVIDERS, ACOALITION OF FLORIDAORGANIZATIONS SHARED THESE SAMESENTIMENTS IN A PUBLICSTATEMENT.

CALLING FOR THEGOVERNOR TO REINSTATE THEADVISORY COUNCIL ON FARMWORKERAFFAIRS.A PARTNERSHIP FELKE SAYS COULDBENEFIT FARMWORKERS, DEPENDINGON WHO THE GOVERNOR ALLOWS ONBOARD.As long as they engage withorganizations like the Coalitionfor Immokalee Workers, theImmokalee Grassroots Movement,and the farmworkers themselves.HE ADDED IT’S NOT TOO LATE T