Barry Silver
Candidate for Florida House of Representatives  District 86

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INTRODUCTION
Barry Silver has proven that he is a champion for the People. His track record clearly shows were he is coming from. He is an experienced legislator and served in the Legislature from 1996-1998.

He was named the most effective environmental legislator by the Sierra Club and Consumer Champion of Florida by the State's largest consumer group. He refuses donations from builders, developers and similar interests. 

His official announcement made it very clear :
"We are announcing a campaign to take our district out of the control of the lobbyists and restore control of our destiny to the people.   A growing coalition of people is gathering who will not stand idly by while the last vestiges of our open space is paved over and our quality of life is sold to the highest bidder."

  

 
QUESTION : RESPONSE :
Do you support a Property Reform Task Force to review and recommend meaningful reform related to real estate transactions of deed restricted property? YES, in fact I recently worked with legislators and the governor to pass a bill that reformed the law for homeowner's associations to permit the flying of  the flag. 
Do you favor curtailing and/or eliminating the ability of homeowners associations to foreclose on homestead exempted property? YES, in my law practice I have defended homeowners without pay against this evil practice. 
Will you assist consumers to create a Homeowners Bill of Rights? YES, as a civil rights attorney and former legislator I have frequently assisted others in creating new laws to protect the rights of the people of Florida. 
Do you support increased funding for home health and community based care to delay and/or avoid nursing home placement, while maintaining adequate care in nursing homes? YES, when I served in the Legislature, I sponsored a bill that would accomplish this worthwhile goal.  Not only is it more humane to assist people in their own home rather than send them to a nursing home, it is less costly to the taxpayer. 
Do you support limiting development consistent with available water (Floridan Aquifer), electrical, transportation and school facility availability? YES, I have spoken out strongly on the need to prevent the Browardization of Palm Beach County, formed an environmental coalition to help combat the paving over of the last of our open space, and as a legislator worked so forcefully to prevent urban into our rural areas that the builders and developers put a price tag on my head and offered huge sums of money to any candidate who would run against me.  They finally found someone, gave him a ton of money, which he used to spread lies about me in the last week of the campaign, and took me out.   I am now ready to return to the Legislature to be another voice for those who oppose the abuse of power and want to allow common sense and compassion to prevail in homeowner communities. 
Do you support a voluntary prescription drug plan under the aegis of Medicare, similar to the current Senate version? YES 
Do you support  reform of SLAPP suits
(FS 768.295 ) to protect citizens as well from lawsuits by large corporations or homeowner's associations designed to intimidate and silence opposition and free speech?		 YES, I have frequently defended without pay people subjected to SLAPP suits used to harass, intimidate and stifle their constitutional right of free speech.  I find such tactics mean spirited and antithetical to the freedoms that are supposed to characterize our nation. 
Do you support maintaining Florida’s current Vertical Accessibility Requirement within the building code to accommodate the disabled? YES 
Will you create and/or support enforceable legislation to rigidly regulate, restrict and/or ban airboats from all residential and residential/agricultural areas as specified in Article II Sec 7(a) of the Florida Constitution? YES,  as an environmentalist I have grave concerns about airboats. 
Will you promise to oppose unfunded mandates debated for passage in your assigned committee or legislative chamber? YES 

Candidate's Official Statement :
My main priority is to try to restore confidence in our government among average citizens who have seen their democracy sold to the highest bidder by the pervasive and corrupting influence of lobbyists who engage in legalized bribery of our elected officials.  I would do this by working hard on election reform, refusing campaign contributions from special interests and representing the people in my district not just the rich and powerful.   I am a former teacher who has worked hard on education, an environmentalist who has worked countless hours without pay on environmental issues, a part-time Rabbi who works with interfaith groups to promote understanding and harmony among diverse groups, a civil rights attorney who has represented Haitian, Hispanic, Native American, African-American, and other ethnic groups who seek equality and respect in our country.  When I served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996-1998 I was the only legislator to refuse free meals from lobbyists, was given an award by the Sierra Club as the most effective environmental legislator, was named Consumer Champion by the largest consumer protection group in the state, and was given other awards for protecting civil rights of the people. 
In my campaign I hold "fun"raisers, not fundraisers and hope to restore a sense of fun and coming together to tackle important issues.   I oppose the obscene practice of candidates raising vast sums of money from large corporations who seek to buy influence in the Legislature to promote laws which hurt the average citizen. 
 

  BARRY SILVER 
CANDIDATE'S NAME		 REPRESENTATIVE
OFFICE		      86 
DISTRICT
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