Politics
Alex Rizo, Buzzy Sklar endorse Fabián Basabe for re-election in HD 106
Two more elected GOP officials — Hialeah state Rep. Alex Rizo and Bal Harbour Village Council member Buzzy Sklar — are backing Miami Beach Republican state Rep. Fabián Basabe’s re-election campaign in House District 106.
Rizo, an education consultant and the immediate past Chair of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, said he’s “proud to endorse” Basabe, whom he described as a “friend and colleague.”
He cited Basabe’s work on education, parental rights and child protection, and what he described as Basabe’s willingness to challenge authority for causes he believes in.
“I have seen Fabián in the fight against the establishment,” Rizo said in a statement. “He does not back down when it comes to doing what is right for our students and our communities. District 106 and all of Florida are stronger because of his leadership, and I am proud to stand with him.”
Sklar, the CEO of a hospitality consultancy and sake business, said he and Basabe were at odds at first on several issues, but the lawmaker’s openness to discussion won him over.
“Initially, I did not support Fabián. We actually butted heads on many things. Through dialogue and conversation, we were able to come together,” Sklar said in a statement.
“We do not agree on everything but I appreciate he takes the time to listen to opposing views. Sometimes it’s better to agree to disagree, but move forward for the common good of our constituents and work on the things that we do agree on together and make those things happen.”
Rizo and Sklar join two other Republicans, Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez and Aventura City Commissioner Gustavo Blachman, in backing Basabe. Democratic state Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee has endorsed Basabe as well.
In a pair of statements Wednesday, Basabe thanked both Rizo and Sklar for their support.
Of the Rizo endorsement, he said, “Education is everything. I value our public schools, our teachers, and the amazing programs we have in Florida. We have made progress, but we want to move faster so our teachers are paid the best and our students get the best. Together, with our colleagues, we are making sure every dollar gets to where it is intended and that everyone trusted with our children’s future is held to the highest standard.”
He called Sklar’s endorsement “one of my favorite kinds of support.”
“Commissioner Buzzy Sklar and I had a few issues where we disagreed, but most of it came down to misunderstanding. And misunderstandings can easily become divisive if people don’t take the time to sit down and talk,” he said.
“I picked up the phone, he answered, and we met for lunch. We had a long, honest conversation and realized how much we actually had in common. We came out of it stronger, not weaker, because we cleared the air. It’s a reminder that dialogue and persistence matter. When leaders are willing to listen, respect each other, and work through differences, our whole community benefits.”
Elected by a razor-thin margin in 2022 to represent House District 106, a coastal district in northeast Miami-Dade County, Basabe won re-election in November with 51% of the vote in one of the cycle’s most-watched state races.
After a lackluster 2024 Session in which he passed no legislation amid ample personal controversy — including an ongoing libel/slander lawsuit brought by two former staffers who previously accused him of sexual harassment and battery — had a much more successful round of lawmaking this year, passing five bills, including measures to safeguard historic structures and crack down on irresponsible owners of derelict vessels, while securing millions of dollars in state funding for projects in and outside of his district.
Basabe, who is representing himself against the lawsuit, was cleared by two House probes into those staffers’ complaints. Investigators found “no evidence” and “inconclusive” evidence of wrongdoing by him. He’s long maintained his innocence.
This cycle, he faces a challenge from former Miami-Dade School Board member Lucia Báez-Geller, a Democrat who last year unsuccessfully ran against Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar.
HD 106 covers a coastal strip of Miami-Dade between Miami Beach and Aventura.
The House version has yet to be filed as of this writing.
Sen. Jenn Bradley is looking for changes to straw laws in 2026.
The Fleming Island Republican has filed new legislation (SB 958) ahead of next year’s Regular Session.
The bill would require local governments with straw regulations to “amend any such rule, regulation, or ordinance in effect as of the effective date of this act which does not permit the sale or use of drinking straws and stirrers that are renewable, home compostable certified, industrial compostable certified, or marine biodegradable to permit the sale or use of renewable, homecompostable certified, industrial compostable certified and marine biodegradable drinking straws and stirrers.”
Marine biodegradable straws would have to be proven to decompose in water within a year.
Renewable straws would have to meet requirements of “USDA BioPreferred Program with biobased content of at least 80 percent; or The TUV Austria OK biobased program with a 4-star rating.”
“The straw bill does not preempt local government straw ordinances. Instead, it requires that those ordinances also include certified compostable and degradable straws,” Bradley said, explaining her bill.
“This updates those ordinances to reflect the newer, and safer straws that are available today — a benefit for the environment and for everyone who is forced to drink out of awful paper straws.”
The bill would “combat the harmful impacts of paper drinking straws and stirrers and provide businesses and residents of this state with better alternatives to single-use plastic straws and stirrers.”
It would also drive “uniformity of drinking straw and stirrer regulations throughout this state, rather than forcing businesses to comply with a patchwork of local regulations.”
No one has filed a companion bill in the House so far. The 2026 Legislative Session begins Jan. 13.
March for Our Lives, the Florida League of Women Voters and several pro-gun control groups are urging Senate President Ben Albritton to shut down a push to lower the minimum age to buy guns from 21 to 18.
The legislation (HB 133) has already passed through two House committees and is ready for the House floor. If it becomes law, the measure would repeal portions of protections the Legislature put in place after the Parkland school shooting.
“President Albritton, we urge you to use your authority as Senate President to prevent HB 133 from becoming law. Remember the promises made after our state’s darkest day. Remember those who buried their loved ones because a teenager could access a gun. Honor the bipartisan commitment lawmakers made in 2018: never again. Refuse to file a companion bill to HB 133, as you have done in previous years,” read the letter that was signed by 12 organizations.
The letter argued the evidence against HB 133 is “overwhelming” since individuals between 18 and 20 years old are more likely to commit suicide or shoot others than are older adults. The message also cited the threat that young people face from school shootings.
The Parkland shooter was 19. A 20-year-old suspect is also accused of shooting and killing two people and injuring others in April at Florida State University.
March for Our Lives Executive Director and Parkland survivor Jackie Corin called rolling back the minimum age a betrayal by lawmakers.
“The gun industry wants younger buyers to boost profits, and some lawmakers are willing to help, even if it costs students’ lives,” Corin said in a statement. “Young people in Florida deserve to grow up without wondering if the teenager next to them can legally buy an assault weapon.”
The full list of groups that signed the letter are: Newtown Action Alliance, Ban Assault Weapons NOW, Brady Florida, Brady Sarasota, Team ENOUGH, Community Safety Collective, Let Life Live Inc, Florida National Organization for Women, The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus and STOP Moms for Liberty.
The House has pushed for years to lower the minimum age back to 18.
“I wasn’t a member of the Legislature when that (Parkland) tragedy occurred. My view is this is the correct public policy to pursue to restore the rights of law-abiding 18-year-olds,” said Rep. Tyler Sirois, a Merritt Island Republican who sponsored the bill during the committee debate earlier this month.
Politics
NWF Health Network expands Christmas adoptions, bringing the gift of family to 22 Florida kids
Barack Obama Reveals Blackpink Fandom in Yearly Music Recap
Valentino will not stage its autumn/ winter 2026–27 show in Paris
Roblox CEO David Baszucki says the best career advice he’s ever received is to outright ignore the advice of others
-
Politics8 years agoCongress rolls out ‘Better Deal,’ new economic agenda
-
Entertainment8 years ago
New Season 8 Walking Dead trailer flashes forward in time
-
Politics8 years ago
Poll: Virginia governor’s race in dead heat
-
Entertainment8 years ago
The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
-
Entertainment8 years ago
Meet Superman’s grandfather in new trailer for Krypton
-
Politics8 years ago
Illinois’ financial crisis could bring the state to a halt
-
Business8 years ago
6 Stunning new co-working spaces around the globe
-
Tech8 years ago
Hulu hires Google marketing veteran Kelly Campbell as CMO