Florida County Commission Supports Statehood for Puerto Rico

Florida’s Hillsborough County Commission voted to support a bill for statehood for Puerto Rico.

Reps. Darren Soto and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colón introduced HR1965 earlier this year. The Florida county voted in favor of the bill.

Hillsborough is not the only government office on the mainland to support Puerto Rico’s bid for statehood.

• The state of Tennessee spoke up for Puerto Rico statehood.
• The General Assembly of Illinois did the same.
• The Florida state legislature supports statehood.

Legally, Congress decides whether Puerto Rico becomes a state or not. Puerto Rico’s only representative in Congress will not have a say. She can vote only if her vote does not make a difference to the outcome of a vote. So the people who have the power to make Puerto Rico a vote are the representatives of the states.

Some senators and members of Congress already have opinions on statehood for Puerto Rico. But some do not. When state and local governments take the time to learn about the issue, they are better prepared to make that decision. When a county like Hillsborough takes the time to debate and vote on support for statehood, the representatives pay attention.

In the past, Congress has sometimes suggested that people of Puerto Rican heritage living in the United States should be able to vote on the question of Puerto Rico’s statehood. Polls show that Americans in general favor statehood for Puerto Rico. But it will be the legislators in the Senate and the House who actually vote on this question. Tell your legislators that you care about statehood for Puerto Rico.