Florida is officially banned from making business with Nicolás Maduro
The governor of Florida, Rick Scott signed recently the law that prohibits the state and all its agencies from negotiating with companies that collaborate with the regime of Nicolás Maduro. The ruler sanctioned the law in Arepazo 2, a popular Venezuelan restaurant in Doral that was surrounded by dozens of Venezuelans, including exiles.
In the middle of emblems that rejected the presidential "fake elections" to be held on May 20, Scott said the rule "puts even more financial pressure on Maduro´s regime", following US sanctions against more than 50 Venezuelan officials in recent months. "Proud to sign the legislation that prohibits all state agencies from investing in the oppressive government of Venezuela," declared the governor through his Twitter account.
Scott signs the rule two weeks after the Florida Senate approved bill SB 538 / HB 359, which was promoted by state senators José Javier Rodríguez and René García, among others. The bill was presented in the Senate in June 2017, as a response to the purchase of $ 2,800 million made by Goldman Sachs in bonds of the Venezuelan oil company, PDVSA, an action that caused rejection and polemic throughout the Venezuelan community in United States.
"I am proud that the Florida Legislature has voted unanimously in favor of the Venezuelan people and the struggle for democracy in Venezuela," said Senator José Javier Rodríguez, one of the main promoters of the project, in a press release when the bill was accepted in March 10.
"By prohibiting the state of Florida from doing business with companies that collaborate with the Maduro regime, we are taking concrete actions that will prevent the taxpayers' money from being used to finance the oppressive and dictatorial regime of Nicolás Maduro," he added.
Republican Senator René García, another promoter of the project, also made statements about the matter. "HB 359 shows that Florida continues to be strong against the brutal regime of Maduro and any business that supports its oppressive leadership. We will continue fighting for human rights and democracy for our friends in Venezuela".
Governor Scott has become a strong critic of the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela and has reiterated that measures like this will serve to "end" his "dictatorship". Florida has a similar measure against the regime of Cuba that was signed by Scott in 2012 and that prohibits the state government and locals from doing business of $ 1 million or more with companies that operate on the island.
