1. Ray Rodrigues has been active in the Lee County Republican Party since 1995, serving in various capacities including vice-chairman from 2010 to 2012.
24 Facts About Ray Rodrigues
1. 2.
Ray Rodrigues faced off against former state representative Michael J Grant and Chauncey Solinger in the Republican General Primary.
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That same year Ray Rodrigues sponsored the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which provides individuals with disabilities tax free saving plans to be used for costs associated with their disability and education and job training.
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In 2015 and 2016, Ray Rodrigues drafted legislation that placed a moratorium on fracking in the state of Florida until the Department of Environmental Protection completed a study on the effect of high pressure well stimulations on Florida's geology and hydrology.
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In 2016 Ray Rodrigues sponsored House Joint Resolution 193 which placed an amendment to the Florida Constitution on the 2016 General Primary Ballot to remove tax barriers from businesses when they install solar panels or other renewable energy devices on their properties.
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Ray Rodrigues sponsored the legislation that repealed the statutory monopoly protecting the facility.
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In 2018, Ray Rodrigues sponsored legislation that would prohibit the government from suing individuals merely for filing a public records requests.
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In 2018 Ray Rodrigues was the Prime Co-Sponsor on a House Resolution that requested the US Congress to maintain the ban on offshore drilling in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
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In 2018 Ray Rodrigues learned from a constituent about a major loophole in state statutes protecting students from predatory teachers.
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In 2018 Ray Rodrigues recognized the growing threat of rising sea level and the need for coastal resiliency and sponsored a successful appropriation bill to provide funding to Florida International University to conduct a study to document rising sea levels and effects on Miami Beach.
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In 2019 Ray Rodrigues carried the bill repealing the ban of smoking medical marijuana.
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The second justification cited by Ray Rodrigues was 14 other states already place THC limits on their medical marijuana programs.
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The final justification cited by Ray Rodrigues was that even the government who is the most progressive in the world on cannabis, The Netherlands, home to the Amsterdam cannabis coffee shops, recognized the health dangers of high THC and long ago placed a THC cap on recreational marijuana.
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Ray Rodrigues was the Senate sponsor for SB 7072 Social Media Platforms.
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Ray Rodrigues argued that the proposal was necessary to defend freedom of speech against the monopolies that various social media companies hold on online expression.
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In 2021, Ray Rodrigues filed his bill to prevent government agencies from suing individuals who file public records requests.
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Ray Rodrigues was successful in shepherding the Parents' Bill of Rights to final passage in the 2021 legislative session.
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Ray Rodrigues stated that the goal of the legislation was to bring parental rights that exist in Florida statute and case law into one section of statute so that parents can find them more easily.
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Ray Rodrigues filed legislation related to gun rights during the 2021 legislative session.
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Ray Rodrigues worked on reforming Florida's legal notice requirements as well.
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Ray Rodrigues argued that the bill would modernize the legal notice system by moving notice publications online and expanding competition.
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Ray Rodrigues filed the legislation because students approached him with concerns that they could not express their views on campus.
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Ray Rodrigues contended that the legislation was necessary to determine if Florida's college and university campuses present diverse viewpoints and if students and faculty feel free to express their beliefs on campus.
24.
On July 2,2021, Ray Rodrigues was appointed to chair the Senate Reapportionment Committee.