Miami-Dade Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who was first appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and then elected for the first time last year, will host the county’s first ever “Faith and Family Festival” Saturday on the Youth Fair grounds.
The free event will include fun activities for the whole family: live music, basketball tournaments, bounce houses, a talent show, face painting, a petting zoo, and a special guest speaker. There will also be a food distribution to 2,000 families in need and representatives from county and state agencies for assistance will be available, according to the press release.
“The event is open to people of all faiths,” says a press release from the District 11 office.
There goes separation of church and state.
“We’re about to do something that has never been done before,” Gonzalez says in an Instagram post last week. “Doesn’t matter what faith you have, c’mon down. We’re going to pray for Miami-Dade together.”
Um, there might be a reason it’s never been done before. It’s inappropriate and seems a clear violation of the separation of church and state that is one of the pillars of the U.S. democratic government system. Are we dismantling that, too?
A big fan of Donald Trump — as evident by his social media posts, which also include bible verses and quotes from the Old Testament — Gonzalez may not be a big fan of the constitution.
David Gonzalez, his communications chief, stressed that the event was open to everyone. “It’s about bringing folks together of all faiths,” he said. “It’s interfaith. It’s not just one faith pushing an agenda.”
Really? Because Ladra will bet you’ll be hard pressed to find a Muslim there.
Read related: Kendall residents oppose early talks for development of waste transfer facility
David Gonzalez, who is no relation to the commissioner, said there’s already some crossover of religion in county government.
“Isn’t it already there? We pray at the beginning of commission meetings,” he said.”There’s a seal above [the commission dais] that says ‘In God we Trust.'”
Gonzalez ran in 2022 for State House in District 119 because God told him to, he said then. But the Guatemalan-born personal injury attorney’s platform was more in hardline with the GOP than it was with any heavenly body. He lost in the primary to Juan Carlos Porras, but raised $110,000 for the bid, according to his campaign reports, which is a lot for a newbie.
Two months after the loss, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to the county commission to replace former Commissioner Joe Martinez, who was suspended after he was arrested on public corruption charges of conspiracy and unlawful compensation. Martinez was convicted in November, but his attorneys last month asked for a new trial (more on that later). Las malas lenguas say the appointment was a reward to then Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nuñez, now the president at Florida International University (I 
know!) and the campaign consultant she shared with Gonzalez, David “Disgustin’ Custin.”
Then, after serving as an appointment for two years, Gonzalez was elected for the first time last August with 57% of the vote against two lesser known candidates (but Bryan Paz-Hernandez got 26%, which is not bad for a newbie so we’ll hear from him again).
The festival was timed for the first Saturday after the National Day of Prayer May 1. There will be vendors and food trucks who pay for the privilege to be there, but all those proceeds, after expenses, will go to Share Your Heart, a non-profit program that is part of another non-profit, The Victory for Youth, that “recruits, trains, and screens caring adults who desire to serve their community in meaningful ways as a volunteer chaplain” and partners with government agencies and non-profit organizations to “respond to referrals for children, families, and vulnerable adults who have been identified as in crisis or distress,” according to the group’s website.
Read related: Miami-Dade taxpayers fund $1 mil move for Commissioner Rob Gonzalez
It’s not the same as Jar of Hearts, the non-profit that used to be represented by Gonzalez and then got a $10,000 county allocation two months after he was appointed. This is a different non-profit. Just sounds the same.
David Gonzalez likened the event to the Hometown Heroes Parade and Festival that Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins has in District 8 in the Fall or the annual CountryFest that Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez has at Tropical Park.
But it’s really not the same.
The Faith and Family Festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Miami-Dade Fair & Expo Center, 11201 SW 24th St. Don’t know what time is the prayer circle for Miami-Dade.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez event blurs church-state line added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →