Hillsborough Hispanic Dems to open ‘CASA CRIST’ to boost voter outreach

The gap is widening?

The Hillsborough County Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida on Monday is hosting gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist at its Grand Opening of Florida’s first statewide Hispanic voter outreach headquarters.

The Headquarters is named “CASA CRIST,” after the current U.S. Representative who is seeking to unseat incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis.

CASA CRIST is located at 6800 North Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa, suite 164. The Grand Opening begins at 5 p.m.

The Florida Democratic Party and the Charlie Crist for Governor Campaign has staff coordinators focused on Hispanic voter outreach for the upcoming Midterm Election this November at “CASA CRIST.”

Crist will deliver remarks on the critical importance and status of the Hispanic voter and voting bloc in Florida in the upcoming election in light of recent events both in Florida and the nation.

The Grand Opening comes just days after DeSantis flew migrants in Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, drawing national headlines and raising speculation among critics that the move may have been illegal.

Despite criticism — including that the move was politically motivated to boost DeSantis’ standing in his re-election campaign and raise his national profile ahead of a possible 2024 presidential run — DeSantis has defended the move.

During a press conference Friday, he said the flights were “voluntary” and that migrants were “given a good ride.”

The Legislature allocated, and DeSantis approved, $12 million in this year’s budget for transporting undocumented migrants out of Florida. DeSantis said the state intends to fully utilize that funding.

Records show the state paid private contractor Vertol Systems Inc. $615,000 to transport the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, about $12,300 per migrant, according to NPR.

DeSantis said the group identified in Texas expressed desire to relocate to Florida and signed waivers to instead go to Massachusetts, where Martha’s Vineyard is located.

Local Hispanic elected officials will also speak at the Grand Opening of “CASA CRIST” in Tampa.