Randy Fine

Randy Fine (born April 20, 1974) is an American Republican politician and former gambling industry executive who was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives from the 53rd district in 2016[2] and re-elected in 2018.[1] His district covers southern Brevard County.

Randy Fine
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 53rd district
Assumed office
November 8, 2016
Preceded byJohn Tobia
Personal details
Born
Randall Adam Fine

(1974-04-20) April 20, 1974[1]
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Residence(s)Melbourne Beach, FL[1]
Alma materHarvard University (AB, MBA)

Background

Fine was born and raised to a Jewish family[3] in Tucson, Arizona[1] and is a graduate of Harvard University.[4][5]

Before entering politics, Fine worked as an executive for casino gambling companies such as Harrah's Entertainment and American Casino & Entertainment Properties.[6] For nearly ten years, he operated a Nevada-based consulting business for the casino industry, called The Fine Point Group.[4][6] In 2009, he was the chief executive of the Greektown Casino in Detroit.[6]

Elections

Fine has won three elections in Florida's 53rd House of Representatives district.

In 2016 Fine and David Kearns (Democrat) competed for the seat being vacated by John Tobia, who vacated the spot due to term limits.[7]

In 2018 Fine was the incumbent, and he was challenged by Democrat Phil Moore.[8]

In 2020 Fine was again the incumbent and was again challenged Phil Moore.[9]

In the legislature

In the state legislature, Fine has been an advocate for protecting the environment of the Indian River Lagoon from sewage spills, and for opposing what he sees as wasteful, lower-priority spending.[10] Fine has introduced a bill in the state legislature to provide up to $50 million per year in matching funds to upgrade sewage treatment facilities in the area of the marsh. The legislation also increases the fines for illegal sewage discharges.[2] Despite his crusade against sewage spills, in 2019 he voted for HB 829 [11] which made it illegal for local communities to ban the spreading of biosolids (dried sewage) on farmlands that drain into the St. John’s River and The Indian River Lagoon.[12][13] The practice of spreading dried human feces as fertilizer on farms around the St. John’s River has been linked to toxic algae blooms affecting Melbourne’s drinking water supply.[14][15]

The editorial board of local newspaper Florida Today has criticized Fine's personal style. Their joint editorial observed that "Fine is obviously a hard working lawmaker who has used his watchdog skills to do good" but said that "Fine should defend what he believes in, but not by launching tirades against others as crusades on behalf of his constituents. He can look good without trying to make others look bad with personal attacks."[16]

In 2018 Fine voted for H.B. 631, a controversial bill that gave many beachfront property owners in Florida the right to 'eject' people from the beach,[17][18] while at the same time, he owned a beachfront property.[19]

Israel and Palestine

In 2018, Fine demanded that venues in Miami and Tampa cancel scheduled concerts with the New Zealand singer Lorde because she had previously cancelled a concert in Israel after being urged to do so by activists from the BDS movement. According to Fine, letting Lorde play would violate an anti-BDS law that the state enacted in 2016.[20] The concerts went on as scheduled.

In April 2019, Fine called Paul Halpern, a Jewish constituent of his, a "Judenrat" for supporting an event that discussed the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Halpern stated, "That's the worst thing anyone can say to me. I'm someone who’s been a victim of anti-Semitism much of my life, and there’s no worse name you can call a Jewish person than 'Judenrat.' It tells me about the character of the person who said it, especially since he doesn’t know me."[3]

In May 2021, amid the ongoing crisis in Israel and Palestine, Fine made several derogatory posts and comments on his Facebook and Twitter pages regarding Palestinians, including a celebration of the Israeli army's bombing of the Gaza Strip.[21]

LGBT rights

In April 2021, Fine was one of 77 Republicans in the House to vote yea on bill CS/HB 1475 which bars transgender girls and women from playing on girls sports teams at public schools.[22][23]

Reedy Creek Improvement District

In 2022, Fine sponsored a bill that would dissolve any independent special district in Florida established prior to November 5, 1968, including the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The bill passed both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida State Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 22, 2022. [24] Many political commentators said that the potential dissolution was in retaliation for Disney announcing its opposition to the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay Bill" by its critics, that passed several weeks prior. In an interview, Fine said that research into the RCID and other special districts started "When Disney kicked the hornet's nest several weeks ago." [25] When the potential impact on taxes in the surrounding counties of Orange and Osceola was being discussed, Fine claimed, without providing evidence, that the taxpayers would save money, and the tax revenue would instead go to local governments. Neither county is part of Fine's district. [26]

References
  1. "Florida House of Representatives - Randy Fine - 2016 - 2018 ( Speaker Corcoran )". Myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  2. "Rep. Randy Fine Proposes HB 141 During 2019 Legislative Session to Clean Up Indian River Lagoon". Space Coast Daily. December 29, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  3. Lemongello, Steven (April 16, 2019). "Jewish constituent targeted by state Rep. Randy Fine's 'Judenrat' comment calls for apology". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  4. "Managing Director: Randall A. Fine". The Fine Point Group. Retrieved January 19, 2019. He holds both his undergraduate degree magna cum laude, and his MBA degree, with high honors, from Harvard University.
  5. Frank, Stephen E. (October 14, 1994). "Scandal Before Service: Harvard's student leaders are a laughing stock". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  6. Dave Berman (2015-01-16). "Gaming official from Brevard to seek House seat". Floridatoday.com. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  7. Bonanno, Chris. "State House of Representatives District 53 race". Florida Today. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  8. "Election results for Brevard County and Florida races". Florida Today. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  9. "Florida House of Representatives District 53". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  10. Smith, Nancy (March 17, 2018). "Rep. Randy Fine, Champion for the Indian River Lagoon". Sunshine State News. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  11. "House Bill 829 (2019) - The Florida Senate". www.flsenate.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  12. "Brevard County leaders have failed to address our poop problem | Opinon". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  13. Winikoff, Mike. "County seeks to extend biosolids ban". Hometown News Treasure Coast. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  14. "Melbourne officials defend city water as residents speak up at Rep. Fine meeting". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  15. "Sewage sludge central? Officials fear waste from other communities threatens water supplies". Florida Today. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  16. The Editorial Board (May 24, 2018). "Rep. Randy Fine's bullying of local leaders is bad for Brevard County: Our view". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  17. Nicol, Ryan. "Banning the beach? Locals start enforcing new access law". Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  18. "New beach access law is confusing and dangerous | Opinion". Florida Today. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  19. "BCPAO - Property Search". www.bcpao.us. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  20. "Rep. Fine wants Lorde's concerts in Miami, Tampa canceled". The Leaf Chronicle. February 8, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  21. "CAIR calls for ethics investigation into Florida Rep. Randy Fine following bigoted remarks against Palestinians". Orlando Weekly. May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  22. "CS/HB 1475: Sex-specific Student Athletic Teams or Sports". Florida House of Represntatives. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  23. "Florida governor bans transgender women and girls from school sports". NBC News. Associated Press. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  24. "DeSantis signs bill revoking Disney's special self-governing status in Florida". NBC News. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  25. "Disney 'kicked the hornet's nest,' competitors do not get same special privileges, says state Rep. Fine". CNBC.com. CNBC. April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  26. Swisher, Skyler; Gillespie, Ryan (April 22, 2022). "Disney World's Reedy Creek: What happens after the special district is abolished?". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
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