Voters Should Steer Clear of Ken Keechl

The clock is ticking on the 2016 election cycle and residents in Florida House District 93, which covers Broward County, will have to choose between re-electing Representative George Moraitis or choosing former county commissioner, Ken Keechl.

Keechl is no stranger to the campaign trail and has proven he is willing to do whatever it takes to hold public office, including move. In 2010, Keechl, who was an incumbent Broward Mayor, lost his bid for County Commission District 4 to Republican Chip LaMarca. After losing, Keechl moved across town to run in Broward County District 7 in 2012 and lost his primary election. However, Keechl’s desire to remain an elected official fueled him to run a cookie cutter negative campaign against Republican Chip LaMarca for County Commission District 4 in 2014. Fast forward to 2016 and Keechl is at it again and this time he wants Broward voters to send him to Tallahassee.

However, electing Keechl to serve in the Florida House of Representatives would be disastrous for residents of the Florida’s 93rd District. Keechl is a special interest candidate and should he find his way to Tallahassee he will only serve the special interest groups who helped elect him. Oftentimes, past actions can help predict future outcomes, and with Keechl, this could not be more true.

Up until Keechl was elected County Commissioner in 2006, he spent his time as a lawyer defending Mutual Benefits in the courtroom against its victims. Mutual Benefits financially preyed on consumers and patients with terminal diseases, and Keechl was their biggest advocate. It is clear by his connections with Mutual Benefits, Keechl only cares about lining his pockets, even if it comes at the cost of hurting others.

Fortunately, the voters of Florida District 93 do not have to worry about the wolf in sheep’s clothing type of candidate, because they have another option — George Moraitis. First elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010, Moraitis is well known for his expertise in fiscal and economic issues. Representative Moraitis is a recognized leader in Tallahassee on regional economic innovation and investment, Port Everglades infrastructure and security, and beach renourishment.

Safeguarding Florida’s environment, Moraitis voted for nearly $200 million in Everglades restoration to restore and improve our fragile Florida ecosystem. Aside from his thoughtful, responsible approach to the environment, Moraitis has worked hard to obtain funding for Florida schools. In an effort to attract and retain high quality teachers, Moraitis voted for the Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program. As a proponent of focusing on real learning instead of just testing, Moraitis advocated for this year’s PreK-12 Education budget with the highest level of state funding ever at $14.5 billion, a $388.2 million increase over the prior year’s budget.

A family man, Moraitis has not only shown his commitment to those he represents, but also to his values. Moraitis has proven himself to be a man of conviction and is not afraid to go against the grain to do what is best for Floridians. In this election, voting for the candidate who has a proven record of putting voters first, the choice is clear — keep Moraitis working for Florida’s 93rd House District.