As the country marks its 250th year, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sen. René García had a patriotic message for the Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce: Buy American.
“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy,” García said. “It’s incumbent on all of us whenever possible to go and shop at a local vendor, to go and support them. Because that’s the way money stays here.
“We talk a big game in the United States, ‘let’s buy American, buy American,’” he said. “But any chance we get, we buy foreign products. And at the end of the day what that does is it takes away from the workforce here in the United States.”
The chamber invited García to speak during its May 13 luncheon at the Miami Lakes Hotel on Main.
More than 20 years ago, he was a councilman in the City of Hialeah. He then served in the state House of Representatives and Senate.
Elected to the county commission in 2020 to represent District 13 -- which includes Miami Lakes -- he was reelected in 2024.
García works closely with Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart to return appropriations to the area. A $6 million state transportation study was announced in April to explore connections to Interstate 75, including near Northwest 170th Street, to give traffic on the west side an easier way to access highways.
He said he continually pushes for transparency in government, including procurement reform, and for budgets that describe spending line by line.
He said of his philosophy as a member of the GOP, “I’m a Republican who believes in fiscal responsibility, I’m a Republican who believes in family, who believes in helping people who don’t have anyone to be helped by.
“I believe in these issues,” García said. “We have to be compassionate, we have to be empathetic and we have to be understanding. At the same time, we have to make sure that we’re fiscally responsible with people’s money. Enough is enough ...”
Other big issues before the county commission are where to put the garbage processing plant to replace the one that burned down in Doral in February 2023.
“At the end of the day the most efficient place to put this is back in Doral,” he said.
And he wants to see a renovated building in downtown Miami opened to provide services for those with mental illnesses.
“The county has funding for the first 2.5 years,” García said. “I entered a bill to move it forward. We have a behavioral health board and have to make sure the people in this community receive the services they need.”
As for Miami Lakes, he said, “I couldn’t be more proud of representing this community than any other. ... This is such a gem.”