South Florida turned up the political heat over the weekend. Florida Rep. Alina Garcia (R) and former Florida Rep. Debbie Mucarsel Powell (D) had an altercation, and Democrats are sharing footage of the exchange. From name calling to alleged physical action, former Florida Rep. Juan Carlos "JC" Plants (D) is responding to the incident.
Conflicting reports indicate that the situation has become a "he said, she said" scenario. On Sunday, Rep. Garcia, a candidate for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections, held a rally at an early voting site in the Hammocks. Rep. Mucarsel Powell, who's running to unseat Florida Senator Rick Scott (R), and other Democrats allegedly then showed up to disrupt the rally by "pushing," which resulted in Rep. Mucarsel Powell being called a "socialista" (socialista) and Rep. Garcia putting her hand on Rep. Mucarsel Powell's shoulder, which prompted a nearby police officer to say "no touching." Regarding the alleged "pushing," Rep. Garcia argues that "that's what communists do."
Yesterday, Alina Garcia, who is running for Supervisor of Elections against our endorsed candidate @jc4soe, behaved disrespectfully toward @debbieforfl by screaming at her, calling her names, and putting her hands on her. https://t.co/zcfBRS1eJU pic.twitter.com/isvDs9pBlp
— Miami-Dade Democrats (@MiamiDadeDems) October 28, 2024
The Miami-Dade Democratic Party shared footage from the incident on social media, accusing Rep. Garcia of having "behaved disrespectfully" towards Rep. Mucarsel Powell. Despite the claims, others like Hialeah Rep. Alex Rizo (R), the Chairman of the Miami-Dade County Republican Party, agree that Rep. Mucarsel Powell attempted to disrupt the rally, commenting that she took part in "a dangerous and disgraceful display of political thuggery."
Rep. Planas, who is challenging Rep. Garcia for Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections, has now responded to the incident, accusing his Republican challenger and her supporters of "swarming" Rep. Mucarsel-Powell. Calling their actions "deeply disturbing," Rep. Planas believes that "this behavior is disqualifying for a Supervisor of Elections candidate who is supposed to be fair and impartial, and Alina Garcia should issue an immediate apology to both Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and the voters of Miami-Dade County."
