Vote for Jeff Clemens for State Senate 31


Correction: I had the election day listed as August 31st. Have updated it to show August 30th.

It’s not often that I talk about politics on this blog. I love the community we have and enjoy taking pictures of and talking about people and events that support our little slice of paradise.

Jeff Clemens has been part of an integral part of our community as the Mayor of Lake Worth, as our Representative to the State House (89) and Senate (27), or as the front man for the “Datura Street Band” which has rocked Clematis by Night on many occasions.

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Jeff Clemens and the Datura Street Band performing at the South End Neighborhood Association Picnic

 

Jeff is an active advocate for our communities and understands the issues that matter to us. One issue that Jeff Clemens has put a huge amount of effort into is working to find solutions for the Sober Home problem which is plaguing neighborhoods all across Florida.

Senator Jeff Clemens is leading the charge on Sober Homes

The sober home problem is a very complex issue, which needs to be fixed at the Federal, State, County and City levels. Over the years Delray Beach and Boca Raton tried to legislate sober homes and keep them from moving into our neighborhoods. Both of these cities were sued by lawyers for the recovery industry, judgments that cost the City of Boca Raton $3 million.

Jeff introduced multiple bills into the State legislature over the years, working across the aisle with Rep. Bill Hagar and in 2015 passing SB21, a bill which required the voluntary registration of sober homes. When in the 2016 legislative session his comprehensive legislation wasn’t passed, Jeff Clemens took it to the Governor’s desk and allocated $275,000 to a 12-person task force, which includes West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio and 11 non-elected officials. This task force is tasked with “peeling back the onion” on the recovery business and reporting back to Governor Scott on how we can both protect the basic rights of recovering addicts as well as protect our neighborhoods.

Thanks to Jeff Clemens’ work in Tallahassee, the Florida Department of Children and Families, which is tasked with registering sober homes in Florida, was able to assign more resources to this issue and now has nine members working in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

We are just in the beginning stages of understanding the sober home problem as well as the growing epidemic of heroin use which is taking over South Florida. But nobody understands this issue more, and is a better champion for our neighborhoods than Jeff Clemens.

 

As both a House Rep, and a State Senator, Jeff Clemens regularly attends our neighborhood association meetings, and is always available to answer questions or give updates on what’s going on in Tallahassee that will affect us.

Finally, if you need any more convincing that Jeff Clemens is our guy, you may remember him from this classic Daily Show clip (from the good old days with John Stewart) where he was highlighted for calling out Tallahassee on their shenanigans. Worth a watch if you haven’t recently (good part starts three minutes in).

 

 

 

Jeff Clemens has gone to Tallahassee for us, he’s a champion of working families and neighborhoods, he’s kept us informed, he’s rocked his heart out on stage, and he’s even been on the frigging Daily Show… what more do you want? Joking aside, Jeff Clemens has proven himself to be a dedicated public servant in my district and through his work with sober homes has helped everyone in South Florida. Losing Jeff Clemens in the Senate will set this effort back by many years.

Please tell your friends and family that if you live in Senate District 31 I urge you to vote for Jeff Clemens on August 30th. 

VOTE FOR JEFF CLEMENS

Disclaimer: I have volunteered with the Clemens campaign in the past but as of the writing of this article I am not working with the campaign and have not been approached for an endorsement.

Clemens-Wormus

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