José R. Oliva
José Oliva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 101st Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 20, 2018 – November 17, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Corcoran |
| Succeeded by | Chris Sprowls |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 110th district | |
| In office September 19, 2011 – November 3, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Esteban Bovo |
| Succeeded by | Alex Rizo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 6, 1973 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanne Oliva |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | St. Thomas University |
José R. Oliva (born January 6, 1973) is an American Republican politician from Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Hialeah and Miami Lakes area in northern Miami-Dade County from 2011 to 2020. He was speaker of the House during his last term in office from 2018 to 2020.
History[]
Oliva was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and moved to the state of Florida in 1974.[1] He graduated from Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School, and later attended St. Thomas University, but did not graduate.[1] Oliva founded a cigar manufacturing business with his brothers, and eventually served as its chief executive officer.[1] From 2001 to 2005, he served as a Hialeah housing commissioner.[1]
Florida House of Representatives[]
When incumbent state representative Esteban Bovo resigned from the legislature to successfully run for the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2011,[2] a special election was called to replace him.[1] Oliva ran in the Republican primary against Frank Lago and Rafael Luiz Perez, emphasizing his support for "lower taxes, small and accountable government, [and] conservative family values."[3] He ended up winning the primary, receiving 42% of the vote to Lago's 35% and Perez's 23%, and advanced to the general election, where he only faced write-in opposition. Oliva won the general election handily, winning 93% of the vote.
In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the legislative districts, Oliva remained in the 110th District, which retained most of the territory that he had previously represented. He was challenged in the Republican primary by Ileana Abay, but he dispatched her easily, winning renomination with 86% of the vote. In the general election, he once again only faced write-in opposition, and he won his second term with nearly 100% of the vote.
Following his re-election, Oliva received enough votes from his colleagues in the legislature to assume the position of Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2018–20 legislative session.[4]
Oliva was term-limited from the House in 2020, after serving a partial term and four full terms.
Pregnancy comments controversy[]
In February 2019, Oliva referred to pregnant women as a "host body" a total of five times during an interview with CBS4's Jim DeFede in Miami. In response, state representative Anna Eskamani stated, "With all due respect Mr. Speaker, my body is not a "host" and personal medical decisions around my pregnancy belong to me, my family, my doctor, and my faith— not to politicians."[5] Oliva apologized for the term, stating, "It was an attempt to use terminology found in medical ethics writings with the purpose of keeping the discussion dispassionate. The reaction undoubtedly shows it had the exact opposite effect. I apologize for having caused offense, my aim was the contrary."[5]
Global Warming controversy[]
In 2019, Oliva laid the blame for increasing flooding in Miami-Dade coastal areas to sinking land on which Miami Beach is situated, attributing that process to being a natural subsidence, compression of landfill and peat beneath the surface, and the intentional destruction of mangrove trees which had previously stabilized the land. Oliva's explanation ignored the effects of global warming and the attendant sea-level rise, and the subsidence largely restricted to the Biscayne Bay side of the island.[6] The Orlando Sentinel compared his position to that of Governors Ron DeSantis, and his predecessor, Senator Rick Scott, who had finally, though belatedly, recognized the need for dealing with the problem on a global basis.[6]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e Klas, Mary (29 August 2015). "Miami Lakes legislator Jose Oliva rises swiftly, holds fast to 'free market' ideals". Miami Herald.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Mazzei, Patricia (March 24, 2011). "Hialeah lawmaker to resign Friday for Miami-Dade run". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ^ Derby, Kevin (May 11, 2011). "Three Conservatives Square Off in Special Election to Represent Miami-Dade in the House". Sunshine State News. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (November 10, 2012). "House speaker list set: Weatherford, Crisafulli, Corcoran, Oliva". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
- ^ a b Russo, Amy (March 1, 2019). "GOP Florida Lawmaker Apologizes For Calling A Pregnant Woman A 'Host'". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Fact or Fake: Florida Speaker Oliva says Miami Beach flooding is caused by sinking land, Orlando Sentinel, Mike Lafferty, February 15, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
External links[]
- 1973 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- Members of the Florida House of Representatives
- American politicians of Cuban descent
- Hispanic and Latino American politicians
- Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Florida
- Florida Republicans
- Living people
- People from Elizabeth, New Jersey
- People from Hialeah, Florida