Linda Bird Candidate For Florida State Senate
With only a couple of weeks until the elections, we here on the Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Blog we are going to feature information on the local candidates that are running for office. One of the races is for the District 25 Florida State Senate position which covers the Fort Lauderdale real estate market.
Hopefully we can shed some light on those running so that you can get to know the candidates in our area. Bird is a Democrat and will be running against incumbent State Senator Jeff Atwater. We will be profiling Atwater next week.
Bird recently wrote on her website the following:
It is time for a sweeping change in the Florida Senate. Florida is at a crossroad and voters want to have their voices heard. There is too much influence with lobbyists and special interests paying their way to play. My opponent received approximately a quarter of a million dollars from the insurance interests (Herald Tribune Jan. 20 2008) alone and we have all read about State Farm’s request for a 47.1% rate increase request. It is time for this to stop.
Last session, too much time was spent on debating frivolous issues such as droopy drawers, license plates, and hood ornaments. The Florida Senate’s priorities were out of step with the pressing issues of our economy . While making draconian cuts to core services including education, hospitals, and nursing home payments in this year’s Florida budget, the current leadership quietly appropriated 132 “turkey” projects worth $110 million that escaped the scrutiny and transparency of the normal budget process. These turkeys are clearly identified by Florida TaxWatch , a nonpartisan research institute that has been monitoring the Florida budget for the last 29 years as the watchdog of citizens’ hard earned tax dollars. Go to www.FloridaTaxwatch.com for more.
As your Senator, I would work with both sides of the aisle to cut these turkey projects out of our Florida budget. We need to bring responsible leadership to the discussion. Families have had to tightened their belts and so should our State Senate. Priorities need to be reevaluated. We need to attract new industries to boost the economic tax base with higher paying jobs.
Families are leaving Florida because the cost of property taxes and insurance have increased to the point where they can no longer afford to live here. When a family loses their home to foreclosure, every other home in that community suffers a blow to their property value. As a Realtor I have seen the devastation that has a domino effect from the housing market impacting small businesses such as restaurants, retailers, and a myriad of other companies trying to survive these hard economic times.
Headlines in the Sun-Sentinel August 15, 2008 edition tell it all, “Thousands more face foreclosures. Pain in South Florida housing market spreads as home sales remain in decline.” According to Foreclosuresdaily.com, there were 2,865 Broward County homeowners on the verge of losing their homes to lenders in July alone double the 1.430 from a year ago. The number of foreclosed sales swelled to 1,646 from 381. In Palm Beach County, 1739 homeowners were facing foreclosure last month, up from 1,063 last July. Foreclosed sales more than doubled to 412 from 183.
This year is about change. November 4th is your opportunity to vote for fresh new ideas in the Senate which are more in sync with your values.
About Linda BirdLiving in Senate District since 1981, Linda Bird has earned a solid reputation as a successful business owner, community activist, and advocate for safety issues affecting her community. She has owned and operated a small business, Bird Realty, Inc. specializing in residential luxury home sales for clients including senior management of large corporations and many prominent residents of South Florida.Celebrating 22 years as President of Bird Realty, Inc., Linda has consistently given back to the community the success she has enjoyed. For her leadership in the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc. in the inception and creation of the OUR House Project, she was honored as a Woman Who Leads With Her Heart . She served as President of The Friends of OUR House, Inc Board of Directors for more than ten years. She also served as the President of the Kids in Distress Auxiliary, President of Child Care Connection (now Family Central) Auxiliary, and President of Delta Delta Delta Alumnae of Greater Fort Lauderdale. As Troop Coordinator for Pine Crest School, Linda founded the Kids Connect program which provided gifts and parties for children from 14 child care centers.
As a community leader/activist, she has served as President of the Improvement Association of Lake Estates, Inc. for more than thirteen years. She organized an emergency Town Hall Meeting with a coalition of residents from twelve HOAs and FAA representatives to discuss safety concerns after a DC3 plane crashed in 2005 in Fort Lauderdale. In 2008, Linda Bird organized a Town Hall Meeting with elected officials, Galt Ocean Mile residents, and Fort Lauderdale residents to oppose the Calypso Liquefied Natural Gas Pipeline proposed off the beaches of Fort Lauderdale.
Linda Bird has been recognized by many organizations for her outstanding children and families’ advocacy work including being inducted in the 2008 Broward County Women’s Hall of Fame, the American Cancer Society as a Woman of the Year, and the NAACP Community Heart Award. She currently serves on the Broward County Children’s Services Board.
Linda Bird has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in the College of Human Sciences and graduated cum laude from Florida State University in 1974. She earned a Master of Education Degree from Florida Atlantic University in 1976.
She resides in Fort Lauderdale with her husband, Dennis. They have two daughters, Lauren and Kristin, both UF Gators.
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