'Cute' e-mail lands state Rep. in hot water
By STEVE BOUSQUET and ALEX LEARY
Published April 13, 2007
TALLAHASSEE -- State Rep. Don Brown thought he was being "cute." His fellow Republicans in the Florida House had another word for it: racist.
Brown, a DeFuniak Springs Republican, apologized Thursday for sending an e-mail to his colleagues that noted the April 17 federal income tax deadline.
"Don't forget to pay your taxes -- 12-million illegal aliens are depending on you!" Brown wrote in a message to his colleagues on a state-issued email account.
What Brown meant as a joke wasn't interpreted that way. The strongest criticism came from his fellow Republicans -- Hispanics with large immigrant constituencies in South Florida.
The Florida Hispanic Legislative Caucus issued a statement saying it "took serious offense."
"It was wrong. It was offensive," said House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-Miami, the son of Cuban immigrants.
Rep. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, said the Brown e-mail showed "an ignorance as to the founding of both this state and our country. It deeply saddens me that this mentality still exists in what we consider to be a forward-looking government."
Rep. Juan-Carlos Planas, R-Miami, said Brown's remark was "not just racist on its face, but it's not true."
"It's that type of mentality that is prohibiting passage of a reasonable compromise immigration bill in Washington," Planas said. "As long as that festers, we're losing what the American spirit was all about."
A contrite Brown expressed regret. In a follow-up email, he wrote: "Please accept my sincerest apology."
"I wish I had not sent it out," Brown said in an interview. "I have apologized, and I will apologize again. In fact, I had not given it a whole lot of thought, which was my fault."
Brown added: "I did not think it through. It looked cute to me."
It's the second time in recent months that Brown has found himself at the center of controversy in the House.
In January, Brown, an insurance agent known for his outspoken style, was stripped of his chairmanship of the House Jobs & Entrepreneurship Council after he was one of only two lawmakers who opposed a major piece of insurance legislation.
Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.