Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor the bravery and selfless service of the individuals who responded to the building collapse in Surfside, FL, on June 24, 2021. I want to thank all eight of Florida's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force teams from Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami, Hillsborough County, Central Florida, Northeast Florida, Southwest Florida, North Florida, and North Central Florida for responding when the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, FL, suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night. They swiftly heeded the call of duty to assist in search, rescue, and recovery efforts following the collapse. In the face of tremendous tragedy, they ran into danger. They are heroes. Florida's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force teams are deployed to aid communities following a natural or manmade disaster, and all eight deployed to Surfside to aid in the search, rescue, and recovery efforts. Nearly 370 urban search and rescue members worked on-site, making this the largest nonhurricane deployment in Florida's history. Some of these responders lost family in the collapse; yet they still answered the call. Rescue crews worked tirelessly, even when smoke and heat from a fire inside the building's standing portion hampered their efforts. They persisted when the temperatures escalated so much that some needed IVs to replenish fluids. They continued on when Tropical Storm Elsa passed nearby and dumped torrential rain.…”