House Bill 9169

    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HR 9169

        By Representative Bloom






  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution commemorating the life of Gene

  3         Suarez.

  4

  5         WHEREAS, born in Matanzas, Cuba, in 1946, Gene Suarez

  6  came to the United States when he was 16 and, except for the

  7  time spent earning his degree in Boston, Massachusetts, made

  8  his home in the Miami Beach area until his death on February

  9  12, 1999, as a result of complications related to acquired

10  immune deficiency syndrome, and

11         WHEREAS, a tireless AIDS activist and crusading

12  volunteer, Gene Suarez was known in the often political and

13  tempestuous AIDS funding arena for his cool head and

14  remarkable decision-making ability, but he will be most fondly

15  remembered for his loving, compassionate support of those

16  living in the troubled, hurting world of AIDS, and

17         WHEREAS, Gene Suarez was a successful stockbroker until

18  his debilitating disease forced his retirement in 1991 and

19  AIDS advocacy became his passion, after which he devoted the

20  remainder of his life to giving full-time help and

21  encouragement to others suffering from the disease, and

22         WHEREAS, the selfless outreach of Gene Suarez ran the

23  gamut from averting the suicide of one despairing individual,

24  to shuttling patients to a workshop or meeting or a Sunday

25  movie and buffet, to chairing the Miami-Dade HUD's Housing

26  Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Advisory Board, and to

27  attending about 20 meetings each month to address AIDS issues,

28  and

29         WHEREAS, although perhaps best known for his founding

30  and working with the People With AIDS Coalition-Dade, his

31  efforts on behalf of AIDS victims had a much wider impact on

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HR 9169

    252-382A-00






  1  the community, as evidenced by his labors in bringing about

  2  the renovation of Shelbourne House, a 24-unit apartment

  3  building offering affordable housing to people living with

  4  AIDS and providing the physical design features and social

  5  services that allow its residents to live independently and

  6  enjoy a secure and healthy environment, a project so

  7  successful that a second building is in the offing, and

  8         WHEREAS, although his absence will resonate throughout

  9  the community and particularly among the unfortunate

10  individuals whose lives are touched by AIDS, the spirit of

11  Gene Suarez will live on in the hearts and memories of those

12  who benefited from his contributions, NOW, THEREFORE,

13

14  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

15  Florida:

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17         That the House of Representatives pauses in its

18  deliberations to honor the memory of Gene Suarez and to wish

19  continued success to those who remain in the battle on behalf

20  of those struggling with the effects of acquired immune

21  deficiency syndrome.

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