Florida Senate - 2013                            (NP)    SR 1866
       
       
       
       By Senator Soto
       
       
       
       
       14-01601A-13                                          20131866__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution designating April 18, 2013, as “Puerto
    3         Rico Day” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was discovered by
    6  Christopher Columbus in 1493 and ceded by Spain to the United
    7  States in 1898, following the Spanish-American War, and
    8         WHEREAS, with a population of nearly 4 million people, the
    9  Commonwealth of Puerto Rico boasts an additional 2.7 million
   10  Puerto Ricans who live in the continental United States,
   11  approximately one-half of whom are second and third generation,
   12  and
   13         WHEREAS, more than 250,000 Puerto Ricans reside in the
   14  State of Florida, predominantly in South Florida and the Orlando
   15  area, and
   16         WHEREAS, the people of Puerto Rico represent a diverse
   17  cultural and racial mix, and
   18         WHEREAS, Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth in
   19  association with the United States, the commonwealth’s chief of
   20  state is the President of the United States of America, and the
   21  head of Puerto Rico’s government is an elected governor, and
   22         WHEREAS, Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies
   23  in the Caribbean region, with exports and imports nearly
   24  doubling between fiscal years 1987 and 1997, and
   25         WHEREAS, the tourism industry has traditionally been an
   26  important source of income for Puerto Rico, with nearly 3.9
   27  million tourists in 1993, providing 7 percent of the island’s
   28  Gross National Product and employing over 60,000 people, and
   29         WHEREAS, the State of Florida promotes the enhancement of
   30  trade, business, cultural, and educational exchanges with the
   31  Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, NOW, THEREFORE,
   32  
   33  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   34  
   35         That April 18, 2013, is designated as “Puerto Rico Day” in
   36  the State of Florida.