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In Palm Bay, immigration vote divisive


VICtor Manuel Ramos
Sentinel Staff Writer

July 20, 2006


The city of Palm Bay is set to vote today on an ordinance that intends to crack down on illegal immigration by imposing fines and possibly leveling criminal charges on employers hiring unauthorized workers.

Localities across the country are following the footsteps of the Pennsylvania city of Hazleton in trying to restrict the influx of illegal immigrants.

Palm Bay, a city of more than 80,000 in southern Brevard County, is the first Florida municipality to consider such legislation. Avon Park, in southwest Florida, is set to debate its immigration ordinance Monday. It has drawn national attention because it proposes to penalize people "that aid and abet illegal aliens."

Palm Bay's hearing tonight is expected to attract immigrant advocates, churches and businesses that oppose what they see as unfair punitive measures against mostly Hispanic workers and small businesses in the construction trade. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road, SE.

United Third Bridge, a Melbourne advocacy group made up of mostly U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico, said it will attend to support the immigrants and oppose what they see as an anti-Hispanic proposal.

"Most of the Hispanic community in Palm Bay is made up of American citizens, so why is this an issue?" group leader Samuel Lopez said. "What this does is create a bigoted phobia in the white community, so they can say the immigrants are taking away jobs, while Congress outsources jobs to China and India."

Mayor John Mazziotti also has criticized the ordinance. But council member Andy Anderson, its proponent on the five-member City Council, said he is not backing down. He said illegal immigrants drive down wages and create unfair competition for small businesses that don't hire them.

Anderson is offering two versions of his ordinance. One imposes civil fines of $200 to employers who hire illegal immigrants and bans them temporarily from work in the city. The second version would authorize the filing of misdemeanor charges on top of those penalties.

"They could show up and say I am racist. But they are wrong, because this race card is just the lowest common denominator on any issue," Anderson said. "It won't sway my beliefs in the laws of the United States and the Constitution."

Hispanic groups won't be the only ones expressing their opposition to the Palm Bay ordinance. Area builders have already said they think the legislation targets them unfairly.

Tom Morris, president of the Home Builders and Contractors Association of Brevard, which represents about 800 companies in the county, said local enforcement would hurt the very small businesses the councilman seeks to protect from unfair competition.

"It's not a fair scenario for us in the industry to be that liable and that responsible for anyone who ends up at our work sites," Morris said.

Victor Manuel Ramos can be reached at vramos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6186.