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RESOLUTION URGING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT, AND THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT

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WHEREAS, Nicol�s Maduro, a member of the United Socialist Party, was declared the winner of Venezuela�s April 14, 2013 presidential election by an incredibly slim margin with 50.6 percent of votes cast; and
WHEREAS, Maduro, who claims to have been elected democratically, has frequently resorted to dictatorial tactics including silencing the media, jailing political opponents, and postponing elections; and
WHEREAS, the Venezuelan government continuously suppresses the voices of its citizens through political arrests; and
WHEREAS, police and military raids have led to widespread abuse, including extrajudicial killings, mass arbitrary detentions, torture in prisons, forced evictions, and arbitrary deportations; and
WHEREAS, in May 2017, the U.S. Treasury Department froze United States assets of eight members of Venezuela�s Supreme Court of Justice and barred American citizens from engaging in financial transactions with those justices; and


WHEREAS, Florida Governor Rick Scott has stated his support for proposals which would ban any organization which does business with the Maduro regime from contracting with the State of Florida, including keeping finance companies with ties to the regime from managing Florida Retirement System funds; and
WHEREAS, the Trump administration has reportedly considered sanctions on Venezuela�s state-run oil company, Petr�leos de Venezuela, S.A. (�PDVSA�), which accounts for 95 percent of the country�s export revenues, including a ban on Venezuelan oil imports in the United States or prohibiting PVDSA from bidding on United States government contracts; and
WHEREAS, this Board has passed Resolution Nos. R-253-14, R-526-17, R-527-17, R-528-17, and R-528-17, all of which are designed to support positive intervention and a rectifying of the crumbling socioeconomic landscape in Venezuela; and
WHEREAS, despite international outcry which has only heightened in the preceding months, the Venezuelan government�s rampant disregard for the free speech rights of its citizens has persisted; and�
WHEREAS, these are not the actions of a nation that purports to be democratic and governed by the rule of law; and
WHEREAS, this Board believes that further action, including economic sanctions, must be taken in order to hasten Maduro�s regime out of office,�
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges President Donald Trump, the United States Congress, Governor Rick Scott, and the Florida Legislature to support bills, policies, or measures imposing economic sanctions against the Venezuelan government.
Section 2. Continues to express support for those Venezuelans who are valiantly fighting to restore their nation to a peaceful, democratic state.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States, Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation, Governor Rick Scott, the Florida Senate President, Florida House Speaker, and the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation.
Section 4. Directs the County�s federal and state lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2017 Federal and State Legislative Packages to include this item, and to include this item in the 2018 State Legislative Package when it is presented to the Baord.�