News

It seems that Fox News commentator John Stossel has enlisted in Rep. John Mica’s war to neutralize or minimize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The television journalist reported last month that when the Florida Republican was helping to create the TSA, he added a provision that allows airports to “opt out” of federalized security….

Mica has long complained that the TSA does not make us safer. He points out that Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber,” was stopped by alert passengers, not by the TSA. The father of the “underwear bomber” warned the government about his son, but the TSA still allowed him to fly with a bomb in his underwear. Only passengers prevented him from detonating it.

After the Times Square Bomber’s attack failed in 2010, Mica revealed that the man “ordered his ticket on the way to JFK, went through TSA [and] got on the airplane.”

Stossel reported that the TSA has become a wasteful bureaucracy. It installed nearly 100 “puffer” machines at airports and planned to install many more, for $150,000 each, to detect explosives. “You won’t see them at an airport today, because the machines didn’t work,” the report said. “Rep. Mica says the TSA paid the Department of Defense $600 apiece to destroy them.”

Click HERE to read the full article on Aviation International News

Despite Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid’s public admonition Congressman Mica conducted full U.S. House hearings relating to outrageous General Services Administration convention spending.

Mica began his efforts several years ago to cleanup GSA waste including a report in October 2010 entitled “The Federal Government must stop sitting on its Assets.” That investigative report detailed Billions of dollars in Taxpayer losses from Thousands of Federal Buildings or properties that are left vacant or under-utilized. Mica has conducted Hearings as recently as last month in Vacant Federal Buildings to highlight GSA waste.

He has, just in the last year, forced action to convert a vacant federal property from a money loser to a revenue producer. more details can be found at the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure website.

Palatka Daily News says, “This one is simple….. We STRONGLY recommend Mica for re-election.”

This one is simple.

Lots of incumbents in U.S. House races are ducking for cover from voters who are seeking transformation change in Washington. Incumbents who have done their jobs with a proper respect for people and tax dollars should not be caught up in such a wave of change.

John Mica, R-Winter Park, is such a candidate. After the 2000 Census, Mica’s district was redrawn to include portions of Putnam County. It was a blessing. Mica understands the working of Washington and has effectively sought community consensus and then positioned Putnam County to make Washington work well for local initiatives. The result has been good for the people of Putnam County.

During Mica’s service to Putnam County, things have changed greatly in D.C. Mica has not been a stagnant force. He has moved well with the political tides and earned respect on both sides of the aisle.

He also is closely involved in transportation matters, including safety at U.S. airports. We need to keep him in a position to help make sure we constantly test the logic and effectiveness of decisions involving our safety.

We thank Mica for his attention to matters of local importance. We appreciate all that he has done to improve our quality of life. He has shown a consistent concern for people and how federal government can work logically to help at a reasonable cost.

We STRONGLY recommend Mica for re-election.

This article was published in PalatkaDailyNews. To access their archives, you can subscribe by clicking HERE.

3. John Mica
U.S. Representative
Age: 67
HALL OF POWER ’10

With SunRail’s chances of coming to fruition in jeopardy last fall, Mica used the carrot-and-stick approach to get the commuter rail project through the Florida Senate, which twice had rejected it. The ranking Republican on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee warned that the state had no hope of getting $2.6 billion for a high-speed rail line connecting Orlando with Tampa if the Senate didn’t pass SunRail. The tactic worked, but the state got only half the amount it sought for the 90-mile HSR link. Still, Mica, representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District, is pushing grand—and hugely expensive—plans for mass transit via rail, with high-speed, commuter and light rail connecting Florida’s major cities.

2010 Rank: 3

2009 Rank: 40

Click HERE to read the full article in Orlando Magazine

Republican John Mica is an incumbent voters can feel good about sending back to Washington. First elected in 1992, Mr. Mica is his party’s leader on transportation issues in Congress. He almost single-handedly created the opportunity for commuter rail in Central Florida by lining up federal funding for the system. He is a nationally recognized expert on airport security. He still finds time to be attentive to other needs in his district.

Mr. Mica’s Democratic opponent, Faye Armitage, is a former economics professor and a political activist. She is well-meaning, but no match for Mr. Mica.

The Sentinel endorses John Mica in the 7th Congressional District.

Click HERE to Read the full article on OrlandoSentinel.com

Congress, District 7: John Mica Faye Armitage is more aligned with us ideologically – ending the Iraq War, universal health care, etc. – but U.S. Rep. Mica has spent the last 16 years gaining all-important seniority and becoming the region’s mass transportation point person. We need better mass transit, and that means we can’t afford to lose Mica.

Neither Democratic challenger presents a viable option

In their August 2nd editorial, the Daytona Beach News-Journal refused to endorse either Democrat running in the 7th Congressional District, stating that voters should vote for Rep. John Mica November 4th. Read excerpts below:

“In the Aug. 26 primary, two Democrats are vying for the chance to face 24-year incumbent U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, in November. The contest is something akin to two fish fighting to be a shark’s dinner. Mica has far more money than either challenger. That might not matter if either Democrat provided a compelling argument that they can serve this area better than Mica.”

“…Mica does a decent job of seeing to the local needs of a far-flung district that starts in Jacksonville, takes in all of Flagler and east Volusia counties and extends to Casselberry. “

“During his most recent term, Mica scrambled for funds to save a planned housing project for chronically homeless people in Daytona Beach, worked to bring new airlines to Daytona Beach International Airport and brokered a meeting between federal, state and local emergency-management officials on storm preparedness. It’s a commitment that goes beyond pork: Mica pays attention to the needs of District 7 — including local officials’ battles to preserve mental-health and substance abuse treatment, and protect natural resources. And he works to see that those needs are met, even when he doesn’t get cooperation — his persistence in pushing for commuter rail linking DeLand to the Orlando area is admirable. “

“…neither candidate has made the case to replace Mica in November.

· RECOMMENDATION: John Mica for Congressional District 7. No recommendation in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary.

Americans For Prosperity, a grassroots advocacy and educational organization released the 2007-2008 Freedom From Oil Scorecard, giving Rep. John Mica a 100% ranking.

The Scorecard ranks lawmakers based on a composite score of eight roll call votes and co-sponsorship of three initiatives that would positively or negatively impact gas and energy prices. Co-sponsorships of bills that would allow off-shore and ANWR drilling were scored positively, while co-sponsorship of a cap-and-trade regulatory regime was scored negatively. Lawmakers received positive marks for votes against punitive tax hikes on domestic oil and energy, and negative marks for a vote to oppose opening the outer continental shelf to natural gas exploration.

AFP is an organization of grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state and federal levels. The grassroots members of AFP advocate for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint.  For more information: http://www.americansforprosperity.org

Orlando Sentinel.com
The 25 most powerful people in Central Florida
Scott Maxwell
TAKING NAMES

As we have worked our way up the year’s list of “The 25 Most Powerful People in Central Florida,” we passed CEOs, philanthropists, political players and rising stars.

But now we’ve reached the top and find five people who have control over the roads on which you drive, the college degrees you can get, the parks in which you can play and the jobs available for you and your family.

They are four elected officials and one education leader. And, according to our panel of 16 plugged-in observers, they have more direct impact on our community than anyone else.

5.  John Mica. This one is interesting. The senior Republican among Central Florida’s U.S. House delegation has never before appeared in the top five. And yet he pops up now — after his party becomes the minority in Congress. So why did our panelists deem him so powerful? Primarily because he was downright dogged in his pursuit of commuter rail — and ultimately successful. For more than a decade, the 64-year-old from Winter Park pursued his dream, despite one roadblock (or is that track-block?) after another. One panelist suggested his autobiography be named The Little Light Rail and Congressman That Could. It’s worth noting that Mica — who seems to tick off his own constituents less often than some others in our congressional delegation — is the only member of the U.S. House to ever make this list . . . or, really, even come close.