Statement By Florida Speaker-Designate Marco Rubio Regarding Fidel Castro

    MIAMI, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- "I am following the events regarding the
 health of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro with great interest. The demise of
 Castro and his regime is inevitable. We are hopeful that the events of the
 last 24 hours mark the beginning of freedom and democracy for the people of
 Cuba.
     "I have been in contact with the office of the Governor as well as all
 the pertinent public safety agencies of the state of Florida. We are
 confident that the state of Florida, working in partnership with the local
 and federal government, is fully prepared for any political changes in
 Cuba.
     "This is a time of great hope. I am confident that our community will
 continue to handle these events in a manner worthy of the enormous
 contributions Cuban exiles have made to our state and our country."
     Biography of Incoming House Speaker Marco Rubio
     Proud to be the son of Cuban exiles, incoming Florida House Speaker
 Marco Rubio is aware of how cultural diversity enriches community. He has
 brought that perspective to the state capitol, realizing that Florida is
 perfectly positioned to play a major role in the burgeoning global markets
 of Latin America and the Caribbean.
     Rep. Rubio was born May 28, 1971, in Miami, the third of four children
 of Mario and Oria Rubio, Cuban exiles who arrived in the U.S. in the late
 1950's. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1993 in the top 10
 percent of his class and continued on to graduate Cum Laude from the
 University of Miami School of Law in 1996.
     In 1998, Rubio was elected to the West Miami City Commission where he
 served until January of 2000, when he was elected in a special election to
 fill a vacancy in House District 111. He has subsequently been re-elected
 three times.
     He was quickly selected to serve as House Majority Whip and three years
 later the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives appointed Rubio
 House Majority Leader. He is the first, and to date, only Hispanic to hold
 that post in the history of the state. In October 2003, Rubio secured the
 necessary pledges from his colleagues to become Speaker of the House,
 commencing in November of 2006.
     On September 13, 2005, Rep. Rubio was formally designated to be the
 Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006-2008.
     Rubio is married to Jeanette Dousdebes. They have two daughters, Amanda
 Loren and Daniella Grace, and son Anthony Luis. He is as passionate about
 sports as he is about politics, especially when it comes to rooting for the
 Miami Dolphins.
 
 

SOURCE Marco Rubio