Philip Levine said Tuesday his experience as a two-term former Miami Beach mayor and a successful entrepreneur gives him an advantage over his competitors to become the next governor of Florida.
Appearing Tuesday on WJCT’s First Coast Connect, Levine noted founding Onboard Media with only $500 and turning it into a multi-million dollar company, which he sold in 2000.
Levine said he used innovative ways to get things accomplished in Miami Beach and would do the same in Tallahassee.
He said he addressed sea level rise with a $500 million program that included raising roads, putting in pumps and changing Miami Beach’s building codes.
Levine also pushed through a minimum living wage in the city.
“You can’t live on $8.25 an hour. So as opposed to talking about it, I actually did it as the mayor. We passed the first minimum living wage in the history of the state of Florida,” he said.
Levine also said he would push to make Florida a leader in solar and renewable energy. He said it’s time for leadership that treats climate change seriously.
Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
