South Florida’s Venezuelan community honored Florida Sen. Bill Nelson on Friday, April 13 - recognized in Miami-Dade County and other South Florida municipalities as the Day of the Venezuelan Exile - by awarding him with the “Rómulo Betancourt Proclamation.”
The award is named after a former Venezuelan president considered “the father of Venezuelan democracy” and is given by the Venezuelan Organization of Politically Persecuted in Exile (VEPPEX).
Sen. Nelson condemned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for making Venezuelans suffer.
“It is very apparent that the Venezuelan dictatorship is starving their people. They do not have basic necessities, medical care," said Nelson. "The United States has really got to clamp down on the economic sanctions.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has also supported statewide policies against the Maduro regime. He announced his Senate bid against Nelson this week.
Speaking out against threats to democracy, Sen. Nelson also supported U.S. military intervention in Syria.
