Gov. Scott calls for political prisoners to be freed in Venezuela, elections

Trump administration has levied sanctions against Maduro government

DORAL, Fla. – The de facto gathering place for Doral's Venezuelan community, El Arepazo 2 is a familiar stop for Gov. Rick Scott.

On Monday, Scott went there and called for the Venezuelan government to free all political prisoners, step down and hold elections, and he announced a plan for state sanctions.

“At my next cabinet meeting, I will be proposing a resolution that will say any organization that does business with the Madura regime cannot do business with the state of Florida,” he said.

This is a familiar idea to those who remember a 2012 Florida law banning companies that also operated in Castro's Cuba. That move was deemed unenforceable.

“What we should be able to do is we can make sure we have in our pension plan where we invest our money in the state we can make sure none of those dollars are invested in companies that do business with the Madura regime - we can do that,” Scott said.

Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Caracas on Sunday, the 100th straight day of anti-government demonstrations. 

It's estimated that 92 people have been killed and more than a thousand have been injured. 

Sunday's rally came the day after opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was transferred from a military prison to house arrest. 

Lopez said he is not backing down from the fight to push the country's government out of power and to save Venezuela from collapse. 

Federally, the Trump administration has already levied sanctions against Maduro government officials, including members of the Venezuelan Supreme Court and promise other sanctions. 

 “We're going to seize their property, we're going to freeze their bank accounts. That is something that has real power, real teeth,” U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, said. 


About the Author:

Glenna Milberg joined Local 10 News in September 1999 to report on South Florida's top stories and community issues. She also serves as co-host on Local 10's public affairs broadcast, "This Week in South Florida."