Lourdes Ramirez says censorship is ‘alive and well’ in local Republican Party.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: July 31, 2024
Host: It’s campaign season. At a rally this weekend at Robarts Arena, the Sarasota Republican Party chief expelled two Republicans – one candidate, and one slow-development activist. Lourdes Ramirez is not just any activist. She ran as a Republican for Sarasota County Commission, and she chaired the Republican Women’s Club. Ramon Lopez has that story.
Ramon Lopez: A giant American flag hung from a crane outside of Robarts Arena last Saturday. Inside, Republican bigwigs and prospective candidates for the Sarasota County Commission, City Commission, local school board, hospital board, and other elected positions, rubbed elbows with Grand Old Party die-hards. Apple pie and votes were up for grabs at the GOP Candidates Pie Rally.
Ramirez
Booths were set up in the arena where the candidates handed out campaign literature. Among them was one for Republican Alexandra Coe. She will face Teresa Mast in the GOP Primary. Incumbent County Commissioner Mike Moran cannot run for re-election thanks to term limits. He is instead running for Tax Collector.
Coe’s booth prominently displayed a ‘Keep the Country Country’ sign. The bright yellow sign is the hallmark of a grassroots campaign opposing a mega development in the county’s rural east.
But not all were welcome at the local political event. Just ask outspoken community activist Lourdes Ramirez. The Siesta Key resident and head of Protect Siesta Key was escorted out of the Republican rally by three Sarasota City police officers.
Ramirez provides chapter and verse:
Lourdes Ramirez: I decided to take one of my Protect Siesta Key signs — These are yard signs that say “No Mega Hotels” on the bottom — took one yard sign to bring it in. Alexandra Coe, who’s running for County Commission District 1, wanted it for her booth. She wanted to show that she supported Siesta Key.
I was questioned at the parking lot by a police officer and two volunteers about what I was doing with this sign. And I told them I was bringing it to a candidate. And so they said, “Okay,” and they let me go. So I went through the security of Robart and they asked about the sign. I said, “Oh yeah, I’m bringing it to a candidate.” That was fine, so I walked through the door. The head of the Republican party, Jack Brill, approached me and he’s like, “No, no, you can’t have that sign and that t-shirt.” And I was surprised. And then I said to him, “What’s the problem?” He goes, “Only candidate signs are allowed.” I thought everything was fine, but he started to give me a hard time, and one of his workers was giving me a hard time about the sign. They kept repeating that I couldn’t have the sign, even though I said I was going to bring the sign back. And Jack and I started to talk about free speech. “Well,” I was telling him, “I do believe in the right to free speech,” and his worker was just constantly yelling in my ear about “Get rid of the sign, get rid of the sign.” That’s when I turned to her and I said, “Would you shut up?” And then he said to me, “You’re out of here.” And I really thought he was a little overreacting, and he was almost beside himself. I actually had to tell him to calm down. I said, “Jack, calm down. It’s just a sign.” Three police officers showed up to escort me out. And then when I went outside, he told the police officers not to let me in, that I’m banned from going in.
Ramirez says she was going to put up her signs at Alexandra Coe’s booth.
RL: Ramirez speculates on Jack Brill’s motive for ejecting her.
LR: I do know that Jack Brill and some of his workers also volunteer and help out, not Jack himself, but the volunteers, his workers volunteer for Neil Rainford and Teresa Mast. And they both had — when they were planning commissioners — voted for the hotels. The only thing I could think of is they were trying to not have that controversy with their chosen candidate, and the biggest contributor to the local Republican party is Fenderson. He gave $10,000 to the party in March. So I imagine, now I’m thinking back, not at the time I was just trying to help a candidate, but now thinking back about the way they overreacted makes me wonder if they didn’t want something that might hurt the feelings of their biggest donor, because he’s proposing the hotels on Siesta Key. I believe I was targeted because when you go to Alex Coe’s booth she had “Keep the Country Country” sign there. So why stop my sign?
RL: Ramirez says “Censorship is alive and well with some leaders of the local Republic Party.”
Eddie Speir
The diminutive community activist was not the only one booted from the GOP event. Eddie Speir — a former New College trustee and contender for U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan’s seat — was removed from Robarts Arena by Brill after he yelled out at the end of his opponent’s speech. Speir says he was not allowed to speak at the rally. WSLR reached out to Jack Brill. He declined comment.
This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
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