Hasner to DOT: Yank Citgo off Florida’s Turnpike
Published Friday, September 22, 2006
Angry with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for calling President Bush “the devil,” state Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, is calling on the Florida Secretary of Transportation to pull the plug on gasoline stations along the Florida Turnpike run by Venezuelan-owned Citgo.
“I am requesting that you take the necessary actions to immediately terminate our state contracts with Citgo,” Hasner said in a letter to FDOT head Denver Stutler Jr.
Hasner sent a copy to Gov. Jeb Bush, who he said has taken the request seriously.
To the secretary, Hasner wrote: “You are aware, Citgo is wholly owned by Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We must send a clear message to Chavez, and the current government of Venezuela, that the state of Florida and are citizens will not support institutions that seek the destabilization of America and our institutions and freedoms.”
The South County rep said the incident is not just an insult to the president of the United States, but is also “a wake-up call for the need to find alternative energy sources.”
Hasner has led the effort for non-petroleum fuels. He drives a hybrid car - and has worked in the state legislature for alternative fuel laws.
In a speech this past week at the United Nations, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez at the United Nations characterized President Bush as “the devil.”
Hasner said the comment has enraged all Americans, regardless of party. The local representative also pointed out how Chavez is currying favor with the likes of U.S.-haters such as Fidel Castro.
“That is going on 90 miles off our shores - or about 150 miles from where we are right now,” said an angry Hasner.
“This is not just an attack on the president, it is an attack on who we are as Americans,” he said. “It is part of a bigger issue for Americans and Floridians. We will have to work even harder to develop alternative fuels.”
Citgo could not be reached by the Boca Raton News for comment.