Latinos Rise in Numbers, Not Influence

New York Times reported that: Over the last decade, Florida’s Hispanic population has exploded, especially in central Florida, where the number of Hispanic residents in Orange County jumped 84 percent. They are now 308,244 of 1.2 million residents, about one in four. But some here are raising questions about why Hispanics’ representation on influential political boards has not kept pace with their increase in numbers in this county, of which Orlando is the seat. Last month, only days after the fresh census data reflecting the surge in the Hispanic population, county commissioners and the mayor appointed a 15-member panel to redraw the boundaries of political districts with data culled from the 2010 census. Just two of the board members are Hispanic. The appointing of two non-Hispanic whites by County Commissioner Jennifer Thompson (who, like all the commissioners, had the power to name two panelists) drew particular criticism because she represents a district that is 38.4 percent Hispanic. “It just breaks my heart to see that we are here 40 years, and we should be moving forward and included in every segment of the community, and that is just not happening,” said Trini Quiroz, 62, a community leader who raised her concerns at a recent County Commission meeting. “How do you ignore one-third of the entire population? It’s not right.”