By Carmen Torres
I went in for a routine mammogram this week at the same clinic I’ve used for years. The technician performing the test made polite small talk and asked what I’d be doing over the weekend.
I told her I’d be protesting at City Hall at a “No Kings” rally and later tabling for Medicare for All.
You could have heard a pin drop.
In that moment, I realized I had just stepped into the divide that runs through so many parts of our state. We finished the exam in silence. As I got ready to leave, I wished her a good weekend and said, “See you next year.” Her response startled me: “We won’t be here next year — the clinic is closing down.”
I was genuinely sorry to hear that. No one deserves to lose their job, especially someone working in health care. I told her that my neighbor, a physician, had mentioned that about 1,700 clinics across Florida could soon close — meaning thousands of workers might face the same uncertainty.
And then it hit me: how many of these same people continue to vote for the very politicians whose policies make their lives harder?
For more than three decades, Republicans have held a near-total grip on Florida — controlling the governor’s mansion, the House, and the Senate. During that time, we’ve watched our property insurance market collapse, public education lose funding, and access to affordable health care erode. Yet many continue to cast their votes for the same leaders who preside over these failures.
Why?
Because politics today often revolves around identity, not reality. Too many voters have been convinced that “their side” represents their values — even when their paychecks, their clinics, and their freedoms tell a different story. The constant fearmongering about immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, and anyone seen as “different” has distracted voters from the real issues threatening their daily lives.
I didn’t argue with the technician. Her silence said enough. But I left wondering how many Floridians will wake up to find that the system they defended has left them jobless, uninsured, or both.
Florida deserves better — leaders who value working people, prioritize affordable health care, and invest in the future instead of culture wars.
This weekend, I’ll be protesting — not just for myself, but for that technician and thousands like her. Because when their clinics close, when their insurance premiums rise, when their freedoms are stripped away, I want them to know that some of us were fighting for them all along.
Carmen Torres is a community advocate and longtime resident of Central Florida.
Opinion: Why Do So Many Floridians Keep Voting Against Their Own Interests?
