Kissimmee–Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum met with the Osceola Pastors’ Coalition yesterday to discuss consumer protection issues. The bilingual educational session was sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida. General McCollum was joined by Osceola County Commission Chairman John Quiñones, Kissimmee Mayor Jim Swan, Kissimmee Commissioner Art Otero, Kissimmee Commissioner Carlos Irizarry and Osceola School Board Member Julius Melendez as well as pastors and ministers of several churches in the City of Kissimmee and the Osceola County area.
“I am pleased to be here today to discuss the important work we are undertaking to protect consumers, prevent fraud in our communities and on the Internet, and prosecute those responsible for illegally taking advantage of other Floridians,” said General McCollum. “I am hopeful that our discussion here today will lead to greater awareness and prevention of fraud.”
The bilingual education session sought to raise awareness of the problem of fraud in the Hispanic community in Central Florida. A number of incidents have occurred in recent weeks, including an individual posing as a pastor in order to swindle $8,000 dollars from a Hispanic citizen in Osceola County. The Republican Party of Florida believes that faith-based organizations are a critical component of maintaining an awareness of this type of crime in communities across our state.
“I appreciate the good work General McCollum and Republican elected officials throughout Florida have done to make addressing this issue a priority,” said Chairman Greer. “We aren’t just Republicans on Election Day. We must practice what we preach year in and year out, and part of that message is that government can only go so far – after that it is the responsibility of community and faith-based organizations to take what they have learned here today and work to inform communities about the dangers of fraud.”
