Florida Republicans court Hispanics at Orlando conference

ORLANDO - Florida's Republicans are gathering Saturday in Orlando to shore up support among Hispanics as the presidential election nears — part of a long-term strategy to earn the community's votes for good.

Among the heavy-hitters attending the Republican Hispanic Conference: Luis Fortuño, the front-runner gubernatorial candidate from Puerto Rico; U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez; and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida.

"What you can expect to see is a lot of people excited, discussing how to get the word of Republican principles to the Hispanic community," said Marcos Marchena, an Orlando attorney who is chairman of the party's Hispanic Leadership Council.

He said Hispanics are "a very natural ally" because of "the strong message of the Republican Party in terms of personal opportunity, faith, strong family values, a strong economy and the need for health care for children."

Democrats see this as simply another election-season effort that doesn't equal a lasting relationship. The state's Democratic Party says it has had Hispanic caucuses for years.

"They are doing this because they are starting to feel desperate, and they probably know that no incumbent should feel confident in this state," said Alejandro Miyar, a Democratic Party spokesman.

State voter registration numbers show that although most Florida Hispanics were registered Republicans as of the past primary, the party has lost more than 5,000 Hispanic voters since 2006.

Meanwhile, Democrats saw a registration increase of more than 13,000 Hispanics.

Bearing the brunt of the blame for the failure of immigration reform, Republicans also have lost ground among Hispanics at the national level.

While Florida Republicans have relied on a solid Cuban base of mostly conservative voters in South Florida, Democrats have benefited from the increased numbers of Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics throughout the state.

José A. Fernández, who presides over the Orange County Chapter of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida, said that as Republicans have their conference, his group is going door-to-door.

"They are very far behind," Fernández said. "We are doing the grass-roots work."

Republicans, however, have been successful in tapping local Hispanics to run for office and in earning the community's support. Seven of the eight Hispanic elected officials in Central Florida are Republicans.

"Florida is the only state with significant Hispanic population in which Republicans have won the Hispanic vote for at least the last four [election] cycles," said Republican Party spokeswoman Erin VanSickle.

Mildred Fernández, an Orange County commissioner who is Puerto Rican, said those results prove her party is doing something right.

At a Mother's Day luncheon Tuesday with mostly Hispanic senior citizens at El Dorado Apartments in east Orlando, several residents approached Fernández to discuss their concerns.

She said her party affiliation has never been an issue in the community she serves.

"They know me as Mildred, their elected official, who is always here, and not as just a Republican candidate," said Fernández, who so far is running unopposed for a second term.

"That's what we need to do, engage the Hispanics and especially the Puerto Ricans here."

Her visibility convinced Rafael Rivera, a 65-year-old Puerto Rican retiree attending the luncheon. He has always been a Democrat, but he crossed party lines in 2004, voting for her and Mel Martinez.

"They are the ones that I have seen in our community," Rivera said. "When you come to meet people you show that you care, because you can't win an election sitting behind a desk or just through television."

By VÍCTOR MANUEL RAMOS | Orlando Sentinel