[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 53 (Thursday, March 24, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING VIVIAN RODRIGUEZ FOR HER LIFELONG CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 24, 2022

  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, as Outreach Director for Florida's 9th 
Congressional District, Vivian Rodriguez served as a Federal liaison to 
Central Florida constituents and community leaders. Her dedication to 
underserved communities helped to elevate their voices and concerns. 
During her tenure, Ms. Rodriguez organized hundreds of outreach 
meetings and community events. She proudly recognized community leaders 
who selflessly gave their time to benefit Central Florida at multiple 
cultural events each year.
  Ms. Rodriguez worked to support our office's belief in combatting 
social injustice by organizing advisory committee panels to identify 
areas within our community that needed improvement from criminal 
justice, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ priorities. Following the devastation 
from Hurricane Maria, Ms. Rodriguez united community leaders to help 
thousands of people transition into our Central Florida community from 
Puerto Rico.
  One of Ms. Rodriguez's greatest accomplishments was working with the 
LGBTQ+ community to designate Pulse as a National Memorial. Her efforts 
will honor the victims' families, survivors, and Central Florida 
community forever. She also drafted letters of support to increase our 
community's resources during the global health pandemic. Her actions 
helped boost our community vaccination numbers and improve COVID-19 
testing availability.
  Today, we celebrate her lifelong career in public service, which 
began at the New York City Police Department where she was committed to 
protecting her community, especially following the 9/11 attack. She 
later worked as a consultant to the Department of Homeland Security 
before serving Central Florida as Outreach Director for Florida's 9th 
Congressional District. We are grateful for Vivian's commitment to 
serving our community and wish her the best in her retirement.

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