Introduction
Randy Fine (born April 20, 1974) is an American Republican politician and former gambling industry executive who was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives from the 53rd district in 2016 and re-elected in 2018. His district covers southern Brevard County.
Background
Fine was born and raised to a Jewish family in Tucson, Arizona and is a graduate of Harvard University.
Before entering politics, Fine worked as an executive for casino gambling companies such as Harrah's Entertainment and American Casino & Entertainment Properties. For nearly ten years, he operated a Nevada-based consulting business for the casino industry, called The Fine Point Group. In 2009, he was the chief executive of the Greektown Casino in Detroit.
In the legislature
In the state legislature, Fine has been an advocate for protecting the environment of the Indian River Lagoon from sewage spills, and for opposing what he sees as wasteful, lower-priority spending. Fine has introduced a bill in the state legislature to provide up to $50 million per year in matching funds to upgrade sewage treatment facilities in the area of the marsh. The legislation also increases the fines for illegal sewage discharges.
The editorial board of local newspaper Florida Today has criticized Fine's personal style. Their joint editorial observed that "Fine is obviously a hard working lawmaker who has used his watchdog skills to do good" but said that "Fine should defend what he believes in, but not by launching tirades against others as crusades on behalf of his constituents. He can look good without trying to make others look bad with personal attacks."
In 2018 Fine voted for H.B. 631, a controversial bill that gave many beachfront property owners in Florida the right to ‘eject’ people from the beach, while at the same time, he owned a beachfront property.
In April 2019, Fine called Paul Halpern, a Jewish constituent of his, a "Judenrat" for supporting an event that discussed the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Halpern stated, "That's the worst thing anyone can say to me. I'm someone who’s been a victim of anti-Semitism much of my life, and there’s no worse name you can call a Jewish person than 'Judenrat.' It tells me about the character of the person who said it, especially since he doesn’t know me."