In his first term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., will have a big seat at the table when it comes to transportation issues.
On Tuesday, Curbelo, who defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., in November, was named by U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., the chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to three subcommittees.
Curbelo will serve as the vice chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. He will also serve on the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management and the Aviation subcommittees.
Shuster praised Curbelo on Wednesday.
I look forward to working with Rep. Curbelo to accomplish our legislative goals of strengthening Americas infrastructure and improving our nations competitiveness, Shuster said, adding that he believes the freshman congressmans new assignments will help the region. I believe all South Floridians will benefit from having Rep. Curbelo as an efficient advocate and legislator on his assigned subcommittees.
Curbelo agreed with Shusters assessment on how his new tasks can benefit his district. which includes parts of Miami-Dade and all of Monroe County.
Our airports and seaports drive South Florida's economy and are of major significance to the country, Curbelo said. These important subcommittee assignments will afford me the opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner to increase our area's economic potential by expanding our transportation and infrastructure capacity. This will mean more opportunities and a higher quality of life for Florida families."
Curbelo has also been named to the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Small-Business Committee.
Both of Curbelos predecessors -- Garcia and U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla. -- served only one term each in Congress before being turned out. Representing a swing district, Curbelo is expected to be a major target for Democrats come 2016.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
