Tampa Bay voters held their own town hall meeting Wednesday night in an effort to make Senator Marco Rubio aware of their concerns. 

  • Tampa voters voice concerns to absentee Senator Rubio at town hall
  • Voters upset with lack of attention from FL representative
  • Rubio and staff invited to meeting, did not attend

Voters say they have been unable to arrange meetings with Senator Rubio and have only been met with "locked doors, unanswered phones, and unreturned emails." 

During the election Rubio promised he was the best choice to represent Florida in the Senate and that he would be a check on the incoming Trump administration, however, Rubio has voted with Trump's agenda since day one. 

Citizens have tried to voice their concerns to Florida's representative for weeks, but say they are being ignored. 

So voters decided to host a town hall that was organized by and for constituents. The idea for a town hall started with Melissa Gallagher. 

She decided to plan a town hall after she called Rubio's office last week and was informed that the Senator did not have any town halls scheduled. 

Senator Rubio and his senior staff were invited to the town hall, but did not attend. 

Over 1,000 Tampa Bay voters attended the meeting. They had the opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns on issues including health care, climate change, national security and foreign affairs.

"Tonight was a peaceful, powerful and organic evening that showcased the broad assortment of concerns that over 1,000 Tampa Bay area residents have about our state, national and international policies," said Gallagher. 

She continued saying, "The question I think every Florida constituent should have on their mind is “Why is Senator Rubio trying to divide and avoid his own constituent base?”  As our elected representative - Rubio has to represent ALL of us and ALL of our voices.  He is luxuriating in picking and choosing his degree of interaction with the people he represents.  As of now, that interaction is absent as is his presence at constituent outreach events like the Town Hall I hosted tonight.  Florida has a missing Senator."

Despite Rubio's absence, voters still voiced their concerns, speaking to an empty chair.