Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's ties to Sunshine State run deep, 2 ex-Florida politicians say
MIAMI — In the wake of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's death, many are crediting Florida for sending him to the White House in 1976.
Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, has ties not only to the Sunshine State but especially those in South Florida run deep. Two former South Florida Democrats who side-by-side with Carter told CBS News Miami that he wasn't your average politician but a citizen of the world who wanted peace.
Former Florida State House Rep. Elaine Bloom recalled her time spent with the Carters over the years.
"It was a great honor to know a man like Jimmy Carter, to know his wife, Rosalyn Carter," she said. "Wonderful, dedicated Americans."
Bloom's proudest moment hangs on the wall of her condo: A picture from the first time she met President Carter in June 1976.
"The picture I have with him was taken when I brought a group of people to meet with him in the actual Governor's Mansion in Atlanta," she told CBS News Miami. "I got to know him over the years — a beautiful, fine man."
She's not alone — former Broward County Democratic Chair Mitch Ceaser worked with Carter during his presidential campaign, telling CBS News Miami he was more than just a former president.
"His legacy was much more than living to be 100," he said. "It's the Middle East peace accords. It's his work as a former president and ex-president. [He] was called the most successful former president in American history. And, I always remember him honestly as a good heart."
Ceaser said one of his fondest memories hangs in his office: An invitation to the White House to celebrate Florida.
"The first party he had was to celebrate the Florida primary victory and I was invited as a lot of Floridians who were involved at the time were," he told CBS News Miami.
Both Bloom and Ceaser said the decisions Carter made directly impacted and molded South Florida into what it is today.
"He was very dedicated to issues I cared about," Bloom said. "Whether it was education or whether it was helping Israel to achieve its goals."
"He was really a great civil rights activist and because of that, when you had the Mariel boatlift, it wasn't surprising that he let that happen," added Ceaser.
Bloom also said one of her fondest memories was taking her son to Carter's inauguration. It snowed the day before in Miami on Jan. 19, 1977, but her son forgave her because he witnessed history.
