By William March, published on Aug. 4, 2017 by The Tampa Bay Times

Gov. Rick Scott isn't the only Republican in Florida to avoid saying whether he supports or opposes President Donald Trump's proposed ban on transgender members of the military.

While Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, was strongly opposed, Republican congressmen representing Hillsborough County didn't take positions, when asked about President Donald Trump's tweets saying he intends to ban transgender people from the military.

A Castor spokesman responded by pointing to her social media post saying, "Discrimination and prejudice in America's military has never served our country well … Every patriotic American who meets all physical requirements and is qualified to serve, should be allowed to serve."

She said Trump "chose to lash out today in a harsh, intolerant fashion against transgender individuals who would like to serve America. … Does he understand that thousands of transgender individuals already serve honorably?"

Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, and Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, didn't respond to email inquiries this week.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, sent an email statement: "I would like to hear directly from our military leaders" on the idea. "Depriving people of the right to serve in the armed forces is a serious action that requires deliberate consideration."