Irina and Carmen Vilarino make an unlikely pair of political activists. The sisters help run their family business -- 18 restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties -- and have never been to the state Capitol to talk to lawmakers about anything.

But on Friday, the two flew from Miami to Tampa and from Tampa to Tallahassee lugging a box full of what they said were thousands of petitions neatly wrapped with rubber bands. Their goal: to keep lawmakers from approving proposals that could result in insurance-rate hikes.

For about two weeks, the Vilarino sisters have put out petitions at their restaurants (including La Casita and Las Vegas), made them available online and gone on Spanish-language radio and television urging residents to send legislators a message: "No more," Irina Vilarino said.

The sisters said they heard Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, decrying the insurance bills, SB 408 and SB 1714, earlier this month on Spanish media. The Vilarinos then poured tens of thousands of their own money, they said, into their petition-gathering campaign. They hope to collect some 100,000, even with only a week left in the legislative session.

The two said they were inspired by last month's landslide recall of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and County Commissioner Natacha Seijas.