Democracy IS At Risk. Right Now. Right Here.

Want to Learn More? RSVP Now for Our Assault on Democracy Series

JUNE 25 OPEN FORUM: LET'S GET READY

JULY 25 PROJECT 2025: ANDRA WATKINS

Keep reading below & click the links to reserve your spot!

There is much more to come as we fight for democracy's future. It's up to each AND all of us.

Stay tuned for details on future FFD educational events:

• August: Flippable Florida Seats + U.S. Senate.
• September: Discussions on Amendment Referendums #1 & #4.
• October: Fascism and its implications for Florida and America

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Join our friends Floridians Protecting Freedom and other concerned citizens working to protect Floridians’ access to reproductive health care and defend the right to bodily autonomy.

June 6, 13 & 20 at 6pm – Virtual Phone Bank. Sign up here.

June 22 10am - noon - Canvass Launch in Fort Myers. Sign up here.

Check here for other events near you.

The upside down American flag is presently a symbol of 2020 “Stop the Steal” election deniers. The “Appeal to Heaven” flag is now ingrained in the rhetoric of Christian Nationalism and far-right politics. Both flags plus Confederate and Nazi flags were carried by the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrectionists.

Please check out the blue links below for valuable, thought provoking information.

Today, we are challenged by individuals and organizations that want to reshape American democracy into a more authoritarian leadership structure while desecrating the American symbol of Liberty and Freedom. From the highest court in our nation to well-funded far-right organizations, there is a well-organized effort to destroy decades of hard-fought freedoms. A society that was slowly, incrementally, fighting for multi-cultural fairness, mutual respect and civility. Sadly, in recent years we have seen dramatic increases in fear, personal attacks, vulgarity, and power struggles. 

Under the guise of freedom, we have had a rapid erosion of freedoms nationally and in Florida. See this list and feel free to add more of your own. In fact, Florida is becoming a Laboratory of Autocracy as defined by David Pepper. On a Florida as “The Canary in the Democracy Coal Mine!” These concerns led to the creation just a little over a year ago of Floridians for Democracy and Floridians for Democracy Institute. Today, we have forged national, state and local affiliations with pro-democracy organizations. We have hosted and/or partnered many excellent educational programs in the past 12 months. See the list.

Recently Florida’s governor (check out Joy Reed’s commentary) co-opted the revered term “Freedom Summer” that, for decades has been the term used when a group of civil rights organizations hosted The Mississippi Summer Project, a campaign in 1964 that would later become known as "Freedom Summer." Desecrating that brave transformative summer, geared to increase respect for marginalized populations, the governor’s recent proclamation occurred just before June 1 Pride Month thereby assuring Florida’s major bridges could not use colorful Pride lights. Of course, Florida policy dictates that students are to be taught that slavery provided on the job training!

Adding insult to injury, DeSantis just declared that there is no such thing as climate change in Florida! Florida is well on the way of having hottest summer on record for a state where the water is rising and storms are raging. Florida cities and counties now by Florida law cannot mandate rest or water breaks for outside workers. The sad and scary pounding, pulsating beat of more freedoms being stolen keeps on beating.

This must stop! It is up to all of us!

FFD has plans. Do YOU!

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future!” “The future ain’t what it used to be!” These quotes attributed to former baseball player, manager and humorist, Yogi Berra, bring humor at a time when we need it. Our democratic future is heavily dependent on the next five months leading to the November 5 elections.

Floridians for Democracy has developed its plans for the next five months. Have you developed your action plans? Protecting and preserving democracy is dependent on overcoming apathy and voting. While you as FFD participants are politically aware, there remains a general lack of alarm or awareness. Remember in 2022, 2.8 million REGISTERED Democrats and over 2 million REGISTERED No Party Affiliates in Florida did not vote. Elections come down to turnout. It is incumbent on all of us to help person-to-person, door-to-door, phone calls, postcards, letters to the editor, house parties, yard signs, education about election law changes for voter registration, vote-by-mail registration, and much more.

Mark your calendars and invite others

as FFD continues its Florida Democracy At Risk Series.

UNIFIED VOICES SUMMIT:

Protecting Educational Freedom in Florida

July 12-13, 2024 in Orlando FL

Join the fight to defend our rights of free speech and free expression. A nonpartisan coalition of organizations, including PEN America, National Coalition Against Censorship, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Interfaith Alliance, and PRISM will unite to end education censorship and book bans, and to support our teachers, public education and our core constitutional liberties. Keynote speaker is Jodi Picoult. More info is here. You can register here.

National Popular Vote

In 2006, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact was introduced. It’s an elegant solution to ensure that the candidate with the most votes in all 50 states wins the presidency. Learn how this works without a constitutional amendment. The League of Women Voters of Florida is offering the opportunity for Floridians for the National Popular vote to do several presentations during the next year, sponsored and promoted by the LWVFL, to “spread the word” and educate Floridians about NPV.

Register here to learn about the National Popular Vote virtually on June 5, 2024, 5-6 p.m.

Women’s Strike for Human Rights & Reproductive Freedom

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away the constitutional right to abortion, abandoning precedent, and paving the way for Florida's onerous abortion law. A women's strike has been called for June 24, 2024. To show your support for reproductive rights and equality by:

• Strike: No work, no school.
• If you can’t strike: No spending.
• Wear Red.
• Amplify on social media. 

You can sign up for this Day of Action with Women's March to show numbers in support of women's rights to bodily autonomy, privacy and healthcare. Local events are planned for Orlando and Panama City.