Dear League members,

According to our legislators, these stories and voices must be silenced because they may cause distress to the young who should be shielded from uncomfortable truths about oppression. However, this same rationale has been elevated to change the fabric and tenor of New College and other colleges and universities. Are they afraid that college students will cower in fear to learn about America’s difficult history and the painful steps to building a democracy?

Aside from trying to catalog the many detrimental bills and their negative impacts, the League is working hard to combat these bills with op-eds, testimony, working with allies, negotiating with opponents, and if deemed necessary, litigation. We are also holding press conferences, holding rallies, and giving press interviews with outlets like CNN, the Washington Post, USA Today, Tallahassee Democrat, Orlando Sentinel, NPR affiliate stations, the Miami Herald, Pro Publica, and Tampa Bay Times, amongst others. We are sharing our views and sounding the alarm and many in Florida and across the country are taking note. This is causing people to look at Florida. We will continue to share our news with the world.

The League is also developing new tools to do voter outreach and education. We have developed “Community Conversations” where we take topics of great interest and invite citizens to join us for a civil conversation from different points of view. That way, we can start to break down some of these silos that we have built around ourselves. After the last Community Conversation held in Sarasota, we had people that initially thought that tax dollars should follow the child say they had learned some new points and they were changing their mind about whether they supported private schools getting public tax dollars.

We have two more Community Conversations planned, as of now. One event will be this week, on Wednesday, March 29, in West Palm on the topic of how we are treating persons with felony convictions and their right to vote. The next event will be on April 16 on Higher Education. We are inviting panelists who agree with the DeSantis administration's recent actions and those who disagree. Both events are free and open to the public and will be live-streamed.

Please rest assured that your League leaders are not resting on our laurels. We get so many comments and suggestions from our many Leagues. We are using many tools that we have used in the past, and we are working on new tools to grab attention, convince, and changes minds. We all must continue our work to defend democracy and empower voters!

In League,

Cecile M. Scoon, Esq.

President

For months, Florida’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks has put lives and health at risk. This 6-week ban would only make things worse. Instead of addressing that harm, lawmakers are doubling down on their anti-abortion agenda. Everyone should be able to make decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures without interference from politicians.

The League of Women Voters believes every person deserves the access and the privacy to make their own reproductive choices, and we MUST fight for reproductive justice in Florida.

Want to go a step further? Consider contacting all of Florida's state representatives about your opposition to this legislation.

Municipal Elections are fast approaching in many parts of the state, and the deadline to request a ballot be mailed to you is 10 days before a local municipal election date.

League of Women Voters of Florida State Legislative Advocacy Chair Jennifer Adams hosts a virtual legislative office hour every week through the end of legislative session (May 5, 2023) on Wednesdays from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Pop into this virtual office space to discuss pieces of legislation, get live updates on the League's work in the Capitol and to share information with our state office and board.

Our next Lunch & Learn webinar will be announced soon. Keep your eyes peeled for our announcement and agenda in your inbox.

Our most recent program featured a a program focused on various pieces of harmful legislation moving through Florida's legislative process that pertain to education and reproductive health.

Local Leagues and Member-at-Large Units shall be entitled to delegate representation in a State Convention as follows:

With this bylaw provision in mind, click here to view the official delegate numbers for each local League in Florida.

Note: If a local League is not up-to-date with PMP payments, delegate representation may be affected.

Filling out this form indicates interest in hosting a workshop or caucus during the 2023 League of Women Voters of Florida Convention in Orlando on June 2-4.

Please fill this form out in it's entirety and give additional information if appropriate. Workshops/caucuses will last for one hour and will be on either June 2 or June 3.  If your workshop is selected, you will be contacted to schedule your workshop on one of these days.

The deadline to submit a proposal via this form is April 28, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Hello League Members,

Last week, we had a very special visitor at the LWVFL office. Alura Graham came by and donated $250 to the League from her birthday bake sale. Every year, Alura and her family bake up a storm, promote the bake sale, and donate all of the proceeds to organizations that she believes in. When I told her what the League does, she said, “Mom, I think we found one of our organizations to donate to.”

Alura is 11. It warms my heart to see her generosity at her age. I know that her generosity and desire to help others will grow as she gets older. I hope that by learning about the League now may instill the need to do what so many Leaguers do… make a difference.

I want to take this moment to thank our donors, like Alura, and especially those who have reached or surpassed our Harry T. Burns (HTB) level, which is an annual $1000 donation. With our fiscal year ending on March 31, 2023, our cycle begins again on April 1st. I encourage all of our HTB donors to commit again, if you can.  

For those of you who would like to be a HTB donor and think you can’t, please consider making a weekly donation (just under $20), a monthly donation (just under $84), or a quarterly donation of $250 to hit your HTB goal.

Thank you in advance for considering giving to the League. Please click here to donate now.

In League,

Leah Nash

Executive Director

March 28 at 6:00 p.m.

April 3 at 5:00 p.m.

April 4 at 6:00 p.m.

April 10 at 12:00 p.m.

April 10 at 4:30 p.m.

April 11 at 6:00 p.m.

April 12 at 7:00 p.m.

April 13 (2 Meeting Times)

Click your preferred meeting time above to join the meeting directly.

April 13 at 5:00 p.m.

April 19 at 5:00 p.m.

Contact Mary Dipboye for details.

April 20 at 6:00 p.m.

This biweekly newsletter is a perk of being a member of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Know of a League member who may not be receiving our email communications? Have them write to [email protected] to update their preferences.