Florida Democratic Party Digest 12.16.21

by | Dec 17, 2021 | FDP News | 0 comments

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December 16, 2021

Happy Holidays!

The air is dryer and cooler, houses are decorated with multi-colored lights and the malls are bursting at the seams. We all know what that means: we are in the middle of the Holiday Season!

May you, your family and your friends enjoy this wonderful time of the year, and may the New Year bring every one of you health, prosperity and happiness.

FDP Office Closures
FDP Offices will be closed the following dates in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays: Thursday, Dec. 23, Friday, Dec. 24, Wednesday, Dec. 29, Thursday, Dec. 30 and Friday, Dec. 31.
Leadership Blue Roundup
On Sunday December 5, the Florida Democratic Party brought down the curtains on another eventful and successful Leadership Blue Weekend. The three-day event, held at the Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando, began with a reception on Friday evening and featured multiple training sessions and caucus meetings geared toward fostering party unity and equipping activists and party leaders with the tools they will need to succeed in the upcoming 2022 election cycle.
 
The centerpiece of the weekend was the Leadership Blue Gala, which was celebrated on Saturday December 4 starting at 7pm. It included multiple video presentations as well as speeches from statewide candidates for office, elected officials, party officials and other notables. Special guest speakers were Democratic strategist, Founder of Latinovations and CNN/CNN en Español political commentator, Maria Cardona and, via recorded video, Ndaba Mandela, Founder and Chairman of the Mandela Institute for Humanity and grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela. The audience also viewed special video presentations from Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Senator Bob Menendez, and Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff. The keynote speaker for the gala was the third ranking Democrat in the United States House of Representatives, House Majority Whip, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.
 
During remarks early in the gala program, Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz celebrated the spirit of unity he has seen as leader of the Florida Democrats. “For the first time in a long time, Florida Democrats speak with one voice – all Floridians matter – and pursue one goal: to make life better for all Floridians.”
 
Thank you Florida Democrats for making Leadership Blue the outstanding success that it was! We were so glad to see you once again, making new friends, rekindling old friendships and coming together for what is sure to be a successful year at the ballot box!
The People’s Rally in Tallahassee
We are fired up and READY TO GO! To Tallahassee for next year’s upcoming legislative session. Please join us for The People’s Rally on Tuesday, January 11th! We will be joining community partners across the state to advocate for a people-centered budget. Please click the following link to sign up! The People’s Rally Sign Up.
Municipal Victory Project
Congratulations to Tracye Polson on making it into the run-off in her Jacksonville City Council race! With about 70 days left, she’s going to need all our help to win this race. Tracye is a social worker and small business owner who is running to fight for transparency in city hall, a safer community, and for equitable environmental justice for all residents of Jacksonville. She’s endorsed by leaders in the community such as State Representative Tracie Davis, State Representative Angie Nixon, City Council Member Garett Dennis, and School Board Chairman Warren Jones. To find out more about Tracye and her race, please visit her website – https://polsonforjacksonville.com.
 
MVP is planning on hosting weekly phone banks to support her and all the other MVP candidates with races in the first part of the year. These elections represent an opportunity to engage voters leading up to the November election. If you have any interest in joining or hosting one of your own, please feel free to reach out by emailing Vanessa Rolon at vanessa@floridadems.org. 
Voter Protection Department
It was great seeing you! The voter protection team was able to finally meet many of our dedicated members in person at both the voting rights roundtable and in the halls of Leadership Blue. Thank you so much for those who were able to attend and the continued hard work you are doing. 
 
We are on the road again! We are up in Tallahassee advocating for changes to the administrative rule governing Vote-by-Mail data and Early Voting data (1S-2.043). And of course visiting the incredible and experienced voter protection leads in Leon. 
 
We have been expanding our county teams – we now have 35 active county teams throughout the state. If you or someone you know wants to help volunteer, please sign up with our interest form! 
Finance Department
The FDP just hosted a fantastic weekend convention in Orlando. Now we’re looking forward to a very exciting year for Florida elections, which will mean many more opportunities to come out and financially support the FDP with an event near you. We already have our next event planned for Monday, January 10th in Tallahassee for our annual Legislator Appreciation Party. We’ll be joined by Democratic state legislators, sponsors, and guests from 7:00 to 8:30 PM that evening in downtown Tallahassee. If you would like more information about the event, please see the flyer below and/or reach out to Kyle Patterson at kpatterson@floridadems.org. 
Stay tuned for more FDP fundraiser news!
 
Complimentary Finance Program Review
The FDP Finance Department is offering DECs, Clubs, and Caucuses without professional fundraising assistance a complimentary review of your 2020 fundraising programs to provide actionable insights to help grow your future development. So many of you worked hard to develop resources for strengthening communities, building infrastructure, and growing Democratic power, and our staff would be honored to assist you in continuing and expanding those efforts. The review would include an examination of your fundraising plans, processes, and outcomes to glean potential efficiencies and areas for future emphasis. If you are interested in a Finance Review, please complete this form.
Field Operations

Thank you to all our volunteers for making November a record month in Field! We had our largest event in 2021 with the “1 Year Out Weekend of Action”. We reached out to thousands of Democrats who are at risk of being removed from voter rolls to get them active and engaged. We understand that preventing these voters from being removed is of utmost importance as every single vote counts. We are getting fired up for 2022!

The voter registration efforts continue to grow! November produced 71% more registrations than October and was the biggest month yet for the new program. Some new additions to our leadership came with this growth and we are excited to welcome our newest staff!! In Region 03, former Field Organizer Tymaine Coteat has been promoted to Regional Field Director. In Region 05, Daniela Valdes Posada has joined us as Regional Field Director.

We look forward to an exciting election year and working with all of you to flip FL blue in 22!

 
Office Hours for Data. Cyber Alert?
  • The Florida Democratic Party’s Data Department will be holding weekly office hours every Tuesday from 3pm – 5pm EST. Be sure to join us if you have any VAN or data related questions. << Office Hours Link >>
  • Outside of these hours, if you have short questions about VAN data, features, and resources, please feel free to schedule a meeting with our Voter File Manager Brady at the following link: << VAN Admin Calendar >>
  • If you have questions about VAN pricing or need support after hours, our ticket system is available. You can submit questions and requests: << Data Ticket >>
ICYMI
Chairman Diaz’s Remarks At Leadership Blue Gala

On Saturday, December 4, 2021, Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz delivered inspirational remarks to those attending the Leadership Blue Gala.

To read the full text of his remarks, please click here.

Veterans Caucus Press Conference

FDP convened a virtual press conference featuring members of the veterans caucus to discuss the latest news in Washington around Senator Marco Rubio delaying a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act.

A recap of the press conference can be found here.

State Senator Perry Thurston and Chairman Manny Diaz Blast Supreme Court Decision on Alvin Davis Case

On December 2, 2021, by a 5-2 vote, the Florida Supreme Court upheld Leon County Circuit Court Judge Robert Wheeler’s decision to sentence Alvin Davis to a 15-year prison sentence in a firearms case.

Judge Wheeler mentioned Davis’ failure to take “responsibility” for the crime and show remorse during the sentencing hearing as a rationale for imposing the maximum sentence, despite the fact that Davis was using his Constitutional right to protect himself against self-incrimination.

Read Senator Thurston’s and Chair Diaz’s full statement rejecting that decision here.

~~Kari Lerner, Lee County DEC State Committeewoman

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