Broward Democratic Party Responds to Gov. Ron DeSantis Signing 6-week Abortion Ban into Law in the Middle of the Night

/in /by

The Broward Democratic Party stands with women and their bodily autonomy and is firmly against the signing of the six-week abortion ban (SB 300) in the middle of the night.

Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature continue to endanger women’s lives by pushing forward a dangerous anti-freedom agenda for women. Floridians are witnessing the destruction of their privacy and healthcare rights. Doctors and nurses are afraid to provide reproductive healthcare for fear of imprisonment.

“Moderate” Republicans are quick to say the new law allows abortion through 15 weeks if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. What they hide is a disgusting requirement that victims provide proof of their rape or molestation.

This law also grants an additional $25 million per year in recurring funds to fund anti-abortion fake clinics. Currently, anti-abortion fake clinics receive $4.5 million per year in state funding. It also clarifies the prohibition on telehealth for abortion services.

Governor DeSantis and Florida Republicans continue to chip away at the privacy and healthcare rights of women and all Floridians.

“Floridians want to keep government bureaucrats, like Governor Ron DeSantis, out of their doctor’s offices,” said Rick Hoye, Chair of the Broward Democratic Party. “We stand with all Floridians for the Freedom to Choose the healthcare they need.”

Chip in $3 or $5 to fund the Broward Democratic Party’s efforts to protect access to healthcare and women’s reproductive rights through our new BDP Healthcare Advocates Fund.

Can’t donate? Volunteer to make calls, write postcards, talk to your neighbors, take part in a BDP community outreach activity, or help out in our refreshed office.

It is an honor to be in this fight with you.

Broward Democratic Party Statement on Increase in Antisemitism under Gov. Ron DeSantis and Plan for “Day of Hate”

/in /by

(Plantation, FL) – The Broward Democratic Party is one of inclusion. We welcome individuals of all backgrounds. Our diversity is what makes us strong. We want to make it clear that we as individuals and as a party denounce bigotry in all of its forms.

We are aware of the increase in antisemitism in our State and are ashamed that Governor Ron DeSantis does not loudly condemn it. We call upon him to denounce the bigotry that has festered under his watch.

We have been made aware that a “Day of Hate” has been declared against our Jewish Brothers and Sisters by neo-Nazi groups. This “Day of Hate” is scheduled for Saturday, February 25. We loudly condemn it. We call upon Gov. Ron DeSantis to denounce the bigotry that has festered under his watch.

We denounce antisemitism in the strongest terms. May this Shabbat be a peaceful Sabbath, for our Jewish neighbors and all of our Community.

Let us take care of our Brothers and Sisters on Feb. 25th and every day after.

Broward Democratic Party Statement on Tragic Orange County Shooting and Call-to-Action

/in /by

(Plantation, FL) – This morning, we woke up to the news of the senseless tragedy in Orange County where multiple victims were shot including a 9-year-old child and 2 members of the Spectrum News 13 crew, one of whom has died.

The Broward Democratic Party is devastated by the news of these senseless acts and urges elected officials at all levels of government to focus on regulating gun access to keep our families and friends safe.

In light of this tragedy and so many others, the Broward Democratic Party stands firmly with President Biden on common-sense gun safety legislation that includes holding gun manufacturers accountable, removing weapons of war from our streets, requiring background checks for all gun sales, closing loopholes in gun sales, and addressing the deadly combination of guns and domestic violence.

We also stand with our own Broward Democratic Delegation as they fight for common-sense gun safety legislation in Tallahassee. Specifically, SB 146 and HB 151, will require background checks for ammunition sales if passed.

  • SB 146 was introduced by State Senator Tina Polsky
  • Companion bill HB 151 was introduced by State Representative Dan Daley

Broward Democrats will not remain silent as preventable deaths from gun violence continue to take lives away from our communities. We will acknowledge this tragedy and take ongoing action to honor the victims of gun violence in Broward County and everywhere. Here’s how you can help.

Contact the office of Governor Ron DeSantis at (850) 717-9337 and https://www.flgov.com/email-the-governor/ to ask him to protect our families, including our children, and our community. His job as governor is to protect all of the people of Florida.

Reach out to your State Senator at https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find and your State Representative at https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/representatives and ask them to support SB 146 and HB 151.

Use your voice. Be loud and clear. Express your anger. Enough. Is. Enough.

President Obama to Campaign for Nelson, Gillum, Florida Democrats

/in /by

October 29, 2018

For Immediate Release:

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Former President Barack Obama will campaign alongside Florida’s leading Democratic candidates on Nov. 2 in Miami at Ice Palace Films Studios, the Florida Democratic Party announced today.

President Obama’s visit will build on Florida Democrats’ unprecedented enthusiasm for our historically diverse ticket. Everyday Floridians are energized and are turning out in record numbers across the state for the Democratic ticket, and they’re ready to elect leaders who will put everyday people first on November 6.

The President’s visit follows two months of incredible crowds and growing enthusiasm for Democrats up and down the ticket and five special election victories in a row. Together, President Obama, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Mayor Andrew Gillum, statewide candidates, congressional candidates, and candidates up and down the ballot will rally ahead of Election Day.

“Barack Obama has been my friend since I first introduced him to Florida in 2005, when he was a rising political star,” said Senator Bill Nelson. “I cast a key vote in support of his healthcare reforms, and he and I fought for public schools and protecting Florida’s unique and treasured environment.”

“I’m proud and humbled to have President Obama, my friend and a true patriot, on the campaign trail here in Florida,” said Mayor Andrew Gillum. “President Obama knows what’s at stake in this election — protections for people with pre-existing conditions, funding for public schools, and leadership to restore our environment. With President Obama’s help, we’re going to bring it home for Florida this November.”

And said FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo, “We are honored to welcome President Obama to Florida to help us get out the vote in the final days of the election. President Obama’s support of Sen. Nelson, Mayor Gillum and democrats up-and-down the ballot will be crucial to ensuring victory on Nov. 6.”

Further details, including the details of media logistics, will be announced in the coming days.

Florida Democratic Party | 214 S Bronough St, Tallahassee, FL 32301

ICYMI — Rick Scott let the people of Puerto Rico down

/in /by

Today, the Florida Phoenix reported on how — a year after Hurricane Maria — Rick Scott has done little to help the people of Puerto Rico.

Here are some key points from the Florida Phoenix’s report:

“As Gov. Rick Scott traveled to Puerto Rico Thursday on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a group of Puerto Rican-based Democratic legislators denounced state and federal officials for not doing enough to help tens of thousands of displaced Puerto Ricans who have migrated to Florida after the wrath of the storm.”

“Of chief concern is housing for those who fled from the island to come to Florida.”

“Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson — Scott’s opponent in November — had sponsored a bill earlier this year that would require FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to extend temporary housing aid through February of 2019.”

“Senator Torres also said that he had asked Governor Scott to provide vocational training for Puerto Rican people in a temporary housing program, but “we never heard anything from them.”

“Back in May he said, “I don’t know what I would do differently” when asked about the federal government’s response in Puerto Rico.”

“In addition to his eight trips to the island, the list also includes letters sent to Republican leaders in Congress and administration officials urging them to support Florida’s efforts to support displaced citizens from Puerto Rico.”

News From Miami-Dade

/in /by

Miami Herald: New York Times “live poll” shows Mucarsel-Powell
closing in on Curbelo
According to a new poll by the New York Times, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is closing in on Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo in the contest for Florida’s 26th Congressional District, which FiveThirtyEight rates as a toss-up. The Miami Herald reports:
  • “A new poll suggests Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo has a race on his hands.”
  • “After four days of thousands of calls, Curbelo emerged with a three percentage point lead over Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a result that is within the poll’s five-point margin of error.”
  • “The poll, conducted via phone from September 13 to 17, called 509 voters in Curbelo’s Miami-to-Key West district which he has represented since 2015. Curbelo finished with 47 percent support and Mucarsel-Powell picked up 44 percent of support with nine percent of voters being undecided.”
  • “The poll comes a month after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released polling that showed Mucarsel-Powell trailing Curbelo by a larger margin than a poll conducted months earlier, suggesting that the Democrat who ran for state Senate had work to do to make the race more competitive.”
  • “‘This race has tightened considerably. The more voters get to know Debbie, the more the wind is at her back,’ said Melvin Felix, a spokesperson for the Mucarsel-Powell campaign.”

 

Facing a Day in the Swamp

/in /by
Read more

Sustaining #NeverAgain

/in , /by

Sustaining #NeverAgain
By Melissa Ward-Peterson

Note: Monthly op-eds are submitted by BYD members and members of the local Democratic community. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Broward Democratic Party executive or its members, or the Broward Young Democrats executive board or its membership.

I was 12 when the shooting at Columbine happened and the possibility of such a tragedy at a school was seared into my consciousness. I was 19 and living on my college campus when I received news of the Virginia Tech shooting. I attended a vigil with my Resident Assistant; that shooting hit home for us. By the time of the Sandy Hook tragedy, I was 25 and working at a university. My youngest sister, Faith, was 12, and I remember experiencing a new kind of fear. The reality: no place of learning was safe. This could happen to my baby sister.

February 14, 2018, and a new school is added to the list: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Just 10 miles north of where I live. I’m 30, and have been working in higher education for close to 10 years. Faith is 17, and a senior in high school. The heartache and fear for our places of work and learning return. But this time, there is also hope. I watch in awe as Faith and her friends protest, march, and lead under the banner of #NeverAgain. I want to adopt them all and make sure they are sleeping and eating and taking time for themselves. I find myself wondering what my fellow older millennials and I would have done if we had been armed with the power of Twitter in high school. An impossible question, but for this moment, I know one thing: it is time to commit to action.

As inspiring as the #NeverAgain movement has been, it is also shameful that it took teenagers to shake this country awake to the importance of civic action. They should be focusing on prom and graduation and decor for their freshman dorm rooms. So, let us be sure to lift some of the #NeverAgain burden from Generation Z. Put your sneakers on. Knock on doors. Register voters. Run for office. Let’s be sure these kids know the sustainability of #NeverAgain isn’t their sole responsibility. It’s ours too.

What Young Activists Lack

/in , /by

What Young Activists Lack
By Faith Ward

Note: Monthly op-eds are submitted by BYD members and members of the local Democratic community. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Broward Democratic Party executive or its members, or the Broward Young Democrats executive board or its membership.

Everyone knows how on the mind’s scales just a single bit of negativity can dip far below piles of positivity. As I immersed myself in a new world of activism I quickly learned how to keep negativity off the scales altogether. I changed my settings for notifications on social media. I learned to laugh at the comments I received; I didn’t even bat an eye when my friends and I were called Hitler Youth by a stranger online. For many of my friends it was the same: we were left unscathed by all the weird people talking down to us horribly. I learned quickly that the real damage was not done by strangers, but by my friends.

Although the anonymity of the internet was gone, in disagreement the depersonalization remained the same. So many of us had the exact same beliefs and goals, yet we were incapable of meeting a disagreement with anything other than teeth and claws bared. We forgot that we were all aching kids with open wounds trying desperately to get things right as the world watched. Nobody gave us guidelines on how to spearhead change, and you would be amazed to learn how long it can take to figure out that sometimes the best thing anyone can do in contentious situations is stop talking.

I’ve noticed that so many of the speeches we hear these days are written regarding why we act, but not how. So many older people have boldly shouted their support and told us to push on, but have failed to advise us on how. This isn’t to say that we need our hands held every step of the way, but rather that there is some wisdom that we simply haven’t had the time to gain yet. To all of the older activists, if you get the chance please give a little guidance that extends beyond “you guys are doing what we failed to do” or “you kids are the future.” I believe that one of the best ways that older generations can show support to this country’s youth right now is to share with us the secrets that time keeps under lock and key, to help us learn from your mistakes, and to help prevent us from burning out too quickly. We could all use a little extra wisdom these days.

Best in Broward Celebration, November 4th

/in /by
Best in Broward Celebration, Democrats Who Make a DifferenceYou are invited to the Broward Democratic Party’s Inaugural Best in Broward Celebration. Too often those who devote an inordinate amount of time, energy, and money into making the Democratic Party successful in Broward go under-recognized. This year we have invited many of our public officials and clubs to choose an individual to honor from our community who best represents what being a volunteer and advocate for democratic principles is all about. Come meet and celebrate the men and women who make a difference in Broward Politics.

Senator Bill Nelson will be presented with the 2017 Democrat of the Year Award. Other honored guest include Congressman Ted Deutch, Congressman Alcee Hastings, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Please join us for this exciting cocktail reception and awards program.

For sponsorship information please contact DEC Executive Director Travis Perron tperron@browarddemocrats.org.

Event Date: Saturday Nov. 4th, 2017 5PM – 8PM
Event Location: Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel

Address: 1617 SE 17th St, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316

Tickets available at:

https://act.myngp.com/Forms/-3597828976101226496

 

Paid for by the Broward Democratic Party, 8320 West Sunrise Blvd. Suite 203, Plantation, FL 33322, independent of any candidate or candidate’s committee.