Voter Guide 2022 Vote for Your Democratic Candidates US Senate Val Demings US House District 21 Corinna Balderramos Robinson Governor/Lt Governor Charlie Crist & Karla Hernandez-Mats Attorney General Aramis Ayala Chief Financial Officer Adam Hattersley Commissioner of Agriculture Naomi Esther Blemur State House District 85 Curtis Tucker District 86 Raymond Denzel Go to the Martin County Supervisor of Elections website to view your sample ballot.. Go here to fill in your name and birthdate and the app will display your personalized sample ballot so you can get acquainted with the categories and layout. Print it out so you have a copy. Dates and times to remember: Oct 11: Voter registration deadline Oct 30: Vote-by-Mail request deadline Oct 26 - Nov 5: Early in-person voting, 8am - 5pm daily Nov 8: Vote-by-Mail ballots must be received in the SOE office by 7pm Nov 8 : ELECTION DAY! Polls open 7am - 7pm Still have questions? Call the Martin County Democrats office at 772-221-0405 Do you want to print out a copy of this guide? Click here for a printable copy of this page. Florida Supreme Court Justices: Should they be retained? Short answer: Either vote NO for all the justices, or vote NO for all justices except Justice Labarga, who is considered less conservative than the others. Some detail: Justices are initially appointed by governors but face a retention vote on the first general election more than one year after their appointment. If elected, they serve six-year terms . Currently all justices on the ballot were appointed by Republican governors. Out of the 5 justices up for retention, Justice Jorge Labarga seems to be the most moderate. While some Democrats advocate NO for all the justice retentions, others believe they should vote YES for Justice Labarga and NO for all the others. The Palm Beach Editorial Board recommends a YES for Labarga and a NO for all the others. Click here to view their discussion. If you'd like to research the justices further, here are some sites to consider: https://www.floridabar.org/public/faircts/votes010/2020-merit-retention-biographies/ https://www.votingforjustice.com/candidates/florida-supreme-court https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Supreme_Court_elections,_2022 4th District Court of Appeals Judges: Should they be retained? Short answer: Either vote NO for all the judges, or vote NO for all the judges except Justice Gross, who was appointed by a Democratic governor. Some detail: Similar election process as Supreme Court judges. All were appointed by Republican governors except for Justice Gross, who was appointed by Lawton Chiles. Check out these websites to learn about the 7 judges up for retention. https://www.4dca.org/Judges https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Fourth_District_Court_of_Appeal Amendments : There are 3 constitutional amendments on the ballot. Short answer: Vote NO on all amendments. Some detail: Note that all of these were brought about by the Legislature, not the public, which requires us to look at these amendments closely. Many Democrats are voting NO for all 3 amendments. In fact, the Palm Beach Post Editorial Board recently recommended a NO vote for all amendments: Click here to view their analysis . Here is our own breakdown of the amendments: Amendent #1: Effective January 1, 2023 this amendment authorizes the Legislature to prevent flood resistance improvements made to a home (such as putting on stilts) from being considered when determining a property's assessed value for property taxes. Analysis: Some would argue this is good because it provides an incentive to homeowners to make their buildings more resilient to storms. Others argue this would reduce the ad valorem taxes available for local government, that this would primarly benefit the wealthy, and that the state should not be amending the constitution for such purposes. Amendment #2: This amendment would abolish the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC). This body meets every 20 years to determine what amendments to the State Constitution are needed and, if approved, the amendment is then put on the ballot. Analysis: Those supporting this amendment say the CRC has put forth unpopular and sometimes confusing amendments and this body is no longer needed. Others say that this is one significant means by which the public can update the state's constitution periodically and should be left in place. Safeguards could be enacted to improve amendment wording and to prevent bundling of issues within the amendments, which has caused confusion in the past. Amendment #3: This amendment would let the Legislature give an additional homestead tax exemption of $50,000 on the assessed value of homestead property owned by classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, corrrectional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child welfare services professionals, active-duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and Florida National Guard members. Analysis: Some would argue this is an appropriate benefit to provide to workers in these fields, while others would argue providing an additional $50k property tax exemption is unwise. They point out that salaries for these professions should be increased and that government should work to provide more affordable housing, not reduce local government money by providing additional tax exemptions. For more discussion on the merits of these amendments, you might check out these sites: https://lwvfl.org/amendments-2022/ (League of Women Voters) https://bit.ly/3M0qNc8 (Florida Tax Watch) https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2022-09-15/constitutional-amendments-florida-2022-ballot-explanation *********************************************************** *Details on In-Person Early Voting* Oct 26 – Nov 5 8am – 5pm daily Early Voting Locations: STUART Elections Center (SOE Office), 135 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd Robert Morgade Library, 5851 SE Community Dr HOBE SOUND Hobe Sound Library, 10595 SE Federal Hwy INDIANTOWN Elisabeth Lahti Library, 15200 SW Adams Ave JENSEN BEACH Hoke Library, 1150 NE Jack Williams Way J PALM CITY Cummings Library, 2551 SW Matheson Ave You are required to provide current and valid photo and signature identification in order to vote in person. Acceptable forms: • Florida driver’s license • Florida Identification Card (ID) issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles • U.S. passport • Debit or credit card • Military identification • Student identification • Retirement center identification • Neighborhood association identification • Public assistance identification • Veteran health identification card issued by the US Dept. Of Veterans Affairs • A license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm • Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the Federal Government, the state, county or municipality Visit the Martin County Supervisor of Elections website at https://www.martinvotes.gov/ for further details on all matters related to voting. To reach SOE by phone, call 772-288-5637 during office hours 8am – 5pm.

Además de escribir personalmente directamente al funcionario electo, puede optar por utilizar varias aplicaciones y formatos de redes sociales para comunicarse rápidamente con los legisladores. Estas son algunas de las plataformas más populares: RESISTBOT le permite usar su teléfono inteligente para convertir su texto en un correo electrónico y entregárselo a sus funcionarios. También puede enviar fax o carta postal. Ver https://resist.bot 5 LLAMADAS le permite elegir su problema, llamar a su representante y registrar su resultado. Ver https://5calls.org CAUSAS es un sitio donde puede aprender sobre proyectos de ley que están siendo aprobados por el Congreso, ver lo que piensan los demás y luego actuar diciéndoles a los legisladores cómo se siente con mensajes de correo electrónico y video. Ver https://www.causes.com FACEBOOK grupos como IndivisibleMartin y The Safety Pin Alliance ayudar a informarle y, a menudo, recomendar acciones específicas a realizar. Además, en Facebook puede publicar un video o una noticia en su propio perfil y esto puede motivar a otros a tomar medidas. Use Social Media

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Martin County Democrats celebrate Black History Month! This year's theme is Black Resistance, a topic that seems especially relevant with DeSantis's recent attack on AP African American Studies. Click here for an overview of Black History Month. Click here to sign a letter to the DeSantis Administration condemning their decision to deny the AP African American studies course from being offered in Florida.

Estate Planning Package for an Individual or Couple Attorney Virginia ("Ginny") Sherlock is generously offering this auction item for this year's fundraiser. She will prepare an estate planning package for an individual or a couple , including: Last Will and Testament Power of Attorney Living Will Designation of Health Care Surrogate Declaration of Pre-Need Guardian Authorization for Access to Digital Assets Have you recently moved here? Recently divorced? Widowed? Just got married? Been married for a while and still don't have a living will set up for yourselves? Protect yourself and your family by having these documents drawn up now. Don't wait. Attorneys' fees for setting up an estate planning package can be costly. If you are at a point in your life where you need to have an estate planning package created for you, take advantage of this auction item and place a bid! Help the Martin County Democratic Party while you help yourself!!!

Read about the life and work of Dave Dew and his role in the local Democratic Party organization Dave Dew Dave dew It was an ordinary day in Stuart when 65 year-old Dave Dew had an epiphany that changed his life. He credits President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and a guy named Larry for helping bring about this transformative moment. You see, for the first 65 years of his life Dave identified as a Republican. Like so many others, he had followed the political leanings of his parents and, when it was time to vote for the first time, he registered as a Republican. While his father Charles was apolitical and focused on his sales career, his mother Clarice was a sharp businesswoman who owned two hair salons and was an enthusiastic “Eisenhower Republican” – a centrist Republican who was individually liberal but economically conservative and a believer in a strong national defense. With his focus through the years on his own career and family, Dave had not seen any reason up until this point in 2003 to question his political leanings. The Dark Democratic Past If you’re around Dave for any time, you find that he likes to put things in historical context and he is quick to point out that the Democratic Party of today is not the same as the Democratic Party back in the 60s when he arrived in Florida from Wisconsin to attend the University of Tampa. Back then, white Dixiecrats (a play on the words Dixie and Democrat) controlled the Democratic Party in much of the South, including his area in Tampa, and they were known for their racist and segregationist views. These Dixiecrats were right-wing Democrats who were alarmed by the pro-civil rights positions taken by the national Democratic Party under Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman, and by the mid-1940s these zealots resisted by forming a pro-segregationist sect within the Democratic Party itself, calling for “states’ rights” to circumvent federal legislation. (Sound familiar?) Dave recalls that by the 1950s in the South “the Democrats were the Dixiecrats, and they were the racists. They were the segregationists.” For someone like Dave who came to Florida in 1956 at age 18 without those racist views, joining the Democratic Party was not something he considered. Dave reflects sadly that racism was so prevalent back then in the Florida he knew that “I got beat up a couple of times because I wouldn’t join the Klan.” Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 pushed the Dixiecrats over the edge and most joined the Republican Party, who gladly took them in. Some, however, remained Democrats. Idea House Advertising and Republican Wins After getting married and leaving the University of Tampa, Dave continued life as a registered Republican during his many years in sales, mostly working for the large healthcare company American Home Products. His career took him from Minnesota to Chicago to New York City where he worked as advertising manager. After three years in the Big Apple, Dave yearned for a simpler life and so he and his family moved to St. Petersburg where he continued in sales work. By late 1979 he was looking for a change. He had gotten divorced and wanted to start over somewhere new. It was then that he became reacquainted with Jimmy Adams, a fellow advertising executive he had known in New York who had relocated to West Palm Beach. Together Dave and Jimmy started an advertising agency in North Palm Beach called Idea House, and they ran it successfully from 1980-1990. Their specialty, it turned out, was advertising for local Republican candidates running for office. During their time there, Dave and Jimmy helped Republicans win many contests – all of them in heavily Democratic Palm Beach County. It was quite a feat. This experience provided Dave with a great education in Republican politics. By working with the candidates and their handlers, he learned a great deal about how Republicans ran their campaigns, the money they spent, the support they provided. He was impressed with the money and organization of the Republican Party. Another Move…and Intensive Care During his time with the ad agency, Dave started dating again and he eventually married for a second time in 1984. In 1990 he and his wife moved to the Fort Myers area so she could pursue a job promotion. Life might have kept them there on the west coast but fate had another idea: On September 10, 1996 while driving to meet his wife, Dave was involved in a serious head-on collision. Says Dave: “I call it a collision because it wasn’t an accident. It was a collision. It was on purpose.” Through court proceedings that followed, Dave learned a 16-year-old boy sitting in the passenger seat of an oncoming car had grabbed the wheel of the car exclaiming, "I wonder what it will be like to take this car and kill someone with it?" He then drove across the median. The car flew three feet into the air and straight into Dave's car. At the time, both cars were going about 60 mph and they were totaled upon impact. Dave recalls that “when we hit, the front tire came up through the floorboard, and kind of ran up me, and threw me forcefully into the back seat.” Dave was air-lifted to a hospital in critical condition with extensive internal injuries and injuries to his legs. Dave ended up in the hospital for 6 months and followed that up with 6 months of intense physical therapy. "Are You Your Brother’s Keeper?" It was after this rehabilitation period that Dave and his wife moved from Fort Myers to Stuart in 1998 looking for a fresh start. They opened up a couple of retail stores in the area and bought some radio advertising from a local station. Dave and the sales guy Larry became friends. (To this day, Dave cannot remember Larry’s last name!) Larry was a Democrat and had previously worked in journalism covering politics, and so he engaged Dave in a lot of political conversation – one of the first times in his life that Dave was forced to examine his political views. The conversations with Larry helped Dave realize that he actually aligned more closely with the principles of the Democratic Party (the non-Dixiecrat side, that is) than the Republicans. Dave recalls one conversation in particular with Larry in 2003 that was a turning point for him: Larry: “You’re a Republican but you think like a Democrat.” Dave: “I don’t know about that. I’m a conservative.’ Larry: ‘Yeah, but that’s just with money. How about with people?’ Dave: “What do you mean?” Larry: “Are you your brother’s keeper?” Dave: “Well, of course!’ Larry: “Then you’re not a Republican. You’re a Democrat. Ask any Republican that question and he’s gonna say I’ll consider any problems, but I’m not going to give any money to [fix] them. So you’re your brother’s keeper and you ought to switch to Democrat.’” That conversation resonated with Dave. Through his further talks with Larry and listening to the national news, Dave says he also learned about “the disastrous trio of Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld – the guys that conned everybody to go into Iraq in 2003….These were all oil people that were running the government and the idea was to corner the market.” Upon reflection, Dave agreed he should meet some other Democrats in the area. “I went to a [Democratic Club] meeting at the time. Louise Cunha was running the club meeting….I walked in and sat down and she said, ‘So you’re new. Would you introduce yourself?’ And I said, ‘I’m Dave Dew and I’m an embarrassed Republican.’ And she said, ‘We can change that!’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s do that.’ And so I became a Democrat and started to come to the DEC meetings because I said I want to be where the action is.” The Many Hats of Dave Dew Precinct Leader followed by DEC Chair Dave learned that to get active with the DEC the rules required precinct work, and so he became a precinct leader. Six months later he became Chair and in 2008 was re-elected for another four-year term. Dave ran the first time for DEC chair saying that the Democrats needed a fulltime office. In the years before, Democrats only leased office space for a six-month period for the elections every two years. Dave believed strongly that such an intermittent presence was wrong – that Democrats needed a permanent home so they had a constant presence in the community. Dave views this change as his greatest achievement as DEC chair. Since then it’s been proven time and again that having an office open year-round has been instrumental in raising funds, getting out the vote, and organizing and providing support to all Martin Democrats. State Committeeman When Dave finished out his second term as DEC Chair in 2012, he then became the DEC's State Committeeman and he continues to hold that position today (along with Mary Higgins, who is the State Committeewoman). The function of the committeeperson is to act as a liaison between the Florida Democratic Party and the county DEC and its various committees by voting on party issues, being on committees, and so forth. One of the issues that Dave has championed as Committeeman is changing the bylaws that dictate how the Democratic Party in Florida operates. “My cause for the last 8 years has been to eliminate all of the bylaws and start all over again.” One of Dave’s main concerns is the unequal representation caused by the weighted voting system that the Florida Democratic Party employs. In today’s system, each DEC is allowed one State Committeeman and one State Committeewoman to represent their DEC, with their votes weighted based on the number of Democrats within that DEC. Dave notes that this weighted vote is necessary to give the larger populated counties fairer representation. However, this system causes a big problem in that the committee people from the large counties represent too many people to be effective. Here is how Dave explains it using Dade and Martin Counties as an example: “ Dade County is more than 10 times larger than Martin County [in Democratic population] so it obviously should have a greater total vote. The problem is that Dade and Martin have only 2 State Committeepersons each. So each of Martin County’s State Committeepersons represents about 30,000 Democrats while each of Dade’s Committeepersons represents 300,000 . That’s more than two Congressional districts each. One Committeeperson cannot effectively reach out to 300,000 Democrats.” Another negative aspect to the weighted system is that it puts power into the hands of the larger counties because they can join forces to dictate the direction of the entire party, sometimes going against what the majority of the counties want to do. Rules Committee As Committeeman, Dave served on the Rules Committee from approximately 2010-2020. He proposed eliminating the weighted voting system and replacing it with more of a “one person, one vote” system like our US Constitution requires. This could be achieved by having each of the 140 House Districts in Florida – which have approximately the same population of voters -- elect two State Committeepeople each. Dave notes that this would lead to fair representation because “each committee person would have roughly the same population representation in their vote” and thus the weighted system would not be needed. This revised plan has been voted upon by the State Committee and passed but was reversed by the Judicial Council due to a technicality. Dave is still pushing for this change, however, because he knows this would be a more equitable system and ultimately would help the Florida Democratic Party as a whole move forward and compete against the GOP. Chair, Florida Small County Coalition While acting as Committeeman, Dave had the opportunity to also become involved with the Florida Democratic Party’s Small County Coalition. This is an organization of smaller Democratic counties (fewer than 40,000 Democratic voters) and it focuses on the challenges the smaller counties face—from lack of money, to lack of facilities, to fewer boots on the ground, to lack of influence within the FDP itself. Dave served as Chair for 10 years, and under his leadership, he is proud to note that the Small County Coalition drastically improved their political training given to volunteers, increased funding, held annual conventions so the small counties could network and learn from each other, and developed a stronger relationship with the state party. State Judicial Council From about 2012-2020 Dave also served on the State Judicial Council and was Chair for a short time. The Judicial Council gave Dave an opportunity to hear grievances of Democrats throughout the state over such matters as eligibility of candidates, voting issues, changes in voter registration, and many other matters. Says Dave: “Florida has a history of the counties fighting each other,” and so there were plenty of opportunities for the Judicial Council to act. In 2006 Dave receives "Most Improved Small County" award from from FDP Chair Karen Thurman. (click to enlarge) Stuart News ran an article on Dec 3, 2008 about Dave being re-elected to DEC. (click to enlarge) Dave and his partner Shelley learn they WON !! All-Star Dave Fun fact: When Dave moved to Stuart, not only did he later become a Democrat, but he also rediscovered the joy of singing. He had sung some as a youngster and, in fact, had been part of a band. Family and jobs changed that and he put his passion for singing on the backburner. After he got to Stuart, he began to sing at a church in Jensen Beach and soon became its music director. Then, in 2014, he entered the Singing with the Stars competition at the Lyric Theater and was paired with professional singer Shelley Keelor. Since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga had just released a popular album of standards, they decided to play on that and chose “Lady is a Tramp” and…..THEY WON!! Today, Dave continues to sing at his church, and he often visits clubs and bars that offer karaoke – sometimes as much as three times a week. So if you’re at a club where they do karaoke, don’t be too surprised if our own Dave Dew gets up on stage to belt out a couple of songs! Dave Dew As you can see, Dave’s “atonement” during the past twenty years has led him to wear many Democratic hats – both locally and statewide. Throughout it all, he has sought to bring about change so that Democrats become smarter in the way they do business, from having a local office opened to Democrats throughout the year to modernizing the bylaws that dictate how the Democrats run their operation. We Democrats in Martin County owe a debt of gratitude to Dave for his years of work aimed at strengthening the Democratic Party within Martin County and throughout the state of Florida. Thank you, Dave, for switching to Democrat and becoming a Martin County Democrat All Star!

This is a listing of the bills considered by the Florida House and Senate during the Florida legislative session of 2022. BIlls Being Considered in the 2022 Florida Legislative Session Session Ends March 11 Overview: How to view the bills Call to Action: What to do with this information General Bills (non-environmental) Environmental Bills General Bills These are non-environmental bills. Topics include Abortion, Equality, Healthcare, Education, Guns, Criminal Justice, etc. Remember: Click on Sponsor for contact info. Click on Bill TItle for official bill info, including its status and committee it is on. Click here for writing LTE. Local legislator info can be found here. If both HB and SB are essentially the same, this page only gives link to SB. Within the SB info, you will see link to HB if you want to view it. ***One of the anti-abortion bills for this session*** HB 5 ( Grall and Persons -Mulicka ) and SB 146 ( Stargel ) – Fetal and Infant Mortality Reduction Among other things, these bills prohibit a physician from performing an abortion if gestational age of fetus is more than 15 weeks. See also HB 167. OPPOSED by Equality Florida HB 7 ( Avila ) and SB 148 ( Diaz and Rodrigues ) – Individual Freedom Sometimes referred to as the “Stop WOKE Actl” …. Similar to SB 148, HB 57, SB 242, which in part prohibit schools from discussing systemic racism or sexism, unconscious bias, and race or sex stereotyping. OPPOSED by Equality Florida HB 35 ( Roach ) and SB 244 ( Gruters ) – Partisan Elections for Members of District School Boards Proposes amendments to the State Constitution to require members of district school board to be elected in partisan election. HB 75 ( Sabatini ) – Limiting COVID-19 Restrictions Prevents state and local governments from issuing mask mandates, vaccine passports, requiring proof of vaccination status before entering business. Voids any mandates currently in place. HB 103 ( Sabatini ) – Carrying of Firearms without Licenses Removes requirement that a license to carry concealed firearm is required in order to carry such firearm; limits areas in which concealed carrying of firearm is prohibited; revises criminal penalties, etc. SUPPORTED by Florida Equality HB 111 ( Geller )) and SB 308 ( Berman ) – Offenses Evidencing Prejudice (aka Hate Crimes Law Expansion) Amends existing hate crimes law so that crimes of prejudice based on gender or gender identity are also considered hate crimes. HB 117 ( Fetterhoff an d Omphroy ) and SB 774 ( Gruters ) – Communicable and Infectious Diseases Adds COVID-19 and infectious diseases to the list of conditions that, if suffered by an emergency rescue or public safety worker, are presumed to have been contracted while at work for purposes of workers' compensation. Unlike similar presumptions in current law for hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis and tuberculosis, the bills do not require the public safety worker or emergency rescue worker to receive immunization against COVID-19 in order to receive the presumptive eligibility provisions afforded by workers' compensation coverage. HB 167 ( Barnaby ) – Abortion This is a “Texas-style Six-Week Abortion Ban.” Requires physician to conduct test for, and inform woman seeking abortion of presence of detectable fetal heartbeat; prohibits physician from performing or inducing abortion if fetal heartbeat is detected or if physician fails to conduct test to detect fetal heartbeat; provides exceptions; authorizes private civil cause of action for certain violations; provides for civil remedies & damages. See also HB 5 and SB 146. SUPPORTED by Florida Equality HB 6015 ( Rayner ) and SB 168 ( Polsky ) – Marriage Between Persons of the Same Sex This bill would delete outdated, patently unconstitutional provisions that ban recognizing same-sex marriage and still defines marriage as only between a man and a woman. HB 171 ( Hart and Valdes ) – Criminal Rehabilitation Specifies that to rehabilitate offender to transition back to community successfully is one of the primary purposes of sentencing; reduces minimum sentence that must be served by defendant from 85 percent of sentence to 65 percent; revises provisions concerning gain time to provide for outstanding deed gain-time, good behavior time, & rehabilitation credits; revises limits on awards. SUPPORTED by Equality Florida HB 199 ( Smith ) and SB 214 ( Farmer ) – Assault Weapons and Large-capacity Magazines Prohibits sale, transfer, or possession of assault weapon or large-capacity magazine; requires certificates of possession for assault weapons or large-capacity magazines lawfully possessed before specified date; limits sales or transfers of assault weapons or large-capacity magazines documented by such certificates; provides enhanced penalties for offenses committed with assault weapon or large-capacity magazine. HB 205 ( Smith ) and SB 374 ( Book ) – Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act Prohibits using “panic defense” when committing crimes against an LGBTQ person. OPPOSED by Equality Florida HB 211 ( Sabatini ) – Youth Gender and Sexual Identity Sometimes referred to as the "Transgender Youth Medical Care Ban." It would criminalize doctors for providing care to transgender youth. SB 524 ( Hutson ) - Elections This is a bill with wide-ranging changes to Florida's voting laws. Among the changes: Remove limitations on fines that 3rd party voter registration organization can encounter for violations. Require voter driver license or Social Security # on ballots. Bans rank-choiced voting in local elections. Require elections officials in each county to update voter rolls every year, instead of current every odd year. Gives power to the Governor to appoint a special FDLE agent in each of the agency's seven regions to investigate alleged violations of election laws. Creates the Office of Elections Crimes and Security with the Florida Dept of State. HB 549 ( Omphroy ) – Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Would authorize recreational use of marijuana under certain conditions. See bill for details. SB 580 ( Torres ) - Rent Control Measures This is meant to give some rental control authority to local government. Specifically, it deletes previous statue requirements for the termination, expiration, extension, and renewal of local governmental rent control measures. Other Rent Control bills that have been filed: HB 6017 , HB 6113 , SB 1900 OPPOSED by Equality Florida HB 747 ( Snyder and Altman ) and SB 1820 ( Baxley ) – Protections of Medical Conscience Some have called it the “Healthcare Discrimination BIll" or “No Medical Service to Gays” bill. It allows healthcare providers and insurers to deny a patient any sort of care on the basis of religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Also allows for employment discrimination in healthcare for the same reasons. Many feel this bill would codify discrimination against LGBTQ, non-Christians, etc. SUPPORTED by Equality Florida HB 883 ( Slosbert-King ) – Reclassification of Crimes Evidencing Prejudice Provides for reclassification of felony & misdemeanor offenses for defacing, damaging, or destroying victim's property based upon perpetrator's prejudice; includes certain entities in the definition of "victim." It basically updates current Florida hate crime laws to allow government, public and private organizations to be classified as victims of misdeeds motivated by race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability. HB 1055 ( Rommel ) – Video Cameras in Public School Classrooms Authorizes school districts to adopt policy to place video cameras in public school classrooms; provides requirements for such policy; provides for viewing video recordings; provides DOE, school district, school, & certain employee responsibilities. SUPPORTED by Equality Florida HB 6065 ( Arrington ) and SB 212 ( Farmer ) – Fairness in Women’s Sports Act Repeals the transgender youth sports ban that was voted in by the legislature in 2021. This bill is called the “Let Kids Play Act” and it repeals provisions related to the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act from 2021. HB 943 ( Harding ) and SB 1124 ( Gruters ) -- Preemption of Local Government Wage Mandates Creates the “Minimum Wage Act.” Prohibits local governments from mandating a wage higher than the state minimum -- another attack on home rule. SUPPORTED by Equality Florida HB 1409 ( Eskamani ) – Education in Public Schools Concerning Human Sexuality Calls for the “Florida Healthy Adolescent Act” which includes having public schools provide information regarding human sexuality. This bill requires certain public schools that provide information or offer programs to students relating to human sexuality to provide information or offer programs that meet specified criteria; requires public schools to make certain curriculum available to parents & guardians upon request; authorizes students to be excused from certain portions of program without penalty; provides compliance review process. HB 1547 ( Overdorf ) and SB 1848 ( Gruters ) -- Personal Information Protection Act Also as a reference see Overdorf's HB 1547 by clicking here. Currently the HB has more provisions for donor privacy. Prohibits a public agency from requiring, publicly disclosing, or requesting specified personal information; provides construction and applicability; provides for the right of civil action and award of damages; provides penalties, etc. Currently the HB and SB have differences in scope. Overdorf's House bill would protect corporations, associations, and nonprofit organizations from disclosing information while the Senate bill focuses solely on 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. In practical terms, the House bill, acting as a public records exemption bill, would allow donors to political campaigns to stay anonymous, and many opponents to this bill fear it will lead to hampering legitmate investigations into fraud and corruption. OPPOSED by Equality Florida HB 1557 ( Harding ) and SB 1834 ( Baxley ) – Parental Rights in Education This bill has been called the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Requires district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with provisions of law for notifying student's parent of specified information; requires procedures to reinforce fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children; provides requirements for such procedures, school districts, & personnel; requires DOE to review & update specified materials. OPPOSED by Equality Florida SB 1842 ( Baxley ) – Reproductive Health and Disease Education Requires school districts or schools within a district to notify and request the written consent of parents and guardians before the teaching of reproductive health or any sexually transmitted disease; prohibits schools from allowing students to be exposed to such teaching without the written consent of their parents or guardians; prohibits a student whose parent or guardian does not give such written consent from being penalized, etc. SUPPORTED by Equality Florida SB 1870 ( Jones ) – Conversion Therapy Prohibits state-funded conversion therapy and calls for educating the public on the dangers of conversion therapy. HB 6007 ( Sabatini ) – Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms Would remove provision prohibiting concealed carry licensees from openly carrying handgun or carrying concealed weapon or firearm into college or university facility HB 6009 ( Sabatini ) – Vaccinations During Public Health Emergencies Would remove provision that State Health Officer could order vaccination of individuals during public health emergency HB 6023 ( Eskamani ) – Abortion Clinic Regulations Addresses issues with last year’s SB 390 on abortion clinics. Removes requirement delaying abortion procedure; removes prohibition on expending funds for benefit of, paying funds to, or initiating or renewing contracts with certain organizations that perform abortions under certain circumstances; removes requirement that AHCA review abortion clinic patient records as component of licensure inspections. HB 6037 ( Snyder ) and SB 360 ( Harrell ) – Traveling Across County Lines to Commit a Burglary Removes requirement that travel across county lines be for specified purpose in order to reclassify burglary offense to the next higher degree. General Bills Environmental Bills Remember: Click on Sponsor for contact info. Click on Bill TItle for official bill info, including its status and committee it is on. Click here for writing LTE. Local legislator info can be found here. If both HB and SB are essentially the same, this page only gives link to SB. Within the SB info, you will see link to HB if you want to view it. Several of these bills deal with Local Control, an area many Republicans in office want to see weakened. They want the state to dictate policy rather than local government. It's a recurring theme in many bills this year. Bills are listed in the same categories used by 1000 Friends of Florida, an organization many in the MCDEC follow. These categories are Community Planning, Resilience, Conservation, Water, and Transportation COMMUNITY PLANNING (Local Rule type bills) SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Friends of the Everglades SJR 152 ( Farmer ) - Supermajority Vote for Legislative Preemption Requires a 2/3 vote of each house to preempt to the state matters of local control. OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida, Friends of the Everglades, Florida League of Women Voters, and Equality Florida SB 280 ( Hutson ) – Local Ordinances Changes the legal standards and processes used by courts to assess the validity of municipal ordinances. Requires local governments to prepare a business impact statement before adopting a local ordinance that includes direct and indirect economic effects. Authorizes the courts to assess and award attorney fees, costs, and damages in certain civil actions filed against local governments. This bill is a direct attack on home rule. See also SB 403 (Giallombardo). OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 325 ( Fischer ) and SB 512 ( Burgess ) – Vacation Rentals Preempts to the state most regulation of vacation rentals. OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida, Friends of the Everglades, and Florida League of Women Voters HB 569 ( McClure ) and SB 620 ( Hutson ) – Local Business Protection Act Allows businesses engaged in a lawful business for at least three years to claim damages if a local ordinance reduces their venue or profits by at least 15%. Like SB 280 and SB 403, this bill undermines home rule by making local governments afraid to govern for fear of lawsuits. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 729 ( Aloupis ) and SB 932 ( Rodriguez ) – Everglades Protection Area Requires any comprehensive plan or plan amendment changes that apply to land within the Everglades Protection Area to follow the state coordinated review process and would require the change to be reviewed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for adverse impacts. DEP would work with the state land planning agency and involved local governments to identify planning strategies to eliminate or mitigate adverse impacts and require the local government to modify proposed plans or plan amendments. The bill would also prohibit the adoption of small scale development amendments for properties located within or near the Everglades Protection Area. HB 1145 ( Mooney ) – Regulation of Single-use Plastic Products Authorizes certain coastal communities to establish pilot programs to regulate single-use plastic products; provides requirements for establishing such pilot programs; requires DEP to submit updated retail bag reports with conclusions & recommendations to Legislature by specified dates. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Florida League of Women Voters HB 6033 ( Greico ) – Preemption of the Regulation of Vacation Rentals Repeals previous bill that preempted to the state the regulation of vacation rentals. HB 6113 ( Eskamani ) and SB 1900 ( Torres ) – Preemption to the State (Regaining Local Rule) Removes & repeals provisions preempting certain authority to state. Specifically, this measure would repeal 35 state laws that remove local policy making passed by Republican legislators. The 35 statutes repealed in the Local Freedom Act pertain to earned sick time measures, tenant protections and developer subsidies, plastic bag and styrofoam regulations, municipal broadband and 5G, gun violence and public safety, public health, clean energy, rights of nature, fertilizer regulation, and tree-trimming policy, local budgeting authority, seaport regulations, and campaign finance reform. RESILIENCE SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 571 ( Mooney ) and SB 442 ( Rodriguez ) – Powers of Land Authorities Authorizes local land authorities to assist in administering grants for residential flood and sea-level rise mitigation projects, including grants for the elevation of structures above minimum flood elevations; the demolition and reconstruction of structures above minimum flood elevations; and the acquisition of land with structures at risk of flooding. SUPPORTED BY 1000 Friends of Florida SB 1940 ( Brodeur ) - Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Establishes the Statewide Office of Resiliency within the Executive Office of the Governor; provides for the appointment of a Chief Resilience Officer, etc. CONSERVATION SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida, Friends of the Everglades, and Florida League of Women Voters HB 81 ( Eskamani ) and SB 366 ( Berman ) – State Renewable Energy Goals Prohibits oil exploration, drilling or production on Florida land or in Florida waters; requires that all electricity in the state be derived from renewable sources by 2040 and carbon emissions be reduced to net zero by 2050; creates an advisory committee to reach these goals. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 105 ( Fine ) and SB 224 ( Gruters ) – Regulation of Smoking in Public Places Authorizes counties and municipalities to further restrict smoking within the boundaries of public beaches and public parks under certain circumstances; prohibits smoking within the boundaries of a state park, etc. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Friends of the Everglades SB 208 ( Farmer ) – Well Stimulation (Fracking) "Stop Fracking Act" - Prohibits FDEP from issuing permits for extreme well stimulation, also known as fracking. OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Friends of the Everglades HB 349 ( Sirois and Overdorf ) and SB 198 ( Rodriguez ) – Seagrass Mitigation Banks Authorizes the state Board of Trustees to create “seagrass mitigation banks” on state-owned submerged lands which would be used to offset the unavoidable loss of seagrass from coastal development projects. In essence, if developers seek permits for coastal or marine development projects that would destroy seagrasses, this bill would give them the option of buying credits in a mitigation bank to cover costs of seagrass restoration projects elsewhere. Those opposed to the bill say mitigation banks like this often fail and they believe having such a system would enhance development elsewhere. NO OPINION by 1000 Friends of Florida. SUPPORTED by Florida League of Women Voters HB 449 ( Mooney ) and SB 602 ( Rodriguez ) – Land Acquisition Trust Fund Dedicates $20 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to environmental projects in the Florida Keys. NO OPINION by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 463 ( Melo ) and SB 380 ( Rodriguez ) – Greenhouse Gas Emissions Prohibits state agencies from adopting or enforcing greenhouse gas emissions limits without legislative authorization. HB 711 ( Diamond ) and SB 238 ( Jones ) – Endangered and Threatened Species Directs the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect certain endangered or threatened species, regardless of the status of their federal classification; prohibis the commission from considering certain costs when designating a species as endangered or threatened; directs the department, in consultation with the Endangered Plant Advisory Council, to protect certain endangered or threatened species, regardless of the status of their federal classification; prohibits the department from considering certain costs when designating a species as endangered or threatened, etc. HB 741 ( McClure ) and SB 1024 ( Bradley ) -- Renewable Energy Generation (Net Metering) This bill would lower the utility savings for Floridians using rooftop solar panels by limiting net metering incentives. Many view this bill would hurt lower income Floridians by making it more difficult to transition to solar. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 761 ( Truenow ) and SB 882 ( Brodeur ) – Inventories of Critical Wetlands Requires each water management district governing board, in cooperation with local governments, to develop a list of critical wetlands for acquisition using funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. HB 1129 ( Avila ) and SB 1416 ( Garcia ) – Mangrove Replanting and Restoration Requires the DEP to adopt rules for mangrove replanting and restoration. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Florida League of Women Voters HB 6025 ( Eskamani ) SB 316 ( Stewart ) – Preemption of Tree Trimming, Pruning, and Removal Repeals provision in last year’s bill that preempted local government from regulating tree pruning, trimming, and removal on residential property. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 6063 ( Greico ) and SB 320 ( Stewart ) – P reemption of Recyclable and Polystrene Materials Removes the state preemption of local home rule on disposable plastic bags, auxiliary containers, and wrappings. NO OPINION by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 1555 ( McClain ) SB 518 ( Brodeur ) – Private Property Rights to Prune, Trim, and Remove Trees Revises state regulation of local government requirements for tree trimming, pruning, and removal by requiring an assessment by a certified arborist. HB 1377 ( Roth ) and SB 1816 ( Stewart ) – Land Acquisition Trust Fund Specifies that lawmakers would guarantee $100 million a year for the Florida Forever Trust Fund and extend the retirement date of bonds issued by the Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) to fund the Florida Forever Act. The measure would extend the bond life to 2054, adding roughly 14 years to the current retirement date of 2040. SUPPORTED by Friends of the Everglades HB 6085 ( Eskamani ) and SB 1102 ( Farmer ) – Farming Operations Last year’s SB 88 “Right to Farm Bill” protected Big Sugar from lawsuits related to sugar cane burning. These bills revise the definition of “farm operation” and “nuisance” and remove “particle emissions” from the list of protected activities. WATER SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 201 ( Daley ) and SB 356 ( Jones ) – Sales Tax Holiday for Energy Star and WaterSense Products Provides a sales tax exemption for energy efficient products designated with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star label, and irrigation and household appliance water conserving products designated with the EPA’s WaterSense label. HB 309 ( Fetterhoff and Giallombardo ) and SB 856 ( Brodeur ) – Private Provider Inspections of Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems Authorizes private provider inspections of onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems under certain conditions; prohibits the Florida DEP from charging certain inspection and permit fees; specifies requirements for private providers and onsite sewage treatment and disposal system owners and authorized contractors; revises the list of providers authorized to perform onsite sewage treatment and disposal system evaluations, etc. SUPPORTED by 1000 Friends of Florida and Friends of the Everglades HB 393 ( Hinson ) and SB (604) Berman – Safe Waterways Act Requires the Florida Department of Health to monitor public bathing locations, notify local governments of bacterial contamination and require local governments to post warning signs. Current law does not require government to inform residents. HB 421 ( Truenow ) and SB 834 ( Brodeur ) – Long-term Cleanup of Harmful Algal Blooms Authorizes the Florida DEP to procure “innovative” technology to physically remove and reduce blue-green algae blooms from impacted waterways. Friends of the Everglades believes that though this was originally recommended by the state’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force, this measure should be augmented to require that all new technologies be evaluated by a panel of experts to ensure no long-term harm is done to the water being cleaned. HB 473 ( Casselo ) and SB 798 ( Taddeo ) – Bottled Water Excise Tax Imposes a 12.5 cent per gallon excise tax on bottled water operators and deposits the proceeds into the wastewater and stormwater revolving loan trust fund. HB 579 ( Melo ) and SB 1128 ( Harrell ) – Aquatic Plant Management Directs the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in consultation with UF/IFAS & FGCU/Water School, to implement and study nutrient removal technologies and mechanical aquatic plant management techniques within Lake Okeechobee watershed. SUPPORTED by Friends of the Everglades and by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 561 ( Goff-Marcil ) and SB 832 ( Stewart ) – Implementation of the Recommendations of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force Enacts additional measures originally recommended by the Governor’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force. Requires owners of certain onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems to have the systems periodically inspected, beginning on a specified date; requires the Florida DEP to administer the inspection program; requires new or revised basin management action plans to include a list that identifies and prioritizes certain spatially focused projects, etc. SUPPORTED by Friends of the Everglades HB 807 ( Rayner ) and SB 904 ( Farmer ) – Agricultural Practices Revises the definition of “best management practice” and requires, rather than merely authorize, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to devise and adopt rules to reduce pollution statewide and penalize those who don’t follow them. OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida and by Friends of the Everglades SB 1000 ( Albritton ) – Nutrient Application Rates Adjusts nutrient regulation based on needs of individual farms…..Environmentalists believe this bill waters down state standards. Specifically, it defines the terms "certified professional" and "rate tailoring"; authorizes the use of rate tailoring in specified circumstances; authorizes producers to use written recommendations from certified professionals to tailor their recommended nutrient application rates under certain circumstances; requires revisions to recommended application rates by certain state universities and Florida College System institutions to authorize rate tailoring, etc. 1000 Friends says this bill would allow producers to pick and choose different nutrient application rates and would weaken site-specific fertilizer application rates. HB 1339 ( Diamond ) and SB 1744 ( Brandes ) – Phosphogypsum Stacks Requires DEP to submit annual report to Governor, Legislature, & certain entities; notify Governor, Legislature, and certain entities of imminent hazards within specified timeframe; and create, maintain, & update database on its website. HB 1475 ( McClure ) and SB 1418 ( Albritton ) – Soil and Groundwater Contamination Requires the Florida DEP to adopt rules for statewide cleanup target levels for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in soil and groundwater; prohibits such rules from taking effect until ratified by the Legislature; requires the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to conduct a specified analysis of certain assessment and cleanup programs and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date, etc. TRANSPORTATION OPPOSED by 1000 Friends of Florida HB 157 ( Andrade ) and SB 398 ( Hooper ) – Transportation Projects Caps funding for public transportation projects in the state transportation trust fund at 25 percent. This share would exclude state matches for federal transportation funds. Environmental Bills

Martin County needs good candidates to run for office in 2026! Please step up and serve your community by running for office! The Democratic Party of Florida has a program for helping candidates run for office. Go here to get the details. If you are running, please let your local Democratic Party know by calling 772-221-0405 or email martincountydems@gmail.com

Pinder's Nursery Extravaganza Our friends at Pinder's Nursery are offering a package of three items for our auction: a large beautiful potted plant full of natives and other plants for a pop of color a gift certificate a certificate entitling you to a seat at one of their popular and informative classes, your choice. Such classes might include How to Create a Whimsical Garden with Florida Native Plants and How to Start a Thriving Beginner's Vegetable Garden. There are many other classes as well.

An Afternoon with Handyman Doug Stewart Our Vice Chair of the DEC, Doug Stewart, is offering an afternoon of handyman service. "Hire" Doug to repair some of those pesky issues you're seeing around your house, or perhaps have Doug work on a special project you have been wanting to undertake. Doug has started his own handyman business, Doug Stewart Services, LLC. Take advantage of this opportunity to hire Doug!! Remember that proceeds from this item go directly to the Martin County Democratic Party. Help yourself and help the DEC at the same time!

Pinot, Política y Pinturas ¡Compra una entrada o un patrocinio!

This is a listing of the bills considered by the Florida House and Senate during the Florida legislative session of 2022. BIlls Being Considered in the 2023 Florida Legislative Session Session Dates: March 7 - May 5, 2023 Ov erview: How to view the bills Call to Acti on: What to do about the bills List of Bills List of Bills in Detail