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.

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We need you! Click on location to sign up to be a Poll Greeter at these sites: Election Center Stuart https://mobilize.us/s/U8YGDq Morgade Library Stuart https://mobilize.us/s/p7yKQn Hoke Library Jensen Beach https://mobilize.us/s/sKxCt0 E. Lahti Library Indiantown https://mobilize.us/s/uvWSMq

We're doing something different this year at Docktails. We're having a LIVE AUCTION ! What you should do to prepare for the auction: Read up on the live auction items below. Click on each item to get more info, pictures, etc. See which ones interest you. Get prepared to place a bid. If one of the exciting water items interests you (a day with the Indian Riverkeeper out on the St Lucie, a kayaking tour, or a sunset cruise), talk to friends and family to see if you all can go in together, pool your money, and have someone at Docktails to place a bid. You could also do this for the Monarch Country Club group of 4 golfing package or the culinary tours. This can be a fun part of the Docktails program. Don't sit on the sidelines. Decide which items you want to bid on now, and then be prepared to bid individually or as a group on the items at Docktails. Check or credit card accepted. If you cannot make it to Docktails, find a friend who is going and tell them to make a bid for you. A big THANK YOU to all the businesses that contributed to this auction. Without your generosity, there would be no auction. And a big THANK YOU to Allen Bornstein from Legends Radio 100.3 WLML-FM for being our emcee and auctioneer. Be a part of the winning team: All proceeds from the live auction go to the Martin County Democratic Party to help us win in 2026! **PLEASE CLICK ON THE WORDED TITLE OF EACH AUCTION ITEM BELOW TO SEE MORE DESCRIPTION AND PICTURES** Sunset Cruise to Bird Island for up to 8 people Estate Planning Package Culinary Tour of Martin County #2 Lunch with Bob Crandall Culinary Tour of Martin County - #1 Pinder's Nursery Extravaganza An Afternoon wtih Doug Stewart, Handyman Round of Golf for 4 at Monarch Kayak or Paddleboard Tour on St Lucie Inlet for up to 4 people A Day with Jim Moir, the Indian Riverkeeper...Good for up to 5 people Wine & Cheese Gift Basket

Genera l Bills CRIMINAL JU STICE SB130 ( Lori Berman ) /HB 97 ( Cassell ) Greyson's Law This bill is called "Greyson's Law." It requires the court to con sider domestic violence factors when considering parental custody. HB991 ( Alex A ndrade & Mike Beltran ) Defamation, False Light, and Unauthorized Publication of Name or Likenesses This bill would allow pub lic figures (such as politicians) to bring suit against journalis ts for defamation, even if no malice was intended. Critics call it the "Death to Public Discourse Bill." Many fear this bill would limit free speec h and the right to criticize government officials without fear of financial retribution. Anonymous sources and investigative journalists would be especially impacted. Also includes provision that if public figure sues journalist or media and wins, then the journalist also has to pay public figure's legal fees. EDUCATION HB1 ( Kaylee Tuck & Susan Plasencia ) School Choice Allows for children to go to public schools, charter schools, private schools, home school regardless of physical or monetary needs...(even rich kids get the voucher) ... .Greatly expands vouch er program, essentially making the voucher program universal. State funds for the vouchers would allow parents to pay for private school tuition, tutoring, virtual school, homeshool fees and m ore. Money that would have gone to public schools will now go to the voucher program. Many view this bill as detrimental to public education. See House Speaker Renner's spin in interview about this bill here . See Women's Club info for more facts about this bill and its e ffect on public education here . HB411 ( Kevin Steele ) District School Board Elections Says elected candidate for district school board must reside in district school board member residence area by date she or he assumes office instead of upon qualifying for office. HB479 ( Gallop Franklin ) Required Instruction in history of Holocaust and History of African Americans Revises provisions relating to required instruction in history of African Americans; requires department to annually verify that school districts, charter schools, & specified private schools implement certain instruction relating to history of Holocaust & history of African Americans; requires district school superintendents, charter school principals, & private school directors or similar administrators to annually provide specified evidence to department by certain date; provides penalties; & requires certain statewide, standardized assessments to include curricula content from history of Holocaust & history of African Americans. HB999 ( A lex A ndrade ) Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions If passed, this bill would put hiring decisions and curriculum control at Florida public universities in the hands of politicians and their crony appointees. IT WOULD END ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND UNIVERSITY INDEPENDENCE. IT WOULD GIVE DESANTIS MORE POWER TO DICTATE WHO TEACHES AND WHAT IS TAUGHT. No doubt, DeSantis would put into place those who echo his ideology. This bill also bans gender studies courses. It would defund diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at state institutions. SB88 ( Shev Jones ) Task Force on Workforce Housing for Teachers and Expansion of Schools Creates a task force to study affordable housing and classroom size challenges faced by teachers. The task force would study the feasibility of using surplus state-owned land and mixed-use developments for workforce housing, and the need for comprehensive planning to address workforce housing for teachers. SB256 ( Blaise Ingoglia ) Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees Bans automatic union paycheck deductions of Florida's public employees. Many say this and other provisions of the bill would be "union busting." This would NOT include male-dominated public employees in law enforcement, firefighters, correctional officers and probation officers. Many view this bill as an attack on women due to this disparity in professions affected. The female-dominated teachers' union and nurses' union would be included in this ban. For a good review of this anti-union bill and comparison to a similar law in Wisconsin, see this . SB342 ( Lori Berman )/HB 271 ( Jervonte Edmonds ) Save Our Teachers Act Increases minimum base salary for full-time teachers from $47,500 to $65,000. ELECTIONS /POLITICAL PARTIES SB1248 ( Blaise Ingoglia ) Political Parties "The Ultimate Cancel Act - Cancelling the Democratic Party" What in the world?!!!! This bill proposes the state Division of Elections cancel the "filings" of a political party, to include party registration and approved status in any and all elections, if that party's platform had previously advocated for slavery or involuntary servitude. Although not explicitly listed, the Democratic Party, which was popular in the nation's South during Reconstruction, would fit the description. Economics and civil rights fueled significant changes in both parties in the years since. The bill includes language that would require any voter currently registered as a member of a canceled party to be notified by that political party to update their voter registration to an approved and active political party. Here is the FDP response: ""Presenting a bill that would disenfranchise 5 million voters is both unconstitutional and unserious. Under Ron DeSantis, Senator Ingoglia is using his office to push bills that are nothing more than publicity stunts instead of focusing on the issues that matter most to Floridians, such as reforming property insurance, addressing housing affordability, and combating climate change. The sooner DeSantis and his puppets in the legislature learn that Florida is a Democratic Republic and not a Banana Republic, the better it will be for all Floridians.” HJR405 ( Chase Tramont ) Prohibition on Open Primaries and Nonpartisan Elections **This is a proposed amendment to Florida's state constitution, not a bill. But the gist of it would be to prohibit nonpartisan elections - to provide that candidates for office can disclose their party affiliation. For us, it would mean BOCC, City of Stuart, and School Board elections would be partisan. HJR31 (5 REPUBLICAN SPONSORS SO FAR - SEE OFFICIAL SITE FOR NAMES) Partisan Elections for Members of District School Boards Proposes amendments to State Constitution to require members of district school boards to be elected in partisan elections. HJR129 ( Rick R oth ) Requiring Broader Public Support for Constitutional Amendments or Revisions Proposes amendment to State Constitution to increase percentage of elector votes required to approve amendment to or revision of State Constitution from 60 percent to 66.67 percent, except repeal of amendment or revision need only be approved by same percentage of elector votes as was required at time of passage of such amendment or revision. GUNS SB150 ( C lay C ollins ) Guns (or, to use their term, "Public Safety") Requires sheriffs to assist private schools in complying with a certain statute; authorizes a person to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm if he or she is licensed to do so or meets specified requirements; requires a person who is carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm without a license to carry valid identification and display such identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer; provides that a person who is authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm without a license is subject to specified penalties for possessing such weapon or firearm at a school-sponsored event or on school property; requires the Office of Safe Schools to develop a behavioral threat management operational process by a specified date; authorizing a private school to partner with a law enforcement agency or security agency for specified purposes, etc. SB462 ( Lori Berman ) Assault Weapons and Large-capacity Magazines Prohibits the sale or transfer of an assault weapon or a large-capacity magazine; prohibits possession of an assault weapon or a large-capacity magazine; requires certificates of possession for assault weapons or large-capacity magazines lawfully possessed before a specified date; provides conditions for continued possession of such weapons or large-capacity magazines; provides enhanced criminal penalties for certain offenses when committed with an assault weapon or a large-capacity magazine, etc. HB543 ( 14 SPONSORS!! ALL REPUBLICAN, OF COURSE!!!! ) Concealed Carry of Weapons and Firearms Without a License (Permi tless Carry) Authorizes person to carry concealed weapon or concealed firearm if he or she is licensed to do so or meets specified requirements; requires person who is carrying concealed weapon or concealed firearm without license to carry identification & display upon demand by law enforcement; prohibits person who is carrying concealed weapon or concealed firearm without license from carrying such weapon or firearm in specified locations; authorizes nonresident to carry concealed weapon or concealed firearm in this state if he or she meets same requirements as resident; provides person authorized to carry concealed weapon or concealed firearm without license is subject to specified penalties for possessing such weapon or firearm at school-sponsored event or on school property. HEALT H CARE /ABORTION SB300 ( Erin Grall ) /HB7 ( Jenna Persons-Mulicka ) Pregnancy and Parenting Support ** 6 WEEK ABORTION BAN ** Prohibits abortions after 6 weeks. Allows for rape and incest exception. Prohibits mailing of pregnancy termination medication. HB 305 ( Webster Barnaby & Dean Black ) Protection of Medical Freedom Proh ibits DOH from requiring enrollment in state's immunization registry or otherwise requiring persons to submit to immunization tracking; prohibits business & governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities; prohibits employers from refusing employment to, or discharging, disciplining, demoting, or otherwise d iscriminating against, individual on basis of vaccination or immunity status; revises purposes of Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 to include discrimination protection for vaccination or immunity status. HB1029 ( Randy Mag gard ) / SB1304 ( Colleen Burton ) Claims Against Long-term Care Facilities This bill is meant to reduce the civil lawsuits that seniors and their relatives may bring against nursing homes. Some argue such tort reform is needed to reduce excessive litigation, while others argue it would ultimately hurt seniors by lowering healthcare standards since nursing homes would not fear litigation as much. HOME RULE/LOCAL ORDINANCES SB102 ( See bill - many sponsors ) / HB627 ( Cabrrera and Lopez ) Live Local Act - Rent Control and Affordable Housing Prevents the authority of local governments to adopt or maintain laws, ordinances, rules, or other measures that would have the effect of imposing controls on rents; provides an exemption from ad valorem taxation for land that meets certain criteria; authorizes local governments to adopt ordinances to provide an ad valorem tax exemption for portions of property used to provide affordable housing meeting certain requirements; suspends, for a specified period, the General Revenue Fund service charge on documentary stamp tax collections; authorizes the Governor, under the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, to approve state or local public infrastructure projects to facilitate the development or construction of affordable housing, etc. SB170 ( Jay Trumbull ) Local Ordinances (Allows businesses to sue local governments over 'arbitrary or unreasonable' ordinances, etc.) Authorizes courts to assess and award reasonable attorney fees and costs and damages in certain civil actions filed against local governments; requires a board of county commissioners to prepare or cause to be prepared a business impact estimate before the enactment of a proposed ordinance; requires a county to suspend enforcement of an ordinance that is the subject of a certain legal action if certain conditions are met, etc. SB1240 ( Danny Burgess ) / HB1197 ( Randy Maggard ) Land and Water Management Prohibits counties and municipalities from adopting laws, regulations, rules or policies related to water quality or quantity, pollution control. Leaves control with the state. If passed, this would mean Martin County could not protect its own waterways and wetlands. HB359 ( Wyman Duggan ) Local Government Comprehensive Plans Simply put, the bill stipulates that anyone who loses a legal challenge to a comprehensive plan or comprehensive plan amendment must pay the winner's attorney fees and costs. T his would be a boon to developers because citizens would likely never challenge such amendments due to the high costs they could incur. An even more pervasive sprawl would likely result. HB 437 ( James Buchanan ) Homeowners' Right to Display Flags Authorizes homeowners to display no more than certain number of flags regardless of prohibitions in governing documents of homeowners' association; defines "first responder flag"; prohibits homeowners' association documents from precluding property owners from displaying certain number of specified flags. Note that Rainbow Flag is not listed here as being acceptable. IMMIGRATION SB6 ( Blaise In goglia ) / HB5 ( John Snyder ) Unauthorized Alien Transport Program Creates the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program within the Division of Emergency Management to facilitate the transport of inspected unauthorized aliens within the United States. This bill is meant to clean up the mess made when Desantis flew migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. Snyder is our House rep from District 86. LGBTQ+ EQUALITY SB254 ( Clay Yarborough ) /HB 1421 ( Randy Fine & Ralph Massullo ) Treatments for Sex Reassignment Bans doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth, such as hormone therapy. House version requires that doctors lose their licenses if they provide such treatment to those under 18. Senate bill says this could lead to criminal charges against doctor. House bill also prevents health insurers and HMOs from providing coverage. The Senate bill gives the state temporary emergency jurisdiction over trans children if they are about to receive gender-affirming care. SB 328 ( Lauren Book ) Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act Prohibits individuals from using a nonviolent sexual advance or specified perceptions or beliefs about another individual as a defense to a criminal offense, to excuse or justify the conduct of an individual who commits a criminal offense, or to mitigate the severity of a criminal offense, etc. HB1223 ( Adam Anderson ) /HB1069 ( Stan McClain ) /SB 1320 ( Clay Yarborough ) "Don't Say Expansion" - These bills expand on last year's Don't Say Gay Bill HB1223 bans school employees and students from addressing a person by their preferred pronoun - they have to use the pronoun given to person at birth. It also extends Parental Rights bill from 2022 so restrictions go through 8th grade. HB1069 expands book banning within classrooms and allows for easier ways to challenge books in the classroom. All challenged books, even if only one parent objects, must be removed immediately. SB1320 - similar to HB1223 HB1403 ( Joel Rudman ) / S B 1580 ( Jay Trumbull ) Protections of Medical Conscience Allows for "conscience-based objections without discrimination" -- in other words, it allows a doctor to decline to treat someone without fear of disciplinary action. Legalizes discrimination by the medical profession. SB1438 ( Clay Yarborough ) /HB 1423 ( Randy Fine ) Protection of Children (aka Drag Show Prohibition) Prohibits drag queen performances in a public building or public event. Owner of establishment that allows children to enter is subject to fines and suspension of license. SB1674 ( Erin Grall ) Facility Requirements Based on Sex - called "Safety in Private Spaces Act" Requires people to use bathroom or locker room that lines up with gender assigned at birth Many consider this anti-trans legislation. It would charge trans people with a misdemeanor for using the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. HM1319 ( Tommy Gregory ) / SM1382 ( Jay Collins ) United States Dept of Defense Anti-woke memorial....Urges Congress to change regulations so Dept of Defense is not so "woke" - to not focus on diversity and equality and decency. Asks for a return to the warrior ethos of the past. Many see this as an attack on LGBTQ service members. Environmental Bills 1001 Friends of Florida i s a non-profit organization that focuses on growth and the environment, and they do a great job of monitoring the legislature. Go here to view their list of bills being considered and their recommendations. Friends of the Evergl ades is another organization that watches environmental bills being con sidered. Go here to view their list of bills as well as a webinar held about the bills .

July 11 Full Moon Club 8:30 - ? Stuart Beach This July's Full Moon is called the Buck Moon. It comes from the fact that male deer begin to grow their antlers at this time of year. The moon will rise late this month at 9:20 pm, so we will arrive early around 8:30. As always we will meet at Stuart Beach heading out from Seaside Cafe, a little towards the right. Please bring your chairs & beverage of choice as well as some finger food for our table if you so desire!! Come on out & bring your like minded family & friends!

Overview of 2022 Bills Did you know that more than 3500 bills have been filed for the 2022 Florida legislative session? With those kind of numbers, it's overwheming to keep track of it all. This section of your website is meant to help you with that. We have selectively divided up the bills into two categories of noteworthy bills: General Bills and Environmental Bills. Under each category, we have i ncluded the top 30 or so bills that are the most noteworthy (Yes....this is subjective....Email your webmaster at MCDemWeb@gmail.com to give your input on bills that should be listed if you don't see them here.) General Bills include such topics as Abortion, Equality, Healthcare, Education, Gun Control, Criminal Justice, etc. Environmental Bills obviously relate to the environment. Some of these deal with Home Rule issues. Each bill shows the bill sponsor: If the name is in red font, then they're Republican . If blue , then the sponsor is a Democrat . The bill sponsors are linked to their official website where you can find contact information for calling or writing them. Clicking on the official's name should take you to their page. Bill titles are linked to the official Florida government site, where you can get more details about the bill and see where the bill sits. (Note: Some bills never go anywhere, some sit in committees and stay there, and some bills move from committees out to the floor for voting.....Before you contact legislators or write LTEs, be sure to check the bill's status.) Some organizations such as Equality Florida and Friends of the Everglades and 1000 Friends of Florida have issued their approval or disapproval of bills and these have been noted above the bills and are offered as a guide for your own research and decision making.

Culinary Tour of Martin County Opportunity to enjoy culinary delights from around the world at our finest area restaurants: TapasTerra (Mediterranean, French, and Spanish) $300 in certificates just for Tapas Terra !! Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House (Seafood & American) Michelina's (Italian) Nostalgia (Greek) Renato's & Josephine's (Italian) These are some of the area's most popular restaurants. Whether you buy these for yourself to use throughout the year or for birthday or Christmas presents for your friends and family, you can't go wrong!

DONACIÓN ÚNICA ¡SÍ! Ayudaré a apoyar la democracia haciendo un DONACIÓN ÚNICA al Partido Demócrata del Condado de Martin ¡Haga clic aquí para donar hoy! If you prefer to pay by check, make check payble to Martin County DEC and mail to PO Box 1497, Stuart, FL 34995 Donate

A few noteworthy (mostly bad) bills coming up in 2026 Don't like what you see? F ight back. Click here for ideas on how to respond to these bills. If you don't see a bill listed here that should be on this list, email Hank at hb120mc@outlook.com HB 173 SB 166 These bills make it harder for teens to access contraceptive care and STI treatment by requiring parental consent. Surveys administered by schools must have parental consent before presenting to child. HB 1001 SB 1134 Defunds and bans certain local DEI, including LGBTQ-inclusing programming. Authorizes the Governor to remove local electeds for supporting prohibited DEI. Existing policies or ordinance related to DEI are declared void under this bill. SB 250 "Rural Renaissance Bill" Rural Communities; Requiring the state land planning agency to give preference for technical assistance funding to local governments located in a rural area of opportunity; revising the conditions required for a county to be considered a fiscally constrained county; creating the Office of Rural Prosperity within the Department of Commerce; requiring the Office of Rural Prosperity to administer the Renaissance Grants Program to provide block grants to eligible communities; creating the Public Infrastructure Smart Technology Grant Program within the Office of Rural Prosperity; creating the Florida Arterial Road Modernization Program within the Department of Transportation, etc. HB 289 SB 164 These bills give fetuses some of the same legal rights as children Opponents say this will have a chilling effect on OB-GYNs and healthcare practitioners HB 317 Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses; Prohibits use of nonviolent sexual advance or specified perceptions or beliefs about another person as defense to criminal offense, to excuse or justify person's conduct, or to mitigate severity of offense. HB 347 SB 426 Bans government agencies and schools and colleges from flying LGBTQ pride flags and other political type flags HB 993 SB 1044 These bills make it harder to access IVF (in vitro fertilization) HB 105 SB 588 “Local Government Enforcement Actions,” are an identical pair of bills which would prohibit local governments from taking enforcement actions deemed “arbitrary or unreasonable,” which could be defined as anything causing “unreasonable” delays to development. Violators could face up to $50,000 in damages, along with court costs and attorney fees. HB 663 SB 1374 Allow family members to sue providers of abortion SB 790 Education; Repealing a provision relating to prohibited training or instruction in specified concepts which constitutes discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex; repealing a provision relating to personal titles and pronouns; deleting a prohibition against classroom instruction, in specified grades, on sexual orientation and gender identity; authorizing and encouraging Florida College System institutions, state universities, and direct-support organizations to develop programs based on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles; authorizing school library media centers to provide materials and information presenting all points of view HB 399 SB 208 “Land Use and Development Regulations,” would forbid local governments from denying or delaying approval of a residential development for being incompatible with existing nearby development if certain requirements are met. It also provides that an application for an infill residential development must be administratively approved without public hearing and treated as a conforming use if the proposed development meets certain standards HB 105 SB 588 “Local Government Enforcement Actions,” are an identical pair of bills which would prohibit local governments from taking enforcement actions deemed “arbitrary or unreasonable,” which could be defined as anything causing “unreasonable” delays to development. Violators could face up to $50,000 in damages, along with court costs and attorney fees. HB 433 SB 290 Dubbed the “Florida Farm Bill,” would radically expand the state’s existing “food libel law,” effectively allowing Florida’s sugar industry to sue and perhaps silence its critics. The bills would allow agricultural producers to sue for disparagement of non-perishable products — like sugar — and expand the definition of “agricultural food product” to include farming practices, such as sugarcane burning prior to harvest. Bottom line, if passed, the bills would curtail the free-speech rights of Floridians who scrutinize and criticize Big Sugar. HB 479 SB 718 “Land and Water Management,” would prohibit local governments from adopting any regulations on water quality or quantity, pollution control or wetlands, preempting all such authority to the state. Vulnerable communities that have chosen to enact additional protections for sensitive environmental areas could see those protections evaporate — with huge repercussions HB 399 Forbids counties and municipalities from denying, conditioning, or delaying approval of residential development on the basis of compatibility issues if the proposed residential use is located adjacent to existing residential development within the same land use category. Provides that an application for an infill residential development must be administratively approved without public hearing and treated as a conforming use if the proposed development meets certain standards. Provides requirements around fees and charges in connection with the review, processing, and inspection of a residential development. HB 995 SB 1296 Attacks on unions and working people. Makes it more difficult for workers to have a collective voice. This bill restricts the ability of local union officers to carry out their duties of advocating for educators, students and public education and adds onerous new requirements for employees to rectify their union. HB 963 SB 320 Teacher retention. Good for students, educators and school communities This bill fulfills several of FEA’s legislative priorities by removing burdensome regulations that keep teachers from receiving fair raises and re-establishing multi-year contracts, and providing flexibility in funding.

Pinder's Nursery Package of Exciting Items Pinder's is offering a generous package that includes the following: One medium-sized container (approx. 14” diameter) planted with a beautiful mix of native plants and seasonal color One $50 Pinder’s Nursery gift card One free class registration to any 2026 workshop or class held at The Community Garden Center at Pinder’s Nursery This potted plant is a representation of the pot you will received. It will be on display at Docktails prior to bidding.