Monthly news & updates

St. Johns County Democratic Party

71 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 6

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Phone: 904-825-2336

Currently Open Monday-Wednesday, 11 am - 3 pm

February 4, 2022

Dear Friend,



Happy Black History Month! We welcome this opportunity to inform, educate, and honor the legacies of all Black Americans. With voter suppression measures sweeping across the country, the struggle for justice, equality, and the freedom to vote is not over. But we will not be deterred, and invite you to help us reach out to voters in our communities of color in St. Johns County. We are committed to making sure that every person eligible to vote has that opportunity, knows about their options, and has their vote counted. Please join the cause.

The Florida legislature is in session and Republican legislators have returned to pushing DeSantis-backed legislation. From an abortion ban to banning classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, to censoring what can be taught about race in public schools, these bills show that our state is leaning more and more toward authoritarianism. Help us stop these measures in their tracks by contacting your state legislators. Follow us on Facebook to see regular briefings and calls to action.

Despite states' efforts to derail our democracy, Democrats have much to be proud of. We should shout from the rooftops the fact that America is back to work! Thanks to the Biden administration and Democrats' efforts, 467,000 jobs were created last month alone -- capping off a record 6.6 million jobs during President Biden's first year. That has never happened before and is something we should all celebrate. Efforts continue to control supply chain issues and the corporate greed that is driving rising prices, but the fact that 6.6 million more Americans are working means food on the table and a roof over the heads for many vulnerable families.

Candidate season is heating up, and we were honored to host Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democratic candidate for Florida Governor last week. At the local level, our Candidate Support Committee has assembled a wealth of information and resources for prospective local candidates.They're also organizing an event on March 6th where local Democratic officials will tell their stories about how they got elected and what it's been like to serve in St. Johns County as a Democrat. We hope you can join us for this event and others as we continue the fight to protect our democracy.

--Robin Dion, Chair

Here's the perfect way to celebrate Black History Month! Help the Democratic Black Caucus of St. Johns County reach out to Democratic voters in West Augustine and the Hastings area. We will be visiting only registered Democrats to encourage voting in this year's election. We'll invite them to apply for a mail-in ballot, explain its advantages, and register any unregistered citizens who are eligible to vote. You can choose from several dates HERE.

Training will be provided by the St. Johns Democratic Party in advance of the canvass, as indicated HERE. On the day of each canvass, we will gather for coffee and snacks at the location indicated, receive a list of voters to visit, and go out to work in pairs in the neighborhood, returning to home base within an hour or two to celebrate and swap stories. You can volunteer to be a canvasser, a driver, or to help with set up and clean up at home base. It's fun and a great way to spend time with like-minded people! 

Already working its way through the Florida legislature is bill PCB-PIE 22-03 "An Act Relating to Elections." This is another bill that will make voting and voter registration in Florida even harder. Please contact your state legislators immediately to stop this bill in its tracks.

• Creates an "Office of Election Crimes and Security" and increases penalties from misdemeanors to felonies
• Requires excessive and burdensome voter list maintenance (purging)
• Makes the process to vote by mail even harder and increases costs for Supervisors of Elections
• Works to make it harder and more burdensome for third-party organizations (like St. Johns Democrats) to register voters

Click here for talking points and to contact lawmakers

During the 2020 presidential election, Governor Ron DeSantis touted Florida’s election process as the “gold” standard nationwide. While election security is important, these additional confusing and unnecessary steps will undoubtedly deter voters from participating in the democratic process.

Election Security does not equal Voter Suppression!

Only a handful of voter fraud crimes have been committed in recent years, and these were appropriately investigated and the perpetrators were held accountable in a timely and lawful manner.

Creating a new office solely focused on these activities is duplicative and lacks guardrails which could lead to a politicization of election security at a time when distrust among voters in the system is at an all-time high.

We should be highlighting how safe and secure our elections systems currently are, not creating needless doubt in the minds of Floridians about whether their vote truly counts.

Learn what its like to serve and run for office in

St. Johns County

Did you know that there are 26 Democrats currently in office in St. Johns County? Ever wonder what the experience has been like for them and what it was like to run for office in our county? At this event, our elected officials will share with us what they have enjoyed about their positions, what they have learned about themselves and the offices in which they serve, and what they gleaned from their campaign experiences.

We are also excited to announce that we will also be joined by Rep. Angie Nixon (pictured above), who will step out of the Florida legislative session to say a few words to our gathering. 

This is a great opportunity to meet and thank your elected officials ... and if you are interested in potentially running for local office now or in the future, it's a great opportunity to ask questions of those who have done just that!

Light refreshments, hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be provided. Please sign up HERE by March 1st; once you are registered, we’ll send you the St. Johns County location.

Date: Sunday, March 6th, 2022

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Last year, the Florida legislature passed a bill to restrict where, when, and how citizens can vote, which is now being challenged in court. As reported by Sam Koplewicz, FDP Voter Protection Director, the trial in the lawsuit striking down SB-90 as unconstitutional is underway.

The good news is that challenges issued by several organizations – The League of Women Voters, The Florida Conference of the NAACP, and Disability Rights Florida – survived motions to dismiss and summary judgment.

As such, Chief US District Judge Mark Walker will preside over the following issues: SB-90’s dropbox restrictions, mail-in ballot repeat request requirements, mail-in ballot applications restrictions, the voter registration disclaimer, and the line-warming ban. We will include trial updates in future newsletters.

WHAT IS VOTER SUPPRESSION?

Voter suppression is understood as a strategy to influence the outcome of an election by discouraging or preventing specific groups of people from voting.

It's defined in Federal law: Title 18, Section 594

"Either legal or illegal, by way of laws, administrative rules,

or tactics that prevent eligible voters from registering to vote or voting."

NOT TRAINED? If you have not already been trained to register voters by the St. Johns Democrats since 2020, please sign up for training at the times indicated HERE. The training will include information about current voter registration laws. It takes about an hour, and you can take the training either in person or via Zoom. 

Senator Annette Taddeo, a Democratic Candidate for Governor of Florida, made St. Johns County her first stop after kicking off her 67-county RV Tour at the capitol. We appreciated the opportunity to get to know her and to hear why she believes she can win Florida. As a progressive Latina Jewish woman whose American father was kidnapped by Marxist terrorists, she fled Colombia with her parents and became a successful small business owner in south Florida. In 2017, she flipped a red Florida district blue and became the first Latina female elected to the Florida Senate, winning that seat again in 2018 for a full four year term. You can view a recording of her speech to St. Johns Democrats HERE (note that speech begins at about 5 minutes in) and visit her website HERE.

(Disclaimer: The St. Johns Democratic Party does not endorse any candidate for governor prior to the Primary election, but provides opportunities like this one for voters to learn more about candidates.)

Two great ways to help out at DEM Party Headquarters in February and no experience needed!

DROP IN EVERY TUESDAY between 11 AM and 3 PM to help with voter outreach activities! This month's ACTION TUESDAYS will focus on preparing canvass bags and sending text messages to Democrats. Anyone can do it and your personal phone number is never used. All participants must be We vaccinated, boostered, and masked.This is a great opportunity to get together with fellow Democrats for some fun, good conversation, and activities that make a difference. No need to sign up, just drop in!

HELP STAFF THE OFFICE on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays from 11 to 3 PM. Choose your day to team up with another person and provide front-office assistance for a few hours. Duties include receiving visitors, taking donations, distributing voter outreach materials, answering phones, photocopying, and the like. Click HERE to select your day and sign up!

Sen. Travis Hutson (R): Call 850-487-5007

Rep. Cyndi Stevenson (R) (District 17): Call 850-717-5017

Rep. Paul Renner (R) (District 24): Call 850-717-5024

For more information and Calls to Action like those above regarding bills making their way through the Florida legislature, follow our Facebook page or sign up for alerts HERE or HERE.

Searching for Democrats of Hispanic origin living in St. Johns County! Enrique Diaz and Maria Martinez, new DEC members and Precinct Leaders, are interested in forming a Hispanic Democratic Club here and would love your help!

If you are interested or can refer someone, please let Enrique know by emailing him HERE (ejdiaz2001@yahoo.com) and help us spread the word far and wide!

Speakers included Lanelle Phillmon, president of the League of Women Voters Jacksonville; Abdelilah Skhir, Voting Rights Policy Strategist from ACLU of FL; Robin Dion, Chair of the SJC Democratic Party; Rhona DiCamillo, lead of our local Voter Protection Team; Marcus Nelson, a recent UF graduate; and Kim Elmore, president of the Jax chapter of NOW. Lisa Katz, president of the new Blue Guardians of Democracy club hosted and served as emcee.

Although federal voting rights legislation failed in the Senate due to Senators Manchin and Sinema, the fight is not over. It will continue at the state level, via the Judiciary, and among Senate Democrats.

"We're going to keep fighting for voting rights and it is important for us to move forward," Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) recently told reporters. "This is a defining moment. I think everybody has to be heard on the record. And we'll keep talking to our colleagues and we'll see what happens."

About 200 people joined us on the lawn on the Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine to call for federal voting rights legislation. The vigil was part of a nationwide event held in many cities.

Our event in St. Augustine was featured in several local television and radio broadcasts, as well as in print media. Watch some of the coverage HERE.

Blue Guardians of Democracy

February 24th, 6 PM

Monthly Meeting

Blue Guardians of Democracy is a newly forming club in western St. Johns County led by Precinct Leader Lisa Katz. Our guest speaker on Feb. 24th will be Marcus Nelson, a recent UF graduate and Director of Digital Communications for the St. Johns Democratic Party. He will speak on how to reach out to young Democrats and the challenges of voting for young people. The meeting will be held at World Golf Village for vaccinated, boostered, and masked people, with a Zoom option. You may sign up for the meeting HERE. To become a member, please submit your application and annual membership fee of $15 by clicking HERE.

Democratic Black Caucus of St. Johns County

February 7th, 7 PM

Monthly Meeting



Join us on Monday, February 7th to discuss our voter outreach plan for canvassing West Augustine and nearby areas. For more information or to RSVP, please contact us HERE and check out our Facebook group HERE.

Please sign up to help us canvass Democrats in our some of our most vulnerable communities HERE!

Feb. 26th: Precinct 207

Mar. 26th: Precincts 207 & 208

Apr. 16th: Precinct 209

Training and materials will be provided by the DEC. Sign up for training HERE.

Democratic Environmental Caucus, St. Johns Chapter

March 2nd, 6:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

Join us for a showing of the movie "Phosfate" and a discussion about the pollution of Florida's waterways and the harm being done to humans and the environment.

Please email us HERE (johnpilecki@gmail.com) for more information and to request the Zoom link.

Democratic Women's Club, St. Johns County

March 1st, 6:00 PM

Monthly Meeting

On March 1st, we will feature Deborah Hagenbuch-Reese from the Historic Impressionists of Florida, in honor of Women's History Month. She will present the story of Charlotte Henry White, a local historic figure.

To join us for this meeting at the Cimarrone Golf Club, please submit payment for your meal online HERE. A zoom link will be sent out closer to the meeting for anyone who would like to join by zoom. Please contact us HERE for further information.

If you haven't renewed your annual membership in DWC but would like to, you may do so HERE.

Northwest St. Johns County United for Progress

February 7th Monthly Meeting

6:30 social, 7pm meeting start



Please join us for our monthly general membership meeting. Our guest speakers will be Robin Dion, Chair of the St. Johns Democratic Party, and Josh Weil, candidate for U.S. Senate. Our meeting will be held by zoom; please email us HERE (nwsjcp@gmail.com) for more information and to request the Zoom link.

Ponte Vedra Democratic Club

February 15th, 6:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

The FILIBUSTER - Should it stay or should it go? Join us as Ponte Vedra Democratic Club members and attorneys Rhona DiCamillo and John Miller debate the pro's and con's and engage the audience in the plusses and minuses of each position.

Contact us HERE (jkary@verizon.net) for more information including meeting location.

St. Augustine Beach Democrats

March 1st, 5 PM

Monthly Meeting

St. Augustine Beach Democrats (name may change slightly) is a newly forming club for residents of St. Augustine Beach (Precinct 509) led by Precinct Leader Ann Breslauer. We meet in person at the Art Center at the Pier on the island but will soon move to a larger accomodation. For our March meeting, the guest speaker is St. Augustine Beach resident Chris Moser. Chris is Associate Professor of Humanities and Director of the Pre-Law Program at Flager College. She concentrates on claims related to employment discrimination, sexual harassment, Title IX, whistle-blower retaliation, and civil rights violations. Chris will lead us in a discussion of the discriminatory laws DeSantis is pushing forward. for more information and to RSVP for the meeting, please contact us HERE (akennonbreslauer@yahoo.com).

St. Augustine Democratic Club

February 8th, 7 PM

Monthly Meeting

We welcome as our Guest Speaker, Thomas (TJ) Jackson, St. Augustine native and graduate of St. Benedict the Moor School in Lincolnville. TJ is retired from SJC Parks & Recreation, is Head of the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Committee, and has been President of and/or on the board of the Fort Mose Historical Society since its inception 25 years ago. You can read more about TJ's community involvement in a 2014 article written by Margo Pope in the St. Augustine Record. Contact us HERE (staugdemclub@gmail.com) or 904-484-4960 for more information and to RSVP.

Young Democrats Club, St. Johns County

February 21st, 6:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

Our monthly meetings are held on the third Monday of each month. If you're an interested Democrat between the ages of 14 and 40, please join the St. Johns County Young Democrats! You may email us here (sjcydems@gmail.com) to RSVP for January's meeting and get the Zoom link.

We Are an All-Volunteer Organization Committed to Electing Democrats All up and Down the Ballot

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St Johns Democratic Party. Please mail to

71 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 6, St. Augustine, FL 32084.

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Please Note: Contributions to political parties are not tax-deductible.

Political advertisement paid for by St. Johns Democratic Party, 71 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 6, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.