Monthly news & updates

St. Johns County Democratic Party

71 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 6

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Phone: 904-825-2336

December 31, 2021

Dear Friend,

As 2021 comes to a close, we want to thank you for all your support and wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year! Your county party has been hard at work over the past year, laying the foundation for a strong Democratic turnout in the upcoming election. We've reached out to all DEMs in the county through personal phone calls, text messages, letters mailed, and in-person door knocking as our first round of outreach. We've also registered voters, established several subcommittees, supported the development of new Democratic clubs and caucuses, added many new members to the Democratic Executive Committee, raised funds for next year's campaign, sponsored a range of community events (including a rally for reproductive freedom, a vaccine clinic, and a demonstration for masks in schools), lobbied our elected officials, and interviewed prospective candidates. We've provided monthly trainings and support for precinct leaders and volunteers, renovated headquarters and maintained the office, and adhered to our annual operating budget while complying with all reporting requirements.

Democrats fight for freedom, like the freedom to marry whomever you love, the freedom to live and work without the fear of discrimination, the freedom of women to control their own bodies, and importantly, the freedom to vote. Republicans claim they are fighting socialist Democrats, but really Republicans stand for government control, especially in Florida. We've had enough one-party rule in Florida, and it's time to change that with the November 2022 election. There are many different ways to support the cause, so please join us in whatever way makes sense for you!

--Robin Dion, Chair

ANNOUNCING NEW CLUBS!

We're excited to announce that two new Democratic clubs are forming in St. Johns County--soon to join our family of 7 active Democratic clubs and caucuses! Do you live in St. Augustine Beach OR in West St. Johns County (vicinity of World Golf and SR 16)? If so, check out the clubs-in-formation below and considering joining!

Blue Guardians of Democracy is a new democratic club in West St. Johns County. Our purpose is to provide Democrats access to current political information on ways we can protect our Democracy. The club will provide venues to allow Democrats to have their voices heard, promote opportunities to volunteer with the St. Johns Democratic Party, and host monthly social events to allow friendships to grow among people with similar interests and values in our area.

The club will meet on the third Tuesday of each month, either in-person or via Zoom. Please join us January 18th at 6 PM for our first meeting. Contact us here to RSVP and to learn about other events we are sponsoring earlier in January.

St. Augustine Beach Women Democrats are organizing and would like to invite the community to join our efforts. More than ever, we need dedicated women to help advocate for better policies and a brighter future. We plan to host monthly speakers, make our voices heard about issues on our island, and work toward getting out the vote in St. Augustine Beach.

Following our initial meeting with more than 70 attendees, we will meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 5 PM in person. At our January 4th meeting, we will feature "Trish the Commish," a candidate running for re-election in St. Johns County. Please contact us here to learn more, RSVP and obtain location information. All in-person attendees are required to be vaccinated, boostered and masked.

Blue Guardians of Democracy, with the support of other organizations, is organizing a non-partisan candlelight vigil in St. Augustine as part of a nationwide observance of the anniversary of the insurrection -- and a call to action. The vigil will include several speakers, song, and a moment of silence.

We urge you to stand up for democracy by attending and bringing as many friends, family members, and neighbors as possible. The event will be held outside on national park grounds with security. Please plan to wear a mask and sign up for the vigil here!

January 6th was a violent and deadly attack against all Americans--against our country, our democracy, and our freedom as voters to choose the leaders that represent us. The same faction that attacked on Jan. 6th is hard at work silencing our voices by restricting our freedom to vote, attacking fair voting districts, and quietly preparing future attempts to sabotage free and fair elections and with it our democracy. To prevent this kind of attack from happening again, we must call on our elected leaders to pass urgent legislation to protect our country from anti-democratic forces. Congress must do whatever is necessary to pass these bills:

• The Freedom to Vote Act: The most significant voting rights and anti-corruption bill in generations, this Act will protect the freedom to vote for all Americans, stop partisan gerrymandering, limit the influence of dark money, and prevent partisan politicians from sabotaging future elections. Read more here and here.
• The Protecting Our Democracy Act: A historic pro-democracy-for-all package which will create and strengthen guardrails to prevent the abuse of presidential power and restore fundamental checks and balances in government.
• The Johns Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act: This Act will restore and strengthen our freedom to vote by ensuring that any changes to voting rules that could discriminate against voters based on race or background are federally reviewed.
• DC Statehood: Provides equal voice to the residents of Washington DC and ends more than 200 years of taxation without representation and race discrimination.

HELP MAKE SIGNS AT OUR POSTER MAKING PARTY: Sunday, Jan 2nd

On Sunday, Jan. 2nd, we will host a poster-making opportunity at party headquarters (71 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 6, St. Augustine) from 2 to 4:30 PM. Please sign up for the poster making event here. We must be more than just informed about the issues, we must ACT!

GET YOUR COVID BOOSTERS NOW!

On December 23, 2021, 26,811 new COVID cases were reported in Florida--a near record. In St. Johns County, cases dramatically increased between Dec. 17th and 24th and a surge is expected in January after the holidays. Even if you have been fully vaccinated, please protect yourself by getting your booster.

• Studies are showing that fully vaccinated people are less likely to contract the new variant if they have received a booster shot and to have less severe cases, if contracted.

• Pediatric hospitalizations due to COVID have increased nearly 30% in the past week. Many children are not yet eligible for a booster, having only recently been vaccinated. It's up to us adults to stop the spread.

• Find out which vaccine you should get as a booster and when you are eligible here (hint: 6 months after second Pfizer or Moderna dose or 2 months after J&J vaccine).

• You can get a booster at your doctor's office or at most pharmacies in St. Johns County, including Walgreens, CVS, Publix, Winn Dixie, Walmart, as well as independent pharmacies AT NO COST TO YOU.

NEW HEADQUARTERS HOURS AND UPDATED PROTOCOL

After a well-deserved December break, party headquarters will re-open on January 4th, 2022. During January, we will be open to the public on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday each week, from 11 AM to 3 PM. If you are a DEC member and need access to the office at any other time, please email StJohnsDemocraticParty@gmail.com to arrange a time.

For now, in light of the new Omicron variant, we expect all visitors to be fully vaccinated and boostered and request that they wear a mask. All party meetings and events will be held via Zoom, potentially with an in-person option for fully vaccinated and boostered members and guests.

Register on Zoom HERE for our next monthly meeting on Thursday, January 20th at 6:30 PM! All Democrats are welcome and encouraged to attend.

VOLUNTEER AT HEADQUARTERS!

Two great ways to help out at our DEM Party headquarters in January

ACTION TUESDAYS resume starting on January 11th at 11 AM. This is an opportunity to get together with fellow Democrats for some drop-in voter outreach. On January 11th, we'll be doing another round of mailing to certain precincts and need helpers to stuff, seal, and stamp envelopes. It's a fun and productive way to be with like-minded folks and make a difference. Starting January 11th, we'll gather each Tuesday from 11 AM to 3 PM for other voter outreach activities. No need to sign up, just drop in!

HELP STAFF THE OFFICE starting on January 4th. 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!

FINAL REDISTRICTING MAP FOR

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

After several months of consideration and public input, the St. Johns Board of County Commissioners and School Board have adopted Plan B-1 to redistrict our county. There are 5 districts in St. Johns County, and the 2020 Census indicated there were too many people in some districts due to population growth.The final adopted plan will keep part of West Augustine, Hastings, and Flagler Estates together in District 2. (Read more here). Many thanks to Rhona DiCamillo, Joe McAnarney and others for monitoring our county's redistricting and providing public comments. Most agree that while not perfect, the final plan could have been worse.

NOTE THAT YOUR PRECINCT NUMBER MAY CHANGE. The next step is for the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) to adjust the precinct boundaries to take into account the new districts. That process will be underway in the coming months, and will run parallel to the State's redistricting which is planned for the legislative session starting in January. You will be notified by the SOE if your precinct number and voting location changes, likely in late Spring. (And if you are a Precinct Leader, the party chair will be in touch with you.) Yet another reason for DEMs to vote by mail - given the short period between announcement of new voting locations and the Primary election!

RESULTS -- AND A YEAR-END APPEAL!

Did you know that 969 Democrats signed up to vote by mail in St. Johns County between June and December of this year -- the same period that we conducted our first round of voter outreach throughout the county? In contrast, just 188 Republicans and 112 NPAs and others did so over the same period. These results are directly linked to the vigorous efforts of St. Johns DEMs to reach out to voters via mail, texting, calling, and canvassing. THANK YOU CLUBS, PRECINCT LEADERS, AND VOLUNTEERS!

But we have two more rounds of outreach to go before the election, and we need your help to defray the costs! This work can't be done without the necessary postage, paper, printed material, texting fees and much more.

Please help us finish 2021 in a strong financial position with the funds needed to support our get-out-the-vote efforts next year.

Donations are needed by Friday night!

Every donation is necessary and deeply appreciated. 

ST. JOHNS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC BOOK CLUB

Open to All DEMs

January 25th, 7 PM via Zoom

You are invited to a discussion of Fiona Hill's highly recommended "There is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century," hosted by Northwest Club United for Progress. The book club discussion is open to all club, caucus, and DEC members as well as other interested Democrats. For the Zoom link, please contact the Northwest Club here.

“Of every book written by anybody associated with the Trump administration, in any way, [this] is absolutely the one to read.”

—Rachel Maddow

Democratic Black Caucus of St. Johns County

January 10th, 7 PM



Due to the holidays, we will hold our January meeting on the second Monday in January, instead of the first. We will be discussing 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.

Save these dates for canvassing!

Feb. 27th: Precinct 207

Mar. 26th: Precincts 207 & 208

Apr. 16th: Precinct 209

Apr. 30th: Complete

Training and materials will be provided by the DEC.

Democratic Environmental Caucus, St. Johns Chapter

January 10th, 7 PM

For our monthly meeting, we will join the webinar Okefenokee Swamp: A Wetland of International Importance in Our Own Backyard. Sierra Club outings leader Carr Smith, who has paddled and camped across the Okefenokee, will lead us on a visit to North America’s largest freshwater swamp (680 square miles). To get the link to the online meeting, click here to register. After you register, a link to the online meeting will be emailed to you. For more information, contact us here (johnpilecki@gmail.com).

Democratic Women's Club, St. Johns County

February 1st, 5:30 PM

Registration has closed for our January meeting, but we invite you to register for our February 1st meeting. David Nolan will be speaking on St. Augustine's Civil Rights History in honor of Black History Month. You may reserve a spot and submit the $30 fee for dinner via PayPal here. For more information, contact us here (rfdavis001@comcast.net).

Northwest St. Johns County United for Progress

January 10th 6:30 social, 7pm meeting start



Please join us for our monthly meeting where we will host a discussion of social activism, led by Anne Russell. Currently we are planning to meet in person at 2777 Race Track Road, Fruit Cove, FL and ask that attendees be fully vaccinated and masked. Please contact us here (nwsjcp@gmail.com) to register and obtain updated information. 

Ponte Vedra Democratic Club

January 18th, 6:30 PM

Former US Congressman Earl Pomeroy and St. Johns County Precinct Leader will join us to present "What's the Matter with Congress? Reflections of a Former Member." He will also address the new opportunities we have in 2022. Contact us here (jkary@verizon.net) for more information including meeting location.

St. Augustine Democratic Club

January 11th, 7 PM

The St. Augustine Democratic Club will meet with a Speaker via Zoom on Tuesday, January 11 at 7:00 PM. Club members are asked to renew their membership by sending a check for $20 and payable to St. Augustine Democratic Club, P.O. Box 304, St. Augustine, FL 32085. For more information and a Zoom link to the meeting, contact us here (staugdemclub@gmail.com) or call 904-484-4960.

Young Democrats Club, St. Johns County

January 17th, 6:30 PM, via Zoom

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.

Tomorrow we start a new year. A new beginning. Things will change. Let's resolve to work toward the best changes possible...for ourselves, our loved ones, our community, our nation, and our world. Together we can!

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

Your Contribution Helps Defray Costs

Thank you!

You may also contribute by check, payable to

St Johns Democratic Party. Please mail to

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

Please note your address, phone, and email, and

Include occupation if contribution is $100 or more.

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.