Join Floridians For Democracy for an environmental Zoom discussion featuring two knowledgeable, effective environmental leaders: Prof. Jaclyn M. Lopez, the former director and senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity and current Director of the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson Law who has tackled topics such as red tide and the phosphate industry in Florida and Leslie K. Poole, Ph.D., a fourth-generation Floridian and award-winning author who teaches environmental studies at Rollins College. | |
Honoring the memory of Richard O. Jacobs
Dick Jacobs, prominent attorney, environmentalist, world traveler, photographer, and author including Democracy of Dollars: Where Natural and Constitutional Rights Go To the Highest Bidder passed away in August. He was an early supporter and provided guidance in the start up of FFD.
At age 55, Dick traveled the world, developing a passion for conservation and protection of the earth’s resources. He was instrumental in the 2018 lawsuit on behalf of eight youth plaintiffs arguing the state of Florida was violating their constitutional rights to a healthy environment.
Even after his retirement and into his nineties, Dick continued to fight for democracy and the environment. Desiring to ensure opportunities for young people to use their legal education to advocate for social and environmental causes, he and his wife established the Dick and Joan Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson University College of Law.
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Protecting the Environment by Protecting Democracy
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
7:00 - 8:15 PM EST
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83634472071?pwd=ZUFLcmRBL09qZFMwNVFaMzlyMjNJQT09
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Leslie Kemp Poole is an award-winning writer and historian. A fourth-generation Floridian, Poole has long been interested in the role of women in the state’s environmental movement and how women were saving the state’s important natural resources even before they were able to vote.
Dr. Poole is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She received her PhD in History from the University of Florida in 2012. Her articles have been published in a number of academic journals and she regularly presents papers about her research at history conferences. In 2008 she appeared in the PBS documentary In Marjorie's Wake which retraced a 1933 trip on the St. Johns River taken by noted author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. In January 2019 she appeared in the PBS Documentary The Swamp, part of the American Experience series, talking about the history of Florida's Everglades. Poole also has worked as a freelance author for a number of magazines and publications.
Prior to working in academia, Poole was a reporter for several newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel, where she helped pen a series of articles about Florida's lack of growth management that won a national award.
If you are a Florida Humanities member, look for Poole’s article in the Fall 2023 issue of Forum magazine. She reports not only the rising threats to Florida’s natural resources but also on promising solutions. Even if you are not a member, you can hear the podcast she did in conjunction with the article.
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Born and raised in Florida, Professor Jaclyn Lopez is the Director of the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson Law. She served as the Florida director and senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity for over a decade. She holds a master of laws in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
She also holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona.
While at the Center for Biological Diversity, Professor Lopez’s work involved advocating for the protection of ecosystems in the Caribbean and the Southeast U.S.
She has written, taught, and presented extensively on environmental topics, including at Stetson Law, where she taught environmental practice, interviewing and counseling, and topics in biodiversity.
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On Veterans Day, Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, one of America’s leading scholars on fascism and authoritarian leaders informed her audience of the language, signals and behaviors that are signs of authoritarianism. At the same time, a potential candidate for the presidency of the United States was demonstrating that language.
FFD collaborated with Florida Veterans for Common Sense and Choose Democracy Now to bring Dr. Ben-Ghiat to Sarasota and to have her live-streamed. If you missed it, you can see her impressive presentation on YouTube. It is worth your time!!!
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School Voucher Forum
Florida public schools, foundational to our democracy, are facing an unprecedented threat to their survival. At least $2.5 billion dollars of taxpayer funds are expected to be provided to Florida’s private schools. In February 2023, Gov. DeSantis signed HB1, which removed the income requirement for families to qualify for school choice vouchers. The very significant increase in funding of private schools by the legislature leaves public schools seriously underfunded.
Learn more at a special School Voucher Forum featuring two state experts on vouchers and their impact: Norin Dollard, PhD is a Senior Policy Analyst focused on early learning and education and KIDS COUNT Director with the Florida Policy Institute. Damaris Allen is the Executive Director of Coral Gables-based Families for Strong Public Schools.
Where: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, 6340 Napa Woods Way, Naples, FLA 34116
When: Sunday, December 3rd, 11:30-1:30PM. Light Refreshments will be Provided.
Registration Required—Office@uunaples.org
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Florida Democracy Day
When: Saturday, January 13
Watch for future FFD communications for more details: Join pro-democracy organizations across Florida to support good governance, equal opportunity, and democratic freedoms. Pro-democracy groups are encouraged to organize events showcasing the challenges to preserve and protect democracy while reinforcing that individuals and organizations are collaborating to defend democracy.
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GULF COAST LIVE interviewed an FFD leader, Jim Nathan, and State Attorney Dave Aronberg. In this discussion, Jim, a cofounder of Floridians for Democracy, provides an update of FFD activities. Jim served as CEO for Lee Health for 34 years before retiring in 2017. In his "retirement" he is an adjunct professor and Executive-in-Residence for the Marieb College Health and Human Services at Florida Gulf Coast University.
As a precursor to an in-person event where he was keynote speaker, Dave Aronberg, in his third term as elected State Attorney for 15th Judicial Circuit which includes Palm Beach County, shares his perspectives of the challenges Florida and our nation face in protecting and preserving democracy. Dave is a former Florida State Senator where he served for eight years in a district that at the time included parts of Southwest Florida. Dave is a frequent cable news commentator on legal issues in Florida and the nation.
Article and audio link here:
https://news.wgcu.org/show/gulf-coast-life/2023-11-07/floridians-for-democracy-raises-concerns-about-what-they-say-are-authoritarian-trends-in-florida?fbclid=IwAR1gM89pwejdasMNyvkA84jv1sUQYWSBouMZVqQLlHFFexUsUWsQWw1ZBIg
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SIGN & JOIN PETITION DRIVES | |
Help the Florida Right to Clean Water Initiative
(Easy access links)
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Help Put Abortion on the Ballot
Over 600,000 petitions have been signed and collected. Another 500,000 are needed by February 1, 2024, to get the amendment on the November ballot. You can help by signing the petition, sharing this link, or by signing up as a volunteer to help collect petitions.
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Donor Quote
"If my contribution can help save democracy in Florida, I'm all in!"
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Friends of Democracy:
- $1,000
- $500
- $250
- $100
- Custom amount
All contributions are appreciated!
Floridians for Democracy Institute
Floridians for Democracy Institute, Inc. (FFDI) is a 501(C)(3) tax-exempt educational and charitable public charity. Your donations to the FFD Institute are tax-deductible.
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Floridians for Democracy Action Fund
Democracy in Florida is at risk. Consider also supporting Floridians for Democracy Action Fund, a non-profit 501(C)(4) dedicated to advocating for state policy changes and protections focused on preserving and saving democracy. The FFD Action Fund is a non-tax-deductible fund.
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We will coordinate a Florida network of social justice advocates dedicated to saving and preserving democracy by helping link individuals and organizations to achieve shared goals, create connections throughout a wide community, and speak with a louder voice. | |
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