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January Heated Up Quickly
While the temperature in Northeast Florida seemed a little low, things have heated up rather quickly following President Trump's inauguration. For those who are following the White House communications, you know that there has been such a flurry of executive orders and social media posts that there has been a bit of confusion by agencies impacted as well as the public trying to discern what the impact of the executive orders will be. Please know this, we will continue the work of the League of Women Voters and will continue to collaborate with other organizations when and where possible. Our priorities have not changed and our commitment to creating a more perfect democracy for ALL people remains unwavering.
I realize that some of our members may be feeling overwhelmed and concerned about how our community and nation will be impacted in the long run by the unique vision of the new administration. While I cannot foretell the future, I do know that if we do not continue our work, democracy as we know it today will be for a select few and not the whole of the nation.
I would encourage everyone to ensure you are getting information from reliable and verifiable sources. We want to continue to be good stewards of information for ourselves but also for the community members that we represent and serve. If you are seeing things on social media or in your email inbox and you cannot verify it, do not share it.
|  | If you haven't joined one of the League's local or statewide committees, I invite you to do so. This will allow us to push back against bad legislation and support good legislation. Whether it is with the League or another organization, each of us has some talent, big or small, that we can contribute to the work of our nation's democracy. I'm asking you to stay in the fight and continue the work.
For 100+ years, the League of Women Voters has been a nonpartisan, activist, grassroots organization that believes voters should play a critical role in democracy. This will not change!
Lanelle Phillmon
President, LWVJFC
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League Lobby Days 2025
League of Women Voters of Florida will host "Lobby Days" in Tallahassee March 11 -12, 2025. Lobby Days is an excellent time to meet other League members from across the state, our state board members and state legislators. There will be training sessions on current League priorities and bills, "how to lobby" your legislator, and we will hear from our Lobby Firm Capital Alliance Group. We also host a gala where the "Defenders of Democracy" award is presented to a member of the public or a legislator for their work in furthering the freedoms of others. LWVFL will hold a virtual training session and provide talking points prior to Lobby Days.
If you are interested in room and ride sharing, email Lanelle at lwvjaxfc@gmail.com no later than February 20th. | We Need You!
We are recruiting candidates to the Board of our local League to begin in June 2025. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in promoting democracy!
The following positions are open beginning in June 2025:
Treasurer
Performs multiple duties related to collecting and disbursing monies, preparing reports and chairing the Budget Committee.
Minimum Time Commitment: 2 – 6 hours a month plus the monthly Board meeting.
Director of Voter Registration
Organizes and executes voter registration drives and seeks out voter registration opportunities across the 4 counties of our local League. Keeps proper records and give reports to the Board.
Minimum Time Commitment: 10 – 15 hours a month plus the monthly local Board and the Florida stateLeague Voter Services meetings.
2 Directors
Serve as members of the Board helping with planning, decision making, and efficient operations. Can assist in fundraising activities, serve on committees, and take on special assignments.
3 Nominating Committee Members
Determine the open Board positions for the coming year. Develop a slate of candidates for open positions by researching Board needs and member talents. Recruit candidates via emails and phone calls.
Please let us know if you would like to serve. Also contact any member of the Nominating Committee (listed below) with your questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
| Education Committee
- Volunteer to lead an education subcommittee for Nassau, Clay, or St. Johns.
- Volunteer for the LWV-Florida Education Action Team subcommittee focused on higher education.
Join our Duval Google group so you’ll receive summaries of the Duval County Public School board meetings. Once you’ve joined, you can select all emails, summary, or no emails but access to view on the web.
Here are excerpts from a recent post in the Duval Google Group to give you an idea as to what is posted there:
School start times—adjusted to comply with HB 733–were discussed in the DCPS board workshop. HB 733, passed in 2023, will take effect July 1, 2026 if not repealed. It reads as follows: By July 1, 2026, the instructional day for middle schools may not begin earlier than 8 a.m. and the instructional day for high schools may not begin earlier than 8:30 a.m. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/733 |  | JOIN US for Orientation
Sunday, March 30, 2025
2:00-3:00pm
Highly recommended for New Members, and for all members who have not previously attended.
- Learn about the history of the League, how we operate, and the process of Study and Action.
- Meet local League Leadership, committee chairs, and other new members.
- New Members are encouraged to attend.
- Current members as well as non-members are also invited.
The Zoom link will be emailed to you following Registration.
Questions? Contact:
Karen Parish
Membership Director, LWVJFC
lwvjfc.membership@gmail.com
904-477-9538 | 2025 Florida Legislative Session
The Florida Legislature has now assigned committee chairs and members and has held its first week of interim committee meetings. We are starting to see bills filed by members of the House and Senate. While no one can track all bills, you are encouraged to visit the bills websites periodically or set up an alert for keywords of interest to you (i.e. Public Education, Juvenile Justice, Housing, Poverty, Justice Reform, Elections, etc.). You can track bills in the Senate at https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bills/2025 and in the House at https://www.flhouse.gov/Sections/Bills/bills.aspx.
If you are not following The Florida Channel, I would encourage you to do so. The Florida Channel provides access to the various committee meetings but also provides an overview of the work taking place in the Capitol. You can view The Florida Channel at https://thefloridachannel.org/. You can watch meetings live or can view previously held sessions to hear how committee chairs and members are weighing in on issues and also hear public comments.
2024 – 2025 Interim Committee Meeting Schedule: These are the meetings that will take place in Tallahassee PRIOR to session and are open to the public to observe.
February 2025 — Week of the 3rd
February 2025 — Week of the 10th
February 2025 — Week of the 17th
The 2025 Regulation Session Dates are March 4, 2025 - May 2, 2025. | New Members - Welcome aboard!
Robert & Victoria Freeman
Patty Lucas
Sandra Ofori
Esta & Alan Rubinstein
| Donations are always appreciated!
We wish to acknowledge and thank those who made donations this month:
Angela DeMonbreun
Faith Ross
Our website lwvjaxfc.org offers an easy way to make donations to LWVJFC, even if you prefer to pay by check. Click on the red "Donate" button at the top of the Homepage. | | | | Local
Stay up-to-date on all local upcoming events on the LWV of Jacksonville / First Coast:
• Website
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
Regional
The Regional Facebook Group, LWV Florida North Region Leagues, includes Alachua, Bay, Jacksonville/First Coast, Okaloosa & Walton, Pensacola Bay Area, and Tallahassee.
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Contact Us!
Phone: 904-355-8683
Email: LWVJAXFC@gmail.com
Postal Address:
League of Women Voters of Jacksonville First Coast
PO Box 330353
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 | | | | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. | | |
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