NEWS & UPDATES
Stay Safe! Postcard From Home!
Our weekly postcard party at Allendale United Methodist Church is suspended until further notice due to Covid-19. We are now distributing postcard kits for folks to write at home.
- We now have an online enrollment form. The link to the sign-up form for new postcarders is: https://tinyurl.com/pinellaspostcardssignup
- Informational webpage. The link to the webpage for this project: https://tinyurl.com/pinellaspostcards
Take Action From Home
he human tragedy and disruption of Florida’s economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is, no doubt, occupying most of Gov. DeSantis’ time and attention.
However, in the days and weeks ahead, the Governor must make a number of decisions and take action in other areas affecting the safety, security and well being of all Floridians. Now is the time for us to make our voices heard and influence the decision making process in the following ways.
Sign the Coalition of Immokalee Workers petition to protect Florida’s farm workers.
Text the word GOVERNOR to Resistbot on iMessage, Messenger, Twitter, Telegram, or to 50409 on SMS, send an email or call (850) 488-7146 and urge the Governor to take the actions detailed below. Include your name and zip code in your message. You may want to send separate messages for each area of concern.
Budget Actions
Withhold planned tax refunds scheduled for disbursement on or before May 1 amounting to a half-billion dollars for the state’s largest corporations as the state economy crashes amid the spreading coronavirus pandemic.
Cut M-CORES, the budget-busting proposal to build three roads to nowhere through rural western Florida threatens some of Florida’s most environmentally valuable and vulnerable lands and waters.
This year’s budget includes $45 million from general revenue for the current budget year and will double to $90 million in 2021-22. Then annual funding would exceed $130 million in years 3 through 10. Do the math, and the total tops $1.1 billion.
Prison reform
Implement prison reforms to protect inmates from Coronavirus infections and reduce expenses. Safely release people in prisons and jails who do not need to be there (e.g., those who do not pose an immediate and direct threat to public safety), prioritizing the following:
- People with underlying health conditions
- People 55 and over
- People detained for administrative reasons (including technical violations of parole)
- People who are detained pre-trial because they cannot afford bail (who are legally innocent)
- People serving a sentence who are slated for release within the next year
- Reduce eligibility for early gain-time release to 65% from 85% of sentence served for non-violent criminals to reduce the prison population by some 10,000 inmates and save the state around $1 billion over five years.
Health Care is a human right
Direct the State Attorney General to pull out of a lawsuit filed by 17 states, including Florida, to invalidate the Affordable Care Act.
Expand Medicaid
Actions taken by the 2020 Legislature
Ask Governor DeSantis to Veto the following bills
SB 172 Bradley Florida Drug and Cosmetic Act
Preempts the regulation of over-the-counter proprietary drugs or cosmetics to the state. Preemption by the state precludes residents from enacting public policy initiatives that address issues of concern in their local communities.
SB 410 Rules, Community Affairs
Growth Management Corrupts the underlying principle that a comprehensive plan is the law and everything else – permits, zoning, development orders – is inferior, not superior to the plan. This bill benefits developers and robs citizens and communities of the ability to choose what kind of place they want to live in.
SB 712 Mayfield Water Quality Improvements
Eases measures that reduce pollution and prevent toxic algae threatening our economy and health. Makes it easier to get consumptive use permits for bottled water. Fatally weakens rules regarding the land application of sewage sludge. Fails to assure safety of reclaimed water for personal consumption
SB 664 Lee, Gruters Verification of Employment Eligibility
E-Verify places an unfair burden on foreign-born workers and immigrants who are valuable members of our community and local economy. This bill will greatly harm our Florida economy and will hurt small businesses and workers.
HB 7067 Fischer, Roth K-12 Scholarship Programs
Florida already diverts more than $1 billion from struggling public schools to unaccountable private voucher schools. Private school vouchers do not improve academic outcomes for the students who receive them, are not accountable to the public and can discriminate based on students’ and families’ disabilities, LGBTQ status, religion, income, immigration status and language proficiency.
Please Like The Pinellas Coalition For Immigration Justice Facebook Page
Indivisible FL-13 is a member of the Pinellas Coalition For Immigration Justice. Please “Like” the Coalition Facebook Page to help us gain greater visibility.
Immokalee Farm Workers
Indivisible FL-13 joined others to support the letter to DeSantis regarding urgent COVID at Immokalee Farm Workers. 78 groups signed calling attention to this vulnerable community due to overcrowded housing, no hospital or transportation, and proximity to other communities and source of food supply.
Donate to Allendlale UMC
Allendale United Methodist Church has been a friend to Indivisible FL-13 and other progressive groups in the age of Trump. For nearly four years that I know of and probably longer they have been a safe and welcoming space for numerous progressive activist groups and causes.
In this time of Covid-19 they are struggling with decreasing offerings and donations. If you are able please visit their web site and make a donation of any size. Every little bit adds up. The give link is in the upper right or click here to go directly there.
Please mention Indivisible FL-13 in the optional comments field. Thank you and thank Allendale United Methodist Church for their help and encouragement.
Weekly Demonstrations Go Virtual During Pandemic
Several of the regulars at the Tuesday morning Rubio/Scott demonstration and the Wednesday Peace First demonstration have discussed our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have decided that we will cancel the demonstrations until the crisis has ended.
This does not mean we stop regular opposition to the policies and actions of
President Trump, Senator Rubio, and Senator Scott. We can hold a virtual
weekly demonstration. Information is below.
Even though people at the demonstrations practiced social distancing, and
stopped carpooling, we have decided that appearing in public in groups does
not support our message about the Trump administration’s corruption,
incompetence, and dishonesty, particularly concerning the pandemic.
Below is contact information for the Senators’ offices in the federal
courthouse in downtown Tampa where we protest every Tuesday. Once a week you
help stage a virtual demonstration by contacting the offices by phone and/or
e-mail to let them know your concerns. You can let them know this is part
of the Tuesday morning virtual demonstration. I will e-mail posters to the
offices, and to you, as I have in the past, only these are the posters we
would have held if the demonstrations had continued. If you support the
ideas on the posters, call in to support them.
We can keep a regular presence on line, even if we don’t in the flesh.
One request: the staff in the two offices have always been professional and
courteous to us. No matter what you think of their bosses’ morals and
policies, please be polite to the staff when you communicate. We have
nothing to gain by being hostile or rude.
Here is the contact information:
Senator Rubio’s office: (813) 853-1099
Taylor_Sanchez@rubio.senate.gov
Senator Scott’s office: (813) 225-7040
luis_laracuente@rickscott.senate.gov
This will be a great way to keep active and, once the crisis has passed, to
amplify the voices of those demonstrating. Not everyone has the ability or
inclination to demonstrate, so we can let the senators know that there are
countless people who agree with those who are in front of their offices
every week.
Stay safe.
via John Stewart
sjstew@gte.net
Indivisible FL-13 Contact Information:Indivisible FL-13 on Facebook
Email Indivisible FL-13 at info@indivisiblefl13.com
Useful Tools:
Pinellas County Progressive Calendar
Resist Bot, fax your representatives via text message. Text RESIST to 50409
Fax your congressperson for free at FaxZero.com
Get action alerts from Countable.us
Register to vote, vote by mail!
Florida 13 Congressperson Phone Numbers:
Senator Marco Rubio (R): DC (202)224-3041 Local (813)287-5035
Senator Rick Scott (R): DC (202) 224-5274
Representative Charlie Crist (D): DC (202) 225-5961 Local (888)205-5569
