Thank you for all the work you continue to do for our party. You are the backbone of the FDP, and we could do nothing without all of your support.
I want to give a huge shout out to the Citrus DEC for an amazing fundraiser this weekend! The Citrus DEC is consistently engaging the community and doing the work to get Democrats elected. Congratulations to the DEC on the successful event!
State Convention is less than a month away and we have some great plans to make this this best convention yet! The convention is an essential component of our efforts to Take Back Florida. During the State Convention, we will launch our organizing initiatives and provide training for party leaders in preparation for the 2024 elections. Having everyone in one location receiving consistent training will ensure that we are well-prepared for the 2024 election. I am asking that you encourage your DEC, Club, and caucus members to attend this event. When we are all together and learning from one another we leave in a stronger position ready to take back our state.
Be sure to complete delegate registration for State Convention as soon as possible. With your help and attendance, I am confident that this State Convention will be our best one yet!
Forward,
Nikki Fried
Chair
Florida Democratic Party
Last Week in FDP
- On Tuesday, FDP hosted its second “Hispanic Advisory Council Call.” Sign up here to learn more information about how to get involved.
- Chair Fried visited Lee County for the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian. She attended a memorial service and spoke to FGCU students at a resiliency event with Lee County Chair Kari Lerner and Dr. Cindy Banyai.
- Vice President Kamala Harris visited Florida for the third time in as many months on Thursday when she brought her “Fight for our Freedoms Tour” to Florida International University in Miami.
- Congressional House and Senate Democrats reached a bipartisan solution to avoid a government shutdown. Chair Fried issued this statement applauding them
- Florida Democrats in Orange County joined striking UAW Local 1649 workers on the picket line in Orlando.
State Convention- Sign Up Today!We are excited about our upcoming state convention. To view the tentative schedule, hotel information and so much more, click here. The room block was extended to October 5th, so be sure to book your room asap to get the group rate. You can book your room by clicking here.Please note that for State Convention, all attendees must register to become a Delegate. Delegate registration is now open and will close on October 6. All Delegates are required to submit the filing form provided on the State Convention site, as well as the filing fee of $60. The filing fee for students is $35. Both a filing form and a filing fee must be received by FDP for registration to be completed. You will automatically be redirected to the filing fee submission after completing your filing form.
Weekend Schedule
State Convention will be held at the Rosen Centre in Orlando from October 27th-29th. The three-day event will host Democratic delegates for trainings, meetings, receptions, general session, a fundraising dinner, and more!
Day 1: Friday, October 27th
Registration
Caucus Meetings, Committee Meetings & Trainings
Take Back Florida Welcome Reception
Day 2: Saturday, October 28th
Registration
General Session
Caucus Meetings, Committee Meetings & Trainings
Leadership Reception (Ticketed)
General Reception
Mission: Take Back Florida Dinner (Ticketed)
After Party
Day 3: Sunday, October 29th
Prayer Breakfast
State Committee Meetings
Mission: Take Back Florida Dinner
Dinner Tickets and Special DEC, Club, and Caucus Pricing now available for our State Convention Mission: Take Back Florida dinner on Saturday night.
DEC, Club, Caucus only pricing of just $1,500 for a table now.
You can purchase tickets to the Mission: Take Back Florida Dinner by clicking the link below.
FDP Vote By Mail Guidance
The newly created rule regarding Vote-by-Mail Requests is still in the rulemaking process. We now expect the rule to go into effect mid-November. Once the rule and form are in effect, any written vote by mail request received on or after the effective date of the new rule must be on the uniform statewide form. Until the rule is in effect, written forms that include the statutorily required information contained in § 101.62, Fla. Stat. may be used and will be accepted by the SOEs.
New Spanish Language Channels
Be sure to follow FDP on our newly launched Spanish language channels on social media. You can find Partido Demócrata de Florida on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Threads. Follow us at @PartidoDemFL!
Build Blue Week
The National Democratic Training Committee is offering its third edition of Build Blue Week, October 2-5, 2023. Please check out their site https://buildblueweek.com/ for more information. Below is some of the upcoming trainings, please be sure to check them out.
Chair Nikki Fried will join NDTC on Tuesday, October 3rd for Cultivating Local Donors for Long Term Change from 1-2 pm ET. This panel brings together coalition builders who have been part of some of the most dynamic and transformative power building efforts of the last decade.
Monday, October 2, 1-2pm EST:
Down Ballot Up Ticket: How Democrats Win in 2024
Tuesday, October 3, 1-2pm EST: (Training Chair Fried will be on)
Cultivating Local Donors for Long-Term Change
Wednesday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Coalition Building for Community Change
Thursday, October 4, 1-2pm EST:
Messages that Connect: Local Issues and National Narratives
Reach Trainings
We have many opportunities for you to attend a Reach training regardless of skill level. We will be hosting trainings for beginners, how to use reach strategically, and for those who want to help train others. Please sign up for one of the trainings below to make sure we reach as many people as possible.
Train the Trainer: Sign Up Here
Mon, 10/2 at 6pm-7pm EST
Fri, 10/6 12:30pm-1:30pm EST
Reach Level 1: Intro + Onboarding (3 opportunities throughout October)
Reach Level 2: Conversation Pipeline (3 opportunities throughout October) Sign Up Here
Movement Building – Youth Leadership Training
Timing to prepare youth organizations in Florida before the next election cycle is critical to create the infrastructures needed to take opportunities for profound change. Youth can and must play a vital part in bringing about this change in public opinion, civic engagement efforts, and in public policy.
These trainings will build on the activities and experiences of Hope Community Center and its partners’ leadership development program, which has sought to cultivate new leaders.
For more information, please contact ED Cameron Driggers cameron@youthactionfund.org.
Weekly Talking Points October 2, 2023
Government Shutdown Averted
This weekend, House and Senate Democrats worked across the aisle for a bipartisan solution to avert an extreme Republican shutdown.
TOPLINE: Matt Gaetz and his supporters were more than willing to sacrifice people’s pantries and paychecks to prove a political point.
- While extremist Republicans like Matt Gaetz focused on political stunts, Democrats worked to find a bipartisan solution that put the American people first.
- Matt Gaetz dangled millions of people over a cliff for weeks with Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott cheering him on from the sidelines.
- We applaud House and Senate Democrats for refusing to cave to the extremist Republicans obsessed with burning down our government from the inside.
Auto workers in Orlando continue to participate in the nationwide UAW strike to organize for better pay and benefits.
TOPLINE: The Florida Democratic Party stands in solidarity with auto workers in Orlando and across the country demanding better pay and benefits.
- While Republicans ship jobs overseas and break the backs of our unions, Democrats are on the picket lines standing with our workers.
- Joe Biden is the most pro-union, pro-labor president in history, and proved that by being the first President to ever join striking workers on the picket line.
- Over the weekend, Florida Democrats echoed President Biden’s strong show of support for the UAW, with FDP Executive Director Phillip Jerez joining the picket line in Orlando.
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week (October 1-7) is an annual celebration of free speech and an opportunity to highlight the increasing levels of censorship happening in America.
TOPLINE: Books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes should be celebrated, not shunned — just like LGBTQ+ Floridians should be every day.
- Ron’s crusade against the LGBTQ+ community has had extreme consequences across the state, with some school boards banning all books with any references to LGBTQ+ people and other counties closing their school libraries entirely.
- Moms for Liberty and other extremist groups empowered by the governor will never be satisfied until all references to the LGBTQ+ community are erased from public life.
- Taking away the experience of feeling seen in a book isn’t going to stop a child from growing up to be queer or trans — it’s just going to make them feel alone.