The voting rights organization Demos has filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act because of Alachua County’s failure to provide ballots and other election materials in Spanish. The suit details the situation of 70-year-old Marta Rivera, who lives in Alachua County after fleeing Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Rivera had lived the entirety of her life in the U.S. territory…
DetailsFloridaturnout.com, a pet project of media and political consultant Kevin Cate, is back and counting who’s already voting in Florida ahead of the Aug. 28 primary. The website, which Cate’s Tallahassee-based company CATECOMM partnered with PROXEME to create in 2016, pulls daily from county election supervisors the number of voters who have returned ballots. (Read more in Orlando Sentinel)
DetailsGov. Scott killed the Florida Forever conservation program established by Gov. Jeb Bush. In 2012, he backed off the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claiming with fellow Republicans it would create undue burdens to business owners by enforcing clean-water standards that might have prevented or at least greatly reduced the severity of the current devastation. (Read…
DetailsCharlotteDems.com Editor’s Note: More than 300 U.S. newspapers are running editorials today supporting press freedom to counter President Donald Trump’s attacks on the media. The Sun Newspapers are among them. Scroll down for a link to the Editorial: “In the First Amendment, the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill…
DetailsHow much lake releases inflame or extend red tides or how nutrients from dying blue-green algae or dying fish feed tides is unclear. There have been years with heavy lake releases and no red tides. And vice versa. Getting answers, however, has been hindered by a dearth of funding for consistent research. (Read more in…
DetailsUPDATE – State of Emergency Declaration Passes Unanimously CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (Aug. 14, 2018) – The Board of County Commissioners has voted unanimously to declare a local emergency in response to red tide. The vote is expected to pave the way for any potential emergency funding made available through state and federal sources. Watch the…
DetailsDemocrats Andrew Gillum, Gwen Graham, Jeff Greene, Chris King and Philip Levine are united in their support for expanding Medicaid to the 700,000 Floridians who would qualify for the program if Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-dominated Legislature had agreed to expand coverage to uninsured working adults. (Read more in news.wjct.org)
DetailsMost of our assessments of the electorate in 2016 are dependent on estimates. Polling before the election that suggested where people were leaning; exit polling after the fact that gives us some sense of who actually turned out. When more than 137 million people vote, understanding exactly who they were and why they voted the…
DetailsHundreds of people gathered at Englewood Beach Sunday to call attention to the disastrous red tide. Several Charlotte County Democrats were joined by activists from local chapters of Indivisible to urge local citizens to vote for candidates who will champion the environment. Watch the video to see the impact of this ecological nightmare and be inspired by…
DetailsHundreds of people protesting Florida’s water quality turned out for the “Death March” for clean water. They will parade through downtown Fort Myers protesting red tide and toxic algae and also reminded people to get out and vote. (Read more in News-Press.com) Watch on WinkNews.com
DetailsPostcards to Voters aims to give Democrats a winning edge in close key, races
DetailsDeSantis Will Do Nothing to Support Communities Imacted by Rising Sea Levels At Wednesday’s Republican gubernatorial primary debate, Ron Desantis promised that if elected governor, state government would do nothing to address rising sea levels hurting communities across Florida. During a discussion about environmental issues, DeSantis said that the Democratic candidates think “they can stop…
DetailsSeveral important demonstrations are being held this weekend to publicize concerns about the environment. CharlotteDems.com wants to share your pictures and your experiences.
DetailsVoting by mail for the upcoming August primary? Take these steps to be certain your vote is counted. In an election cycle where every single vote will matter, here are a few things you need to know if you have signed up to vote by mail in Charlotte County. Ballots Have Been Mailed. If…
DetailsEDITOR’S NOTE: This extraordinary front-page article in Florida Weekly written by a young Charlotte County reporter documents the strides made by Young Democrats and All Rainbow and Allied Youth (ARAY). This is a “must-read” for every Charlotte County Democrat. Forty-five percent of Charlotte County registered voters are Republican, compared to 27 percent Democrat, according to…
DetailsThe Florida Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers announced they are backing the Democrat in his 2018 re-election bid against Republican governor Rick Scott. (Read more in TampaBay.com)
DetailsThe way the two Republican candidates for governor described each other at their final debate Wednesday spoke volumes about the hard feelings that have erupted in recent weeks ahead of the Aug. 28 primary.
DetailsIf you need to convince your friends and neighbors to vote, share this video with them. It’s pretty catchy!
Russian operatives have “penetrated” some of Florida’s election systems ahead of the 2018 midterms, Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday, adding new urgency about hacking. (Read more in TampaBay.com) (Read our reporter’s experience with Charlotte County’s Election System)
DetailsOver the last decade, as the state fought federal efforts to protect water, shrunk its own environmental and water-management agencies, and cut funding to an algae task force, monitoring for water quality has plummeted. While one crisis after another hit Florida, state and federal funding that paid for a massive coastal network with nearly three…
Details
