John,

New Florida Majority wishes you and your family the best of health during these troubling times. We all know someone who has already been severely affected by the crisis.

As the worst of COVID-19 is yet to come, we’re working with our grassroots partners, pressing local and state governments to adopt policies and take measures to protect marginalized communities and individuals who take the brunt of the impact. 

Together, with our partners, we’ve already won significant statewide and local policies, building off our Hurricane disaster experience, including:

• winning a moratorium on evictions in the state for the next 45 days
• getting sick leave for Publix workers who contracted COVID-19
• ensuring that school lunch programs will continue feeding our children
• securing commitments to release arrestees

Will you make a donation to support our ongoing work today?

New Florida Majority is moving on several fronts to fight for the community, provide solidarity, and swiftly shift our work to help both staff and community stay connected, resourced, housed, and protected.

In the last three weeks, we have launched our COVID-19 emergency operations advancing our campaigns in advocacy, civic education and coalition building.

ADVOCACY

• We circulated a demand letter that over 100 organizations have signed onto in which we advocate for a moratorium on evictions and ICE activity, increased access to COVID-19 testing, Vote By Mail expansion and other necessities.
• We also leapt into action to prevent our communities’ ability to vote in the March 17 FL primary from being compromised by virus containment measures by joining a lawsuit with local and national partners Dream Defenders, Organize Florida, Advancement Project National Office, Demos, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF to demand extended Vote By Mail measures.

EDUCATION

• Our Climate Justice Program Manager, Joanne Perodin, a public-health expert, launched an amazing resource that has been live for twelve days and has over 10,000 views providing community information including testing sites, food distribution sites, and stores with senior-only hours.
• We pivoted our field canvass into expanding our phone and texting programs, and called over 13,000 voters and texted 220,000 voters to remind them to vote in the Florida Presidential Preference Primary

 COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

• We’re building coalition infrastructure that will allow us to enact change on a wide scale to prevent corporate bail outs, expand unemployment benefits and stand up for workers. Florida has lowest unemployment payments in the nation (only $275 a week befor taxes!)
• We launched a website, FloridaCoronaAction.org to continually provide resources, assistance and information to Floridians amid the pandemic. In addition to providing resources including information on drive-thru testing, food distribution sites and senior-hour only stores, we demand government action and call on Governor Ron DeSantis to protect frontline workers, expand unemployment benefits immediately and provide free COVID-19 testing for all and protect frontline workers.

We hope you stay safe. During this time if you are able to donate and support the ongoing work of New Florida Majority we appreciate it. We will continue fighting for and protecting our communities.

We are The New Florida Majority.

L’union fait la force. There is strength in unity. La union hace la fuerza. 

Let us progress together.

In power,
Andrea Mercado
Executive Director
New Florida Majority