Happy Thursday, Fellow Democrats!
We are now 117 days away from electing a new President of the United States!
VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP BLUE CONFERENCE 
The Florida Democratic Party Annual Leadership Blue event has been rescheduled for a virtual gathering July 17-19. You are invited to participate! The weekend will be filled with trainings, Party updates, guest speakers, and the Leadership Blue Virtual Gala. Our main events and trainings will be broadcast live on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube. Registration links for specialty trainings will also be available. Trainings and classes are free. RSVP Here for Leadership Blue!
https://www.mobilize.us/floridadems/event/283508/
LEADERSHIP BLUE GALA
The annual Leadership Blue Gala is a separately ticketed event.
We are so excited to welcome Vice President Biden back to the state of Florida and to our annual Leadership Blue Gala. Be sure to join us to hear his message for Florida Democrats!
The 2020 Leadership Blue Virtual Gala will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 18. There are a few general admission tickets still available for $35 each. All remaining general admission tickets will be $50 each. ACT NOW to Reserve Your General Admission Ticket. To get your ticket go to: https://leadershipblue.com/
CONFEDERATE FLAG UPDATE
Due to the overwhelming amount of letters that the School District of Indian River County Superintendent and School Board Members received, Dr. Moore (Superintendent) created new language for the Code of Conduct. The new language reads:
“Students shall not, at school, on school property or at school-sponsored activities, display or transmit (in any medium, including clothing, jewelry, posters, stickers, flyers or buttons) writings, images or symbols that are reasonably expected to be divisive, demeaning, or offensive to any person or group or disruptive to the learning environment; including, but not limited to writings, images or symbols associated with hate groups; that are obscene, slanderous, or libelous; that are associated with intimidation, violence or violent groups; which advocate racial, ethnic or religious prejudice (i.e., items that promote intolerance or confrontation, including the confederate flag or swastika) or that denigrate others on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Images and symbols covered by this policy are permissible in library or approved learning materials, or in a classroom setting (e.g., a history class’ discussion of the Civil War or World War II) as part of a learning assignment supervised by a teacher.”
The Code of Conduct will be voted on for approval on July 21st at 6 p.m. during the School Board Business Meeting.
While this is a great start, the Code of Conduct is only applicable for the school year it is voted on. It can be changed next year. The next step is to make sure the Equity Committee and Coordinator of Equity, make it a priority to be in their plan going forward.
There may be some opposition to the change at the School Board Meeting. To ensure that the School Board Members don’t change their minds, you can send them, and the Superintendent, an email encouraging them to pass the Code of Conduct in its entirety. If you would prefer, you can show up to the School Board Business Meeting and speak during Citizen Input. Here are the email addresses for School Board Members and Dr. Moore:
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
PETITION TO STOP RNC IN JACKSONVILLE
AMENDMENT FOUR'S RESTORATION OF VOTING RIGHTS GUIDANCE
Following a Federal court ruling in May, Florida Democratic Party shared guidance from NAACP and ACLU attorneys regarding registering returning citizens. This week the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal stayed the implementation of the district court's decision while the case is pending appeal. FDP Voter Protection Director Brandon Peters advises local Democratic Party organizations to cease registering returning citizens who are uncertain if their rights have been returned until we have further updates on the Amendment 4 case.
CHRIS HILL ARTICLE
Chris Hill, our February Democrats of Indian River Blue Gala guest speaker, has written an article entitled “When the Trump Administration Ends, The Painful Task of Rebuilding Trust in American Leadership Can Begin.” To read his article click here: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-06-19/when-trump-administration-ends
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES FOR IRC OFFICE
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY CANDIDATE FORUMS
Tonight, the NAACP will be hosting two candidate forums – School Board and Sheriff – from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
In the School Board races, there are 4 candidates running for two seats.
District 3 Seat:
Laura Zorc – Incumbent
Peggy Jones
District 5 Seat:
Brian Barefoot
Alla Kramer
The school board races are non-partisan. You will vote for these candidates in the August 18 Primary.
In the Sheriff’s race, there are 4 Republicans running. The one candidate with the most votes on August 18 will then go to November to face off against the NPA Candidate. Due to the Closed Primary, as a Democrat, you will not be able to vote in the Sheriff’s race in August.
The candidates are:
Keith Touchberry
Chuck Kirby
Rich Rosell
Eric Flowers
Details about tonight’s forum are in the flyer below.
DEMOCRATIC CLUB TO MEET JULY 15
The Democratic Club’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15th at 6:00 p.m. Once again, the meeting will be via Zoom. Jim Kennedy, the Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives District 8, will be the guest speaker. He is opposing incumbent Bill Posey. The Zoom link will be sent out closer to the meeting date.
BIDEN AND DEMOCRATIC GEAR
We have some Biden gear in our office! Currently we have:
T-shirts $15
Yard signs $10
Bumper stickers (rectangle and oval) $2
Buttons $1
If you would like to pick us some Biden gear from the office, Stacey will be in the office on Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Just knock on the door and she will meet you outside as our office is still closed to visitors.
We also have "I give a Dem" signs available again! The signs are bright blue and feature the Democrats of Indian River County logo. The cost is $6 and includes a wire stand sign for outdoor use. To place an order and arrange pick up, contact Claudia Martino at [email protected]
And don’t forget our cute Democratic Facemasks! Lovingly made by a fellow Democrat, they are being sold for $10. Contact our office if you want one at: [email protected]
HELP NEEDED - DATA TEAM
Our Data Team is in need of help! We need some dedicated data gurus to help with the work we will be doing over the summer months. If you are interested, please contact Jim St. Martin at [email protected]
DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS UPDATE
As COVID cases are still on the rise in Indian River County, our office will remain closed for visits and in-person meetings. We will continue to undertake essential activities with Operations Coordinator Stacey Klim on Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Democrats coming to the office should knock on the door, social distance, wear a facemask, and provide their own hand sanitizer. Thank you as we continue to look after the safety of our fellow Democrats.
COVID-19
Indian River County currently has 1033 cases and 18 deaths. The number of cases is increasing both in our county and in the state at a high rate. Social distance and wear a mask!
To stay up-to-date on the cases of Covid-19 in Indian River County and the State of Florida, click on the link below. Updates are made every day at approximately 11 a.m. EST.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429
Indian River County has created a website dedicated to the Covid-19 virus that contains numerous resources and county information. You can access this information by going to: https://www.ircgov.com/coronavirus.htm
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COVID-19 TESTING SITES
The Florida Department of Health has issued a Public Health Advisory advising all individuals in Florida to wear face coverings in any setting where social distancing is not possible, with limited exceptions. As a reminder, the Indian River County Board of Commissioners have recently issued an Emergency Order requiring all persons working in restaurants, grocery stores, food service, retail establishments, businesses open to the public, or any other locations visited by the public where social distancing is not possible, to wear face coverings.
The Florida Department of Health in Indian River County continues to provide drive-through testing for COVID-19 at the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, by appointment only. To request an appointment, please call (772) 794-7411.
The following drive-through COVID-19 testing locations do not require an appointment and may be visited at the designated times:
Indian River County Fairgrounds
7955 58th Ave, Vero Beach
Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30am to 10:00am
Treasure Coast Community Health
12196 County Road 512, Fellsmere
Fridays 2:30-4:30pm
Gifford Health Center
4675 28th Court, Vero Beach
Saturdays 8:30-10:00 am
You may find the most up-to-date information and guidance on COVID-19, by visiting the Department of Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage: FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov. For any other questions related to COVID-19 in Florida, please contact the Department’s dedicated COVID-19 Call Center by calling (866) 779-6121. The Call Center is available 24 hours per day. Inquiries may also be emailed to [email protected].
That’s all folks. Stay healthy!!!
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