Just a reminder that our office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
FEDERAL
Which Democratic Priorities Will Make It Through Congress This Fall?
Political commentators at FiveThirtyEight sit down to discuss the bills before Congress and the chances they will survive. You can read their opinions here:
Will the White House cat be as cute as this Vero Beach native?
STATE
DeSantis Appoints New Surgeon General
Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed a new state surgeon this week who has written essays questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the effectiveness of masks and favoring hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus. You can read more about the appointment here:
Dr. Joseph Ladapo wasted no time in ordering a new mandate for students. If a child is exposed to Covid, they don’t have to quarantine if they are showing no symptoms. Now we know some people with Covid are asymptomatic but can still spread the disease. Apparently, Dr. Ladapo and DeSantis don’t care about that. Or children.
Statement from Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida (DPECF) President Scott Hottenstein on the Announced End of FSA Testing
Hillsborough County, FL – Governor DeSantis recently announced the end of the high-stakes Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) tests and asked the Florida legislature to revamp the state’s school accountability system by eliminating several of the annual exams and replacing them with shorter “progress monitoring” tests. In reaction to these developments, DPECF President Scott Hottenstein issued the following statement:
"Although it is extremely pleasing to hear Governor DeSantis announce the end of high-stakes FSA testing in Florida, I am cautious for a number of reasons. First, getting rid of the FSA, only to replace it with a different high-stakes assessment, is not the solution. Only a few years ago, the end of FCAT brought us FSA. Second, we haven’t heard how the progress monitoring will work, and we need to see that it truly delivers on the promises of more teaching time and feedback that is timely, accurate, and relevant. Third, we do not yet know the details of how teacher evaluation scores and school grades are calculated; both are extremely important. Fourth, we need to see which companies are given government contracts to implement the progress monitoring and how much those contracts are. This new system could be just a different form of monetizing our children and placing special interests over the public interest. Ending Florida’s toxic “test and punish” education culture is a top priority for the DPECF, and we will actively follow draft legislation as it is introduced and debated this upcoming session."
Republican Executive Committee Censures School Board Chair Brian Barefoot
The local Republicans decided to censure Brian Barefoot for his mask mandate vote at the school board meeting on August 24th. What does this mean exactly? Well, no one seems to know. Including the people who voted for it! REC Chair Jay Kramer spoke at the school board meeting last week to let them know of the vote. When Mr. Barefoot asked Kramer what that meant, Kramer responded “That would be a definition to the membership of the REC as I am here on behalf of the REC if you would like at the next meeting I will ask them that question.” Mr. Barefoot pointed out that he wasn’t a member of the REC and had no idea how they could censure him. But for good measure Mr. Barefoot asked “Do I get a plaque?”
Fellow board member Teri Barenborg is a member of the REC as is IRC Tax Collector Carole Jean Jordan and County Commissioner Joe Flescher.
You can read more about the ridiculousness of this situation here:
This is My America by Kim Johnson is the next Book Group selection. The virtual meeting will start at 2:00 p.m. on September 24th. If you are not a Book Group member and would like to attend, please contact Rita Milelli at [email protected].
Democratic Club of Indian River
The Democratic Club of IRC will host Nikki Fried, Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Florida and a 2022 Candidate for Governor, at its October 12th meeting.
The meeting will be held at the Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave, Downtown Vero Beach.
The event will be held in-person. Attendees will be required to be fully vaccinated and masked. Seating will be socially distanced. Due to social distancing, the number of seats will be limited to approximately 150. We have arranged for security at the event.
Seating will be available by reservation. Priority will be given to Club members. Donations will be $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Two beverage coupons will be provided at the door for wine, beer, soft drink or water. Beverages will be available prior to and after Commissioner Fried has addressed the group (beverages will not be served while Commissioner Fried is speaking).
To register for this event, email Wendy at [email protected] and indicate the number of tickets you are requesting. We will respond with directions for payment. Priority will be given to club members. Donations are to help defray the expenses related to the event.
Doors will open at 5:30 pm. Commissioner Fried will speak from 6:00-7:00 pm. Having questions in advance will be helpful, so when making your reservation, please submit any questions you may have. If times allows, Nikki will also take questions from the audience.
The bar will reopen after Commissioner Fried has spoken, so that attendees may network.
Having Nikki Fried speak at this Democratic Club event is in no way an endorsement of or support of Nikki Fried’s candidacy for Governor, but rather, offering voters of IRC the opportunity to listen, and ask questions, so the voters are able to make an informed decision when it comes time to vote in the democratic primary for governor . We hope to have the other democratic candidates speak at a future meetings.
The Club would like to thank Shane Stansel for his efforts in making the Nikki Fried event possible.
We now have a private Facebook group for the Democratic Club of Indian River. Please join us for some great discussions! On Facebook search for Indian River Democratic Club.
CALENDAR
Friday, September 24, 2021
2:00 p.m. - Democratic Women's Club Book Club If you aren't a book group member and would like to join in the discussion contact Rita Milelli at [email protected]
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Superintendent Workshop, School District of Indian River County
Indian River County reported 581 cases in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 688 cases. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 21,346 cases.
For more information on cases and hospitalization on the Treasure Coast, you can read more here:
An extraordinary amount of our Veterans come home with PTSD. This 18 minute video follows three Veterans before and after they receive a service dog. How their new friend changes their lives will bring tears to your eyes. Take the time to watch and realize how important this initiative is.
