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Happy Thursday Democrats!

Office Hours

Our office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. so come on by and bring your Thanksgiving meal donations for the Big Bird Blessing. We can take canned or boxed food items. Let’s fill up the box!

FEDERAL

Former Marco Rubio Advisor Regrets Working For Him, Calls His Lack Of Courage A “Monumental Disappointment”

In a recent PBS interview, former Marco Rubio advisor Max Boot describes how Rubio has been too weak to stand up to the dangerous and antidemocratic elements of his party, calling Rubio’s spinelessness under Donald Trump “one of the monumental disappointments of my life.”

You can read some of Boot’s comments below and watch the video at the end:

Walter Isaacson: You worked for Mitt Romney, you worked for John McCain, and then you worked for Senator Marco Rubio against Donald Trump.

Max Boot: That's one I regret.

Walter Isaacson: Yeah, so tell me why you regret it. I mean, what has happened to him? How has he succumbed to that wing of the party that you were so frightened about?

Max Boot: Well, this, you know, this has been one of the monumental disappointments of my life is a lot of people in the Republican Party that I once believed in, have failed the test of Trump. They have failed the character test of Trump, including folks like Paul Ryan, but also certainly, Marco Rubio, who I thought stood for something better in 2015 and 2016...He was saying that Donald Trump was unqualified, unfit to be president, and I applauded that, so I was shocked when he endorsed Donald Trump.

And now he's become more Trumpy over time and he actually is emulating Trump and a lot of his cheap shot attacks on the media. Basically, I just think that he sees it as a political advantage to be Trump's lickspittle, which is probably true in Florida and certainly true in Republican politics. But it's really disappointing to see...So, you know...unfortunately, Marco Rubio represents the worst.

You can watch the whole interview here:
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/max-boot-extremists-in-control-of-the-republican-party/

STATE

Florida Democratic Party Spokesperson Jose Dante Parra Reacts to Florida Receiving a Grade of “C” on Its Infrastructure from the American Society of Civil Engineers

Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers released its report on Florida’s critical infrastructure, giving the state an overall grade of “C.” The report covers 14 sectors, including roads, bridges, schools, ports and aviation.

According to the report “Florida’s population has grown at a rate of about 1% per year, adding about 300,000 people, which is the equivalent of adding a city the size of Orlando every year. Investing in infrastructure must be Florida’s top priority so we can continue to be the place people want to live and work." The full report is available here.

In reaction to this development, Florida Democratic Party Spokesperson Jose Dante Parra issued the following statement:

“This troubling new report confirms what many Floridians already know: our infrastructure needs a major upgrade.

“This is why it is so important to support the Biden Administration’s push to pass both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Build Back Better Agenda. We cannot expect to build a strong economy that puts our workers and businesses on a path to success if our critical infrastructure is mediocre.

“I am particularly troubled that our school infrastructure received a grade of D+, and that our levees, which are so important in a state that is threatened by hurricanes as well as the effects of climate change, were awarded a grade of ‘D.’ We simply must do better.

“Sadly, Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill which would bring much-needed improvements to our state’s infrastructure and create millions of good-paying jobs across the country. Floridians won’t forget that they put their self-serving political agendas ahead of what’s best for the future of our state.”

Miami Herald Editorial Board Calls Out FL Surgeon General for Misinforming on Vaccines, Refusing to Wear a Mask to Meet Senator Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

In an editorial published in the Miami Herald, the newspaper’s editorial board harshly criticized the performance of Governor DeSantis’s new, hand-picked Attorney General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo. The editorial criticizes Dr. Ladapo’s misconstruing of information regarding the efficacy of the COVID vaccines and his recent refusal to wear a mask to meet Senator Tina Polsky in her office. The Senator has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Read the editorial here: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article255267086.html

Key Points:

“New state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo represents the pompousness, the wackiness and the disregard for life and community that have become the hallmarks of Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“During his short tenure, Ladapo has been on a rampage. He issued an order forcing schools to allow students who have been exposed to COVID and aren’t showing symptoms to attend in-person classes — even though asymptomatic people can transmit the coronavirus. Last week, he gave a speech that misconstrued the coronavirus vaccine’s efficacy.”

“Most recently, Ladapo refused to show simple good manners when a state senator battling breast cancer asked him to mask up in her Capitol office, the Herald reported Sunday. He even made a snarky comment on his way out, telling his aides, “Sometimes I try to reason with unreasonable people for fun,” according to what Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, told the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau.”

“We have seen the Florida Legislative go along with every bad policy that comes from the governor’s office, but Senate leadership came to Polsky’s defense. GOP Senate President Wilton Simpson sent a note to his colleagues saying, in part, that, “It shouldn’t take a cancer diagnosis for people to respect each others’ level of comfort with social interactions during a pandemic.” We commend Simpson for this humane stance. It’s too bad that DeSantis couldn’t get off the masks-don’t-work wagon to join Simpson.”

“He has proven he’s not worthy of the $512,000 per year he will earn along with a tenured professorship at the University of Florida.”

LOCAL

Storm Grove Middle School Science Fair Judges Needed

Storm Grove Middle School is looking for volunteers to help at their annual Science Fair. If you could spare even an hour of your time, it would be a huge help. You will have to be available to come to Storm Grove Middle School on Tuesday, December 7 from 8:10 a.m. and the fair ends at 11 a.m. If you are interested, please contact Joseph Refsland at [email protected]

Volunteering is easy, fun, and minimal on your time. Volunteer today!

Special Equestrians

Do you like horses and kids with disabilities? There is an amazing organization in Vero Beach that utilizes horse back riding to benefit children with disabilities. They are looking for volunteers. You can find out more and apply to be on a volunteer on their website at:

https://www.specialequestrianstreasurecoast.org/

DEMOCRATS OF INDIAN RIVER

Democratic Club of Indian River

The next Democratic Club meeting will be held, in person, on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11th at 6:00 p.m. Masks and social distancing will be required, as we monitor the diminishing COVID virus. The meeting venue will remain the Irish American Society on 20th St. in Downtown Vero Beach.

We will be organizing groups/committees for:

·   Engagement organizers for School Board meetings. Members who will organize volunteers to write letters to school board members, speak at School Board meetings, and support public education.

·   Downtown Fridays Democratic Club booth, a recurring monthly event, as well as other booth events throughout the County as they occur. Volunteers needed to set up and break down the booth. Volunteers needed on a rotating basis for one of two staffing shifts, 5-9 pm.

·   Volunteers to work with Valerie Daly, the Membership Chair, to manage all things necessary, pre and post Club meetings, as well as, working on expanding membership.

·   Events that may be planned in the future. Volunteers to work on all aspects of organizing events, such as a Spring dinner dance, etc.

·   Community Outreach. Members to search out, organize and staff community outreach initiatives, such as a beach clean up day, support of charitable day events, etc.

We are planning a Democratic Club Holiday Party that will include members of the Democratic Women’s Club and the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC), at the Irish American Club on Thursday, December 9th at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will be asked to bring appetizers, hors d' oeuvres, or desserts to share. We request that attendees bring an unwrapped toy to donate to "Toys for Tots". We are hoping to have a local band if affordable. Masks and social distancing will be required as we monitor the diminishing COVID situation.

The Democrats of Indian River will be sponsoring the United Against Poverty 5K Trot Against Poverty on Thanksgiving Day. Let's show our support for this great organization!

Florida Young Democrats

The Young Democrats of Indian River are planning a get-together on Tuesday, November 30th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Islamorada Brewing Company in Ft Pierce. Visit our Facebook page for more information.

TRAININGS

Candidate Training

If you are thinking of running for office or working on a campaign, this training on November 6th is the place to start. Well worth the $35.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/campaign-training-for-candidates-and-campaign-teams-tickets-185354208427?aff=Sarasota&fbclid=IwAR2S0Qc4BisWMdODTiXSWijNKhYYkuYOH1VFlR7Mo5wIHWrXzz_APx7nwQw

Leadership Blue

The Florida Democratic Party is excited to share that our annual Leadership Blue Weekend has been re-scheduled for December 3-5, 2021 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel* in Orlando, FL with the signature Leadership Blue Gala taking place on Saturday, December 4th at the Orange County Convention Center.

We are excited to finally be able to get together in-person for a safe, fun and productive weekend of events. You can visit www.LeadershipBlue.com for the most up to date information about the weekend, including hotel accommodations, schedules and speakers.

The room blocks will fill up quickly so we encourage you to reserve your rooms sooner than later. All sponsorships, ticket and table purchases made for the original event date will be honored for the rescheduled event, although seating arrangements will be modified to accommodate additional distancing.

New ticket and table reservations can be made via the Leadership Blue website. For sponsorships, please email Michelle Sierra at [email protected].
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you in December for a weekend in support of FDP and Florida's Democratic candidates!

*Rosen Plaza implements measures to ensure that guest-rooms, amenities, and services are accessible to all guests regardless of abilities and disabilities. Should you require ADA-compliant accommodations, please reach out to [email protected]

CALENDAR

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

8:30 a.m. – Vero Beach City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to https://covb.org/AgendaCenter

9:00 a.m. – IRC County Commission
For agenda and meeting information go to
https://ircgov.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

9:00 a.m. – Orchid Town Council
For agenda and meeting information go to
https://www.townoforchid.com/towncouncil/page/town-council-regular-meeting-12

Thursday, November 4, 2021

7:00 p.m. - Fellsmere City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to www.cityoffellsmere.org/citycouncil

COVID TESTING, STATISTICS AND VACCINATIONS

Testing

If you are looking for a testing site, which is becoming harder to find, you can see a list of locations here:

http://indianriver.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/COVID-19/irc-covid-testing-sites/index.html

Statistics

A great place to check statistics for Indian River County is on Covid Act Now. You can access it here:
https://covidactnow.org/us/florida-fl/county/indian_river_county/?s=21821108

Vaccinations

3rd shots are now available from Pfizer.

You can search for vaccination locations and details by clicking here:

https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/vaccines/vaccine-locator/?utm_source=floridahealth.gov&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=covid-19&utm_term=information+covid-19+vaccine+&utm_content=011921-vaccine-locater.redirect.html_in_article_link

TIDBITS

How to carve a Halloween turnip. Yes, turnip. Because that is the tradition!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxT49g662Sk

Have a great week!

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Democratic Executive Committee of Indian River County

2345 14th Ave.

Suite 7

Vero Beach, FL 32960

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