Our regular office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Our address is 2345 14th Ave., Suite 7, Downtown Vero Beach.
Newsletter Highlights
School board candidate Cindy Gibbs is 128 petitions away from qualifying. Find out how to help in the School Board Candidate section!
There will be a District 4 County Commissioner Candidate Forum on May 2nd. See more about it in the Local section.
It’s been a busy week, check out the facts in the Federal section.
School Board Candidate
School Board Candidate
A candidate for school board could use our help!
Cindy Gibbs is running for Jackie Rosario’s seat on the school board. Here are ways you can help:
1. Get her name on the ballot! Cindy is close to achieving the goal of 1,245 petitions but could use your help to get the final few hundred signed. Please sign her petition (which you can access here: https://adobe.ly/33eLpve) and drop it off at the Democratic Headquarters OR you can also stop by the office and sign a petition and grab some to share with your friends!
2. Cindy now has 423 followers on her Facebook page. Please like and share the Cindy Gibbs for School Board Facebook page - @gibbs4schoolsLet’s get 1,000 likes on that page! Plus, that way you can see all the information Cindy shares about her campaign and goals for our school district.
3. Share her campaign website on your social media or in emails to friends and colleagues in Indian River County http://www.gibbs4schools.com
4. It takes money to run a campaign, especially when you are running against a Republican. Could you host a house party for Cindy? Invite some friends over for some light snacks and drinks and let Cindy speak for a few minutes. Then ask your friends to support Cindy with a donation.
The DWC BOOK GROUP will resume in person meetings on May 27th at 2 p.m. at the Indian River County Main Library. The book to be discussed is titled “Black Was the Ink” by Michelle Coles. If you are not a book group member and would like further information, please contact Rita Milelli at [email protected].
FEDERAL (and STATE)
What’s the Facts? The Week in Review
1. President Biden's Tax Plan Rewards Work, Not Wealth
President Biden’s plan would give tax relief to tens of millions of families, and he’d apply new minimum taxes on billionaires and large corporations to make sure they’re paying their fair share.
The Republican plan, pushed by Rick Scott, could increase middle-class families’ taxes by an average of nearly $1,500 and take $100 billion out of the hands of middle-class families each year. Not only that – but Rick Scott’s plan also calls for sunsetting federal legislation after five years, which could jeopardize Social Security and Medicare.
2. President Biden is Lowering Energy Prices and Fighting Putin’s Price Hike, as Veterans Unemployment Matches Record Low
On April 21st, HHS announced more than $385 million to all 50 states, territories and tribes to help families lower their home energy costs through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
Together with the billions provided in the American Rescue Plan, this brings the total funding for LIHEAP this year to over $8.3 billion – the most relief ever in the history of the program to lower out of pocket heating and cooling costs for hard-pressed American families.
This month, President Biden has taken a number of actions to lower prices, including:
Using executive action to fix the family glitch in the ACA.
Taking action on student debt by freezing payments through August.
Providing immediate student debt cancellation for at least 40,000 borrowers.
Helping another 3.6 million borrowers move closer to debt forgiveness.
Friday, April 22nd, President Biden marked Earth Day in Seattle, WA, by speaking to the need to bolster our nation’s resilience in the face of threats like wildfire, and the need to rapidly deploy clean energy. He will also call on Congress to pass his plan to lower prescription drug prices and energy costs. He will also highlight recent actions he’s taken to lower energy and health care costs, and give families more breathing room.
The Biden-Harris administration’s approach is working: today, the unemployment rate for veterans is 2.4 percent – tied for the lowest rate on record.
Veterans of all backgrounds are finally being cut in on the deal. Unemployment rates for white, Black, Asian, and Hispanic veterans—male and female—fell and were the same or lower than their nonveteran counterparts in 2021. And, the unemployment rate for veterans with a service-connected disability declined to 3.4 percent.
3. DeSantis Vs. Disney
DeSantis’ petty grudge with the State’s largest employer will result in a #Rubioapproved #DesantisTax for Orange & Osceola Counties.
Reedy Creek is a special District of Disney World. Disney pays taxes to Reedy Creek which operates its own Fire Department, Planning Department, Sewer and Public works department.
Disney already pays the same local property taxes as every other landowner. Reedy Creek added an additional tax to pay for its projects. That tax – $163 million per year – is illegal outside of the district. When Reedy Creek goes away, that tax goes away, and Orange and Osceola Counties can’t do anything to get it back.
The counties will now be responsible for all of the services Reedy Creek provides and all of the debt it has accumulated. They will have to raise property taxes. Because the counties must tax every property equally it’s expected that property taxes in Orange County will rise as much as 25% next June.
Essentially, Disney will lose some control of its property, and get a $163 million per year tax break and $1 billion of debt passed onto taxpayers. We have yet to hear how this benefits Florida and especially the local residents in any way.
The residents, who had no say in this vote, no say in their property taxes going through the roof, and no desire to have their communities staring at financial ruin thanks to 72 hours of orchestrated revenge.
4. Redistricting
The Congressional Maps that Governor DeSantis signed last week are both a racial and partisan gerrymander.
These maps are exactly what the Fair District amendments to the Florida Constitution, which Floridians overwhelmingly passed over ten years ago, were intended to stop.
These maps don’t only diminish the ability of Black Floridians to elect a candidate of their choice, they are also deliberately drawn to benefit the Republican Party and punish voters who disagree with Ron DeSantis.
5. Book Ban
Florida Department of Education, under Governor DeSantis’s control, banned 40% of math textbooks, with reports revealing that his purge means only one publisher will be providing math books available for Florida students from Kindergarten to the 5th Grade.
Reports indicate that the only publisher that has been approved to offer K-5 math books in Florida schools is owned by the Carlyle Group, a hedge fund with ties to the Republican Governor of Virginia.
DeSantis is still refusing to disclose the entire list of banned books, or details of why specific books were rejected while the small bits of information that have been revealed just raise more questions.
So much for all the lip service Ron DeSantis has paid to parental choice, he is banning dozens of math books and refusing to provide information about it. Something doesn’t add up.
6. Cuba: Migration Talks
There has been a significant increase in irregular Cuban migrants to the United States, both via land and maritime routes. Cubans currently rank the second largest migrant group arriving at the United States’ southwest border. The United States and Cuba maintain diplomatic relations and discussions on safe, orderly, and legal migration remain a primary U.S. interest.
DHS reported that encounters of Cubans at the southwest border exceeded 32,000 in March doubling February’s figure of 16,577. These figures far exceed the full-year Fiscal Year 2021 count of 39,000 and Fiscal Year 2020 figure of 13,000. Given the current pace of irregular migration, fiscal year 2022 arrivals at the U.S. southern border will exceed the 125,000 arrivals in the 1980 Mariel boatlift.
Ensuring safe, legal, and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States remains a primary interest of the United States, consistent with our interest in fostering family reunification, and promoting greater respect for freedoms and human rights in Cuba.
STATE
Adam Hattersley for Chief Financial Officer
Democrat Adam Hattersley is running for Chief Financial Officer of Florida. You can learn more about Adam here: https://youtu.be/CrCQo_ug4g8
Leadership Blue
The Florida Democratic Party is excited to share that our annual Leadership Blue Weekend has been scheduled for Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 17 at the JW Marriott on Water Street in Tampa!
To see the latest updates and information on this year's Leadership Blue weekend, visit leadershipblue.com. We hope you will save the date and join us for a weekend in support of the FDP and Florida's Democratic candidates!
County Commissioner O’Bryan cordially invites you to attend a “Candidate’s Debate” which will be held on Monday, May 02, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. at the Intergenerational Center (1590 9th St. SW, Vero Beach).
Please mark your calendars and tell your neighbors and friends. This is an awesome opportunity for all residents in the County (and District 4) to get to know your candidates… Primary Election Day is fast approaching on August 23!
Downtown Friday
Stop by the Democrats of Indian River booth this Friday at the Downtown Friday!
Fellsmere Youth
Save the Date!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
It’s been a busy week with letters and opinion pieces in TC Palm. First, is an opinion piece of Dr. Mara Schiff, School Board Member District 1.
Don't say gay, 'anti-grooming' just terms: Law will hurt LGBTQ+ youngsters
Much has been written both in support and opposition of Florida House Bill 1557, the Parental Rights in Education Bill, known by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” and by supporters as the “Anti-Grooming Bill.”
Proponents argue the legislation merely prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, and reflects parents' right to decide public school content. Opponents say the law further stigmatizes and marginalizes LGBTQ+ children and families by perpetuating the notion that they are “abnormal.”
This law and other recent events have made Florida a lightning rod for national ridicule around education policy.
Let’s be clear about a few things.
There is absolutely no clear evidence that K-3 teachers are providing any “instruction” on sexual orientation in Indian River or other Florida schools. So what does this vague bill actually mean? Not teaching books with LGBTQ+ characters, famous LGBTQ+ figures or historical events? Not referencing heterosexual couples or families because that’s also a specific sexual orientation?
When books or other material prioritize certain family structures over others and imply some families and individuals are more “acceptable,” it affects all of us. What about simply teaching our children to prioritize love, inclusion and compassion for others, no matter what their family looks like? A child with two moms or two dads should never feel “othered” in a classroom or pressured to avoid talking about their family just to fit in and feel safe.
The law states that such conversations cannot occur in “a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” This invites objections well beyond third grade, and fails to define clear “age appropriate” guidelines. It implies that certified, professional teachers are incapable of determining “age-appropriate,” therefore must be hyper-controlled by parents and politicians.
Communities in Florida are very diverse. A book considered age-appropriate in one community’s 10th-grade classroom may be felt inappropriate in another, making this vague provision near impossible to dictate statewide. At what point are our professionals free to teach their subjects without worrying that examples from a book will violate this ambiguous law and threaten their jobs?
The law enables lawsuits whereby parents may sue school districts if they perceive a violation. This forces teachers to tread very carefully to avoid even the perception of violating the vague tenets of this law. In a state that prides itself on independence, local control and fiscal accountability, school districts may be forced to use limited local funds on legal fees to defend various and potentially frivolous lawsuits. Aren’t these public education dollars better spent on students in classrooms?
The notion that members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies are “groomers” is odious. As a member of the Indian River community, the notion that my friends, colleagues, family members and others are so labeled simply because of who they love is repugnant. I am embarrassed and ashamed that such a noxious idea is even allowed to flourish in Florida. We are better than that.
Taryn Fenske, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications director, recently said in TIME Magazine: “This law … returns … these topics to the parents … (It) does not prohibit student-prompted discussion in the classroom … (or) prohibit teachers from having opinions, lifestyles, or advocacy in their personal right on their own time ... ”
But what about parents who refuse, or children who might be endangered by raising such issues at home? What about children who are at increased risk of bullying, mental health issues and suicide because they are isolated and alienated at school?
In 2021, 22.6% of students who identify as LGBTQ+ attempted suicide at a rate five times greater than their heterosexual peers. Recently, an LGBTQ+ Georgia student was forced into a closet and doused with cleaning products while his tormentors yelled homophobic slurs. When members of the LGBTQ+ community urgently tell us they are alarmed by this bill, we should listen.
A recently filed lawsuit argues that this legislation: 1) violates the First Amendment by restricting children’s rights to receive information and unduly inhibiting teachers’ speech; 2) intentionally disadvantages LGBTQ+ people and violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment; 3) will lead to discriminatory enforcement, violating the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.
HB 1557 is not independent in its context. Its divisive message is reflected in other Florida bills surveilling book selections and curriculum reviews, often those referencing experiences of the LGBTQ+ and Black communities (HB 1467), or detailing how students are to think about history, vaguely saying no person “must feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress … because of actions … committed in the past ... ” (HB7). And every time Tallahassee infringes on local decision-making, they erode the very core American value of home rule.
This and other recent actions threaten to erase decades of hard-won progress to make school environments more inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized kids, families, and community members.
Let’s move forward, not back.
Then there was this letter to the editor as some kind of response.
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ in schools respects parents’ rights in education
Teaching high school and college English for 20-some years, I never needed to say the words “sex,” “gender,” or “trans-normalizing” once. Now we see folks with their hair on fire if teachers are told not to mention such trigger words. Why should someone have to remind educators to keep their lifestyles to themselves and not inquire of students, “How are your two mommies doing today, Pat?”
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental’ Rights in Education bill so there would be less uncertainty about where those kinds of questions can be asked. He says, “At home.” Problem? No, but public school students, teachers and now some school board members want to create a problem even they say doesn’t exist.
Power-hungry folks need a platform for combat. If Indian River school board member Mara Schiff objects to calling this law the “Anti-Grooming Bill,” she is clearly wanting to join the fight. She rightly draws a distinction between what’s “age appropriate” for third-graders and what’s acceptable conversation in the 10th grade. Yet the Florida Department of Health discourages lessons of gender identity, “transitioning medications,” or sexual victimhood by the teacher. The law does not prohibit student-prompted discussion about anything.
Tempest in a teapot syndrome says this is more about the complainers than the complaint. “We will not be hated on!” There really aren’t that many victims to hate. The Williams Institute, a gender-law part of the UCLA law school, says that only 0.7% of people over 13 are transgender, but kids under 12 are too few to mention. And that estimate is on the very high side. So how many elementary kids in “gender dysphoria” are at your school?
Call mom at home, and as Pink Floyd attested long ago, “Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone.”
