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Are you frustrated and tired of the attacks on our democracy? How about the recent state legislative actions that are reversing progress on voting and women’s rights? We will not stand by idly as our state and democracy is dismantled. Defending the rights of Indian River County and Floridian citizens through voter outreach, voter education, and candidates is our mission. But we need you! For the price of coffee and a scone at Starbucks, your monthly donation can help keep our office open and staffed to accomplish our goals. Please consider signing up to be a monthly donor to allow us to continue the vital work necessary. You can donate here or on our website:
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Newsletter Highlights
* We have a new candidate running for State House! See below.
* It’s time to talk with voters and canvass! Find out how to help School board candidate Cindy Gibbs in the School Board Candidate section.
* The Proud Boys are taking over the Miami GOP. Read about it in the State section.
WE HAVE ANOTHER CANDIDATE – KAREN GREB!
On June 13, Karen Greb officially qualified for candidacy to run in the newly drawn Florida House of Representatives - District 34 race as the sole Democrat. On November 8, she will face the winner of the GOP race between Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett and Sebastian resident Karen Hiltz who will face each other in the August primary. District 34 encompasses all of Indian River County as well as a portion of southeast Brevard County.
Karen is a member of the DWC - IRC and its Legislative and Environmental Committees and is also a Board member of the Indian River Neighborhood Association, an advocate for the environment and the Indian River Lagoon.
Karen is currently working on getting a website and social media platform up and running, and is very excited to meet and work with everyone on the IRC Democratic team in the next several months.
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS UPDATES
Your Precinct and Polling Location May Change
Precincts in Indian River County have changed for many of us and that means your polling location may have changed. The Supervisor of Elections will be mailing out new voter registration cards this month. In the meantime, if you would like to look at the new precincts, and see if yours has changed, you can look at the interactive map here:
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Poll Watcher Orientation
We will need poll watchers during the election season. Please sign up for this orientation and then email Stacey at
[email protected] to let us know you are attending.
School Board Candidate
We must knock on doors for our candidates. Sign up here to canvass every Tuesday evening with Cindy here:
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A Note from Cindy:
Hello Team Gibbs!
We are just 71 days from the primary election on August 23^rd.
We’re excited to share with you some ways that you can continue to support this campaign.
What we Need:
Postcards mailed to potential voters: we provide the names and addresses and the postcards. We would appreciate the in-kind donation of standard postcard stamps, but we can provide those as well.
Door knocking/literature drops: we have door hangers and literature—we knock on our neighbors’ doors, say a few words about the upcoming election and Cindy’s qualifications for the position of School Board Member, and then leave a card or a door hanger with them.
Yard signs: Can you place a yard sign on your property or at your business? Do you know someone who can if your neighborhood or HOA doesn’t allow it? We’d appreciate a $5 in-kind donation for these
Financial contributions: Cindy’s campaign can accept donations of up to $1,000 for both the primary election (up to August 23^rd) and then again before the November 8^th general election. Use this actblue link:
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and share it with your friends, family and neighbors. Checks can be written to Cynthia Gibbs Campaign Account for up to $1,000.
Throw a fundraising house party: Invite some friends, let them know it’s a fundraiser. It doesn’t have to be fancy or big, but it can be! Cindy will speak for 15 minutes and then everyone can mingle, ask questions, etc. This is incredibly helpful and is much easier than it sounds. Please call Cindy for more info at (772) 228-0252—leave a message if you get voicemail.
Other Ways to Support Cindy’s School Board Campaign
· Do you belong to an organization that will invite Cindy to speak briefly? This provides Cindy with access to our diverse community in valuable ways.
· Write a letter to the editor of our local publications, TCPalm, etc, speaking positively about Cindy’s campaign and encouraging others to vote for her.
· Write a statement of endorsement about Cindy: Have you heard Cindy speak about education and seen her passion on the topic? Write a statement that provides reasons why our local citizens should vote for Cindy. She’ll use this on her social media pages and her campaign website.
· Share Cindy’s campaign website with everyone you know—gibbs4schools.com ([link removed])
We are marching in the Sebastian 4^th of July Parade and will have a booth at the Freedom Fest at Riverview Park immediately following.
We will need help setting up the booth by 7:30 AM at Riverview Park in Sebastian--We will be in a 10x10 tent handing out apples and American flags and campaign literature. The Freedom Fest officially begins after parade—around 10:30 AM and we plan to stay until 4 PM.
Would you like to walk or ride with us in the Sebastian 4^th of July parade? We would love to have you join us! We will have a Jeep for a few people to ride in and we’ll rotate the riders as needed. The rest of us will walk with Cindy’s campaign banner and we’ll hand out small American flags. The parade begins at Central Ave and Davis Street in Sebastian. We can work out carpooling if that’s helpful, too.
Gratefully,
Cindy Gibbs
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DEMOCRATS OF INDIAN RIVER
Democratic Women’s Club
DWC Book Group Discussion on 6/24. The book title for the June discussion is “Her Honor: My Life on the Bench…What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It”, by LaDoris Hazard Codell.
The group will meet in person at the Indian River County Main Library, in the large meeting room on the 1st floor; the meeting time is 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Snacks and drinks (closed containers, please) are allowed in the room; if you like, bring a light snack to share. Please bring your own choice of (non-alcoholic) drink.
If you are not a DWC Book Group member and would like to attend the meeting, please contact Maryann and Rita at **
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected])
Democratic Club of Indian River
The next club meeting will be Thursday, June 16th at the Heritage Center at 6 p.m.
Young Democrats of the Treasure Coast
Our July monthly membership meeting will be held in Vero Beach on Tuesday, July 12, at 7:00pm, at American Icon Brewery, located at 1133 19th Place (SR 60 Eastbound), Vero Beach, FL 32960.
Also, join us for Juneteenth Freedom Day, Saturday, June 18th, from 12-5pm at the Victor Hart, Sr. Complex in Gifford, 4715 43rd Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32967
Joanne Terry Qualifies for US Congress – FL 08
STATE
NYT: Ultra-MAGA Proud Boys Have Seized Control of the Miami-Dade Republican Party
“The Proud Boys’ encroachments into the Miami-Dade Republican Party are, by far, the group’s largest political success.”
A new report from the New York Times details how at least a half-dozen members of the Proud Boys, a far-right nationalist group, have secured seats on the Executive Committee of the Miami-Dade Republican Party. The report outlines how the Proud Boys, following their involvement in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, were able to infiltrate the local party affiliate and begin using their new political power to impose their extreme, ultra-MAGA agenda on South Florida.
“This report is clear evidence that Florida Republicans are trying to force their anti-freedom agenda onto working families. The Florida GOP wants to ban women’s reproductive freedom with no exceptions and gut Social Security and Medicare, and they aren’t afraid to use the ultra-MAGA, Proud Boy playbook to do so,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Travis Reuther. “Florida Republicans, including Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio, should denounce this extremist organization with a lengthy history of physical violence and hateful rhetoric.”
New York Times: How the Proud Boys Gripped the Miami-Dade Republican Party
Key Points:
* At the iconic Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, just after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida rallied donors and activists to their feet during a well-attended April fund-raiser for the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, a scuffle broke out by the valet parking station. Several men in suits and a woman in a cocktail dress tussled over who should and should not have been allowed at the $250-a-plate dinner. Someone alerted the police. The next day, a woman who had been escorted out of the dinner renewed a request for a restraining order against one of the men involved in the dispute, writing in her court petition that he was part of a “Far Right Wing Extremist Cult.” She was referring to the Proud Boys, the far-right nationalist group that was at the forefront of the riot at the U.S. Capitol last year.
* The man was one of at least a half-dozen current and former Proud Boys who have secured seats on the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee, seeking to influence local politics from the inside. Their ranks include adherents who face criminal charges for participating in the Capitol attack: Gilbert Fonticoba has been charged with obstructing Congress. Gabriel Garcia, a former Army captain who says he has left the group, has been charged with interfering with law enforcement officers during the civil disorder on Jan. 6, 2021.
* The concerted effort by the Proud Boys to join the leadership of the party — and, in some cases, run for local office — has destabilized and dramatically reshaped the Miami-Dade Republican Party that former Gov. Jeb Bush and others built into a powerhouse nearly four decades ago, transforming it from an archetype of the strait-laced establishment to an organization roiled by internal conflict as it wrestles with forces pulling it to the hard right. The conflict comes at a pivotal moment for Republicans nationally, as primary voters weigh whether to wrench the party from its extremist elements — or more fully embrace them.
* “Yes, we have fringe elements,” said René García, the chairman of the approximately 125-member Republican committee in Miami-Dade County, who is also a county commissioner and former state senator. “Yes, we have different points of view in our party. That’s how we are. And my job as Republican chairman is to protect everyone’s First Amendment right, however wrong they may be.”
* The Proud Boys spent nearly half a decade engaged in often violent protests across the country over issues such as the removal of Confederate statues and the unsubstantiated spread of Shariah law. After the Capitol attack, however, as Proud Boys were being investigated by law enforcement and charged with federal crimes, they lowered their profile. The group dissolved its national leadership and encouraged chapters to get involved in local issues, with the goal of amassing support in advance of this year’s midterm elections.
* The Proud Boys’ encroachments into the Miami-Dade Republican Party are, by far, the group’s largest political success. The Fontainebleau incident was the latest to cause unrest within the party as a small but growing number of Proud Boys have deepened existing divisions and injected an unusual degree of aggression into routine dealings.
How did Rubio respond to this? Watch here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])
Florida Democratic Party Voter Protection Training
The FDP is excited to announce that we are preparing for trainings. We have rewritten our training slides, handouts, and methodology. We will start poll watcher trainings in June. The best way to get looped into those trainings is by signing up on our volunteer interest form here: ** [link removed] ([link removed])
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.
LOCAL
Fellsmere Student School Supply Drive
Juneteenth
Pride on the Block 2K22
UPDATE: We need your help to reach our incredible LGBTQ+ community! With the increase in polarity surrounding LGBTQ+ issues in Florida, we need all hands on deck to talk with LGBTQ supporters, collect petitions, recruit volunteers and educate our community!
Here is the link to sign up for volunteering! ** [link removed] ([link removed])
Join Equality Florida at this year’s Pride on the Block 2K22 on Sunday, June 26th!
With the passage of anti-LGBTQ bills like the Don’t Say Gay Bill and Stop WOKE Act, it is more important now than ever that we come together and stand up against hate. Vero Beach Pride on the Block 2K22 is a critical opportunity for Equality Florida to connect with our LGBTQ community and to recruit the next wave of advocates and activists to resist anti-LQBTQ attacks on our friends and families.
Date: Sunday, June 26th
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Kilted Mermaid - 1937 Old Dixie Hwy, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Get more information and sign up here: ** [link removed] ([link removed])
CALENDAR
Thursday, June 16, 2022
5:00 p.m. - DEC Monthly Meeting, Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave., Downtown Vero Beach
6:00 p.m. – Democratic Club of Indian River Monthly Meeting. Heritage Center, 2140 14^th Ave., Downtown Vero Beach
7:00 p.m. - Fellsmere City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to
** www.cityoffellsmere.org/citycouncil ([link removed])
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
9:00 a.m. – Vero Beach City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to [link removed]
You can watch here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])
9:00 a.m. – IRC County Commission
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
6:00 p.m. - Sebastian City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])
Thursday, June 23, 2022
9:00 a.m. - Indian River Shores City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])
TIDBITS
Strange things happen when you remove gravity:
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Office Hours
Our regular office hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Our address is 2345 14^th Ave., Suite 7, Downtown Vero Beach.
That's all Democrats!
Stay Safe out There!
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2345 14th Ave.
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Vero Beach, FL 32960
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