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Welcome

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2011 Redistricting Hearing Schedule

The Florida legislature has begun a series of "hearings" where the public is being asked to give comment on the redistricting process. Just one problem: the legislature hasn't started the redistricting process yet.

Floridians demanded fair districts in Florida by passing the Fair District Amendments with over 60% of the vote, and the legislature has a clear responsibility to begin drawing fair districts that honor the will of the voters and protect Floridians' right to have their vote counted. But the legislature is dragging its heels and resisting moving Florida out of the age of gerrymandering.

Below is the schedule of hearings. Attend a meeting near you and ask your legislators: where are the maps?

Southeast Florida Schedule

• Stuart, Monday 15-Aug 6pm-9pm
  Blake Library 2351 SE Monterey Rd, Stuart, Florida 34996
• Boca Raton, Tuesday 16-Aug 10am-1pm
  FAU 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL
• Davie, Tuesday 16-Aug 6pm-9pm
  Broward College Gym 3501 Southwest Davie Road, Davie, FL 33312
• Miami, Wednesday 17-Aug 10am-2pm
  Miami Dade College 300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33132
• South Miami, Wednesday 17-Aug 6pm-9pm
  FIU College of Law 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33199

Watch Dogs Wanted!

Our Chapter's Legislative Committee serves as a watchdog group to monitor the local governmental agencies in Palm Beach County. The Legislative Committee needs members willing to monitor the agendas of local government, to read minutes of such bodies and to attend their meetings. If you already monitor some such legislative agencies already or if you are willing to monitor one or more agencies listed below, please email Mark Schneider (masch20@bellsouth.net) or Jeff Kashdan (kashdang@bellsouth.net).

Palm Beach County Commission
Palm Beach County School Board
Belle Glade
Boca Raton City
Boynton Beach City
Delray Beach City
Lake Worth City Commission
other cities
West Palm Beach City Commission

The executive director of ACLU-Florida, Howard Simon, PhD, wrote an article printed in THE MIAMI HERALD on May 19th, 2011.  The article's title says it all: IN LEGISLATURE, IDEOLOGY TRUMPS SOUND POLICY.
Most of us already are aware of the 18 bills placing all kinds of restrictive measures on the right of women to make medical decisions for themselves.  The Legislature gave itself a presence in the medical office with its mandate for an ultrasound, paid by the women, in cases of a planned abortion. This mandate, by the way, created by the same people who complain bitterly about "big government" intruding on our lives and bureacrates making medical decisions instead of a doctor. 
 
All kinds of new voter legislation threatens to make voting and voting registration efforts more difficult.  Howard stated, "Those who know something about this (voter fraud), county supervisors of elections and the secretary of state, could provide no examples of the type of voter fraud the legislation was purportedly reining in."  In the area of, religion and government,  a 150 year old Florida constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state will be subject to voter repeal on the next ballot. And then there was the failed effort to reshape the Florida Supreme Court, placing it under the control of the Legislature.  This would have eliminatied the check and balance function of the division of powers into three branches of government, a function only possible with an equality of power in those three branches.
 
Howard stated that "the session's impact will depend in no small part on whether the third arm of consitutional democracy, the judicial, performs its vital check and balance role to guard cherished constitutional values.  The governor and the Legislature have been cavalierly dismissive of those values."
Sadly, rather than having solved the problems of Florida unemployment through job creation, as promised, this session has worked hard to impose sectarian- based values, converted into laws of questionable constitutional legality,  on the citizens of this state. The results of that effort will result in a host of expensive legal challenges.  Groups like ACLU, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, the teachers' unions and the Audobon Society are individually and collectively preparing such challenges. Our state can ill-afford these legal challenges.  

Chapter speakers are available to address groups interested in learning more about the ACLU or other current civil liberties issues. Request a speaker by contacting Jeff Kashdan at (kashdang@bellsouth.net).

"Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

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