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Date: 7/1/2019
Subject: LWVSC July Newsletter
From: League of Women Voters of the Space Coast

President's Corner

It is my honor and privilege to be elected as the President of the League of Women Voters of the Space Coast (LWVSC.) Holding this prestigious position will allow us the opportunity to keep our constituents educated and informed of the current and future political environment in Brevard County.

Since our inception (Nov. 19, 1979), forty years, the League Women of Voters of the Space Coast has remained nonpartisan, never endorsing or opposing political parties or candidates. Moreover, promoting inclusion for greater community involvement has allowed the League to develop a trusted voice for its advocacy and education campaigns.

Promoting inclusion for greater community involvement is our motto for the next two years. What does this suggest? You get involved by educating and advocating to the Space Coast using your identified and published Programs of Works; more importantly, your committee members joined because they have a desire to support these political views. Secondly, as an organization, our League’s primary mission is to educate and register voters and solicit and retain members. We no longer have the luxury of inviting professionals to speak about what they’re doing but to plan activities we're going to take to change the political footprint. Throughout my military career, I was always told: “Actions Speaks Louder than Words.” Let’s Act, not just listen and applaud the actions of others.

During the 2019 League of Women Voters Conference, we approved the following state programs for next year. More to come during our scheduled meetings.

Government in Florida
Education
Justice in Florida
Social Policy in Florida
Sustainability in Florida
Natural Resources in Florida.

Get involved, first, by reviewing our website www.lwv-spacecoast.org, LWVF site and also our Facebook page to stay informed on all issues and actions about all Leagues. Let's enjoy the opportunity to make a difference in so many lives in Brevard County.

In League,

Jacquie Chandler

LWVSC President

37th Biennial LWV Florida Convention

Some 150 League of Women Voters members from counties across Florida traveled to the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples Florida to attend this convention, including seven League of Women Voters of the Space Coast members. These conventions are an excellent source of information for new League members. They not only provide an opportunity for new members to learn how the League functions but also for them to meet the state officers and to make valuable connections. All members whether new or old can benefit from workshops that addressed various areas of League interests and concerns.

The workshops presented on Friday covered subjects like, Actions to Reduce Poverty in Florida: League Challenges, Civics Education, Civility, and Critical Thinking, What Happens When a Child Breaks Florida Laws?, Presentations that Inspire, Why is Home Rule Under Attack with Preemption Legislation?, Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten: The Need for Early Intervention, Sex Ed in the Sunshine State, Grant Writing, Amendment 4: What Happens Now?, National Popular Vote in Florida and the US, Project: Gun Safety, League 101: Unlocking League Secrets, and Treasurer’s Meeting/501(c)3 and 501(c)4 discussion.

Awards were presented to outstanding chapters at the “Making Democracy Work” dinner on Saturday evening. These awards were given based on the recipient League’s commitment and dedication to accomplishing League related goals. The winners were the Pensacola, Tallahassee and St Petersburg Leagues. Following the awards presentation, Jeanette Senecal of LWV United States spoke on the topic Nonpartisan Advocacy and Dan McCrea, founder and President of Florida Voters delivered a detailed speech on Election Security.

The Florida League is divided into a north, a central and a south region. On Saturday, local Leagues gathered by region to share information, discuss issues and concerns affecting them and to respond to questions from each other. These networking sessions are invaluable.

More workshops followed the regional local League meetings that addressed Fundraising: How to Ask for What You Want, Dissecting the LWVFL Budget, Voter Services: VOTE411 & Election 2020, The Centennial: Using Your History to Inspire and Recruit, Building Influence: Effective Engagement at the Local Level, Q&A on Florida Elections Security - Today, in 2020, and Beyond, and Special Presentation: Backpack Full of Cash.

The two-hour business session took place at a plenary where actions and motions were presented and voted on. All League presidents were later invited to attend a luncheon meeting; which proved to be another great source of information for presidents, especially for new presidents, to network and share valuable League knowledge.

Finally, note that all members are invited to attend conferences and/or conventions. As stated earlier, it’s an opportunity for members to network and to learn about the League of Women Voters and to make LWVSC a stronger League.

Article submitted by Audrey Grayson, Chair of the Speakers Bureau.

Photo at Convention in Naples, Florida

Space Coast League Members at State Convention

Committee Spotlights

Report from Natural Resources by Consultant Maureen Rupe

Thanks to an Osceola County Landfill agreement, up to 5 Cargo Ships full of Coal Ash (up to 650 million pounds) is coming to Florida from Puerto Rico. Once it arrives, it will be trucked to JED Solid Waste Facility west of St. Cloud near the city of Holopaw. Coal ash is the residue of burning coal and a 2014 report stated that coal ash contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic; there were numerous protests that led to a 2017 law banning dumping Coal Ash on island landfills.
I’m assuming at least one of those cargo ships bringing up to 2,708 train cars’ full of coal ash will be coming through Port Canaveral, as our port is one of the closest to the JED facility. Double-lined facilities like JED site is considered safe for coal ash and the JED facility has always accepted coal ash since it was opened in 2004. However, it’s not just the design of the facility we need to worry about, but industrial or transportation accidents that could impact the environment either at the port receiving the coal ash, or along the roads until it is accepted at the JED Solid Waste Facility.
According to a March 13 article in “The Nation” by Michelle Chen, titled “Confronting Puerto Rico’s Coal-Ash Crisis,” coal currently makes up 17% of Puerto Rico’s electricity generated by AES Corporation, but that seems to be about to change. Puerto Rico’s government is now considering making 100% renewable energy by 2050. A tall order, but if achieved, that would at least not be shipping coal ash to Florida.
Reference:
http://www.aroundosceola.com/news/dumped-m-pounds-of-coal-ash-coming-to-osceola-landfill/article_2e2ed830-6da1-11e9-997f-5fd99adc8dce.html
https://www.thenation.com/article/puerto-rico-coal-ash/

School Board Hearing on June 24, 2019

“It is well within the School Board’s power to change priorities and fund this proposal without bringing its fund balance to a fiscally irresponsible position. It seems axiomatic that Brevard County School District would seek to put itself in a more favorable competitive position to attract and retain quality teachers, and this would be in the best interests of the children and the public it serves.”
After an examination of the School Board’s budget, the impartial, jointly selected Magistrate wrote those words following the impasse hearing in April between the School Board of Brevard County and the Brevard Federation of Teachers, the Union representing all of Brevard’s teachers.
The Magistrate’s ruling is not binding, and Superintendent Dr. Mark Mullins rejected it and offered his own proposal at the mandatory Board hearing held Monday, June 24, 2019 at the School Board meeting room in Viera. Before an overflow crowd of teachers, parents, students, and supporters the Board heard presentations from the Superintendent and the Union.
After 4 hours of deliberations, the Board voted 4-1 to accept the Superintendent’s recommendations offering less than the Magistrate recommended citing concerns for emergencies for which they already budget funds as was pointed out by Matt Susin, the lone vote objecting to the unwillingness to accept the Magistrate’s non-binding ruling.
Teachers still have to vote for or against the Board’s imposed contract and that will occur after school resumes in August.
In the meantime, teachers in Brevard are still ranking below the state average which is below the national average.

Volunteer Opportunities

Collect signatures for Medicaid Expansion and Assault Rifle Ban Petitions - volunteer by clicking on one of the following locations/days:

Petition Collecting -Cocoa Beach July 3rd

Petition Collecting - Cocoa Village on July 4th

Petition Collecting - Palm Bay July 5th

Petition Collecting -Cocoa Library July 6th

At the EFSC welcome back event for students, we will have voter registration applications, Contact brochures for distribution, etc. Click on the link below to volunteer to support this event on August 20th.

Eastern Florida SC-Cocoa Campus "Welcome Back" Tab

Upcoming On Our Calendar

September Hot Topic - SAVE THE DATE

The League of Women Voters of the Space Coast and the American Association of University Women will hold a Hot Topic Luncheon on Saturday, September 21 at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Indialantic at 11:30 a.m. A panel of knowledgeable people will set the stage for a lively discussion on Teacher Salaries and Shortages.

Jul 1 Local Government Committee Meeting

Monitors local government meetings for issues of interest to the LWV taking action when appropriate. This meeting will be a special meeting with a guest speaker, Marcia Booth, to address the idea of petitioning county commission to ban plastic straws.

Jul 3 Petition Collecting - Cocoa Beach

Collect signatures for Medicaid Expansion and Assault Rifle Ban Petitions before the Cocoa Beach Fireworks Display. Meet at the Lori Wilson Park Playground at 5:30pm

Jul 4 Petition Collecting - Cocoa Village

Collect signatures for Medicaid Expansion and Assault Rifle Ban Petitions before the Cocoa Village Fireworks Display. Meet at the Playhouse Theater in Cocoa Village at 5:30pm

Jul 5 Petiton Collection - Palm Bay

Collect signatures for Medicaid Expansion and Assault Rifle Ban Petitions before the Palm Bay Independence day Celebration. Meet at the main entrance of Eastern Florida State College (Palm Bay Campus) at 3:30pm

Jul 6 Petition Collecting - Cocoa Library

Collecting signatures for Medicaid Expansion and the assault rifle ban petitions. Meet at Cocoa Library at 1:45pm

Jul 19 Natural Resource Mtg

Waste mgmt contract discussion. Compost for residents?

Aug 5 Local Government Committee Meeting

Monitors local government meetings for issues of interest to the LWV and takes actions when appropriate.

Aug 6 Board Meeting

The board typically meets evenings on the first Tuesday of the month.

Photos / Odds and Ends................

Stay Cool and Enjoy Summer!

Visit our website at LWV-Spacecoast.org

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