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Date: 1/31/2021
Subject: LWVSC February 2021 Newsletter
From: League of Women Voters of the Space Coast



LWVSC bi-monthly Newsletter Header

What a whirlwind month January 2021 turned out to be! While we were all preparing to welcome a new U.S. President, the insurrection at the Capitol that threatened our democracy was a complete shock. League of Women Voters of the US (LWVUS) issued a strong statement on January 6th in response to the violent demonstrations at the U.S. Capitol:

“This is a dark day in the history of the United States of America. Today’s activity on Capitol Hill should have been a procedural exercise to finalize the 2020 election. Instead, our nation's Capitol was attacked by domestic terrorists seeking to invalidate the will of the people.  

The actions by these terrorists have no impact on the results of the election. This violent mob was encouraged by an outgoing president who lost re-election in a free and fair election.” 


Ultimately, LWVUS joined other organizations in calling for impeachment of the President and this action was supported by League Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL). 

Meanwhile, LWVFL focused on events taking place in the Florida Capitol. The Florida Legislative Session is due to start on March 2nd with committee meetings running through January and February. At the time of writing, House Bill 1 ‘Combating Public Disorder’ is due to be heard in its first committee on January 27th. This piece of legislation was proposed in response to statewide protests following the tragic death of George Floyd. Should this bill become law, peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment rights would risk being arrested and charged with a third-degree felony even if their conduct were not violent or disorderly. League of Women voters of Florida issued the following statement:

“The League believes the truest form of protest is at the ballot box. Those who feel empowered to participate in in-person protests for causes could very well find themselves disenfranchised due to the unnecessary repercussions outlined in this legislation.” 
 
Please join fellow League members across the state in opposing HB1 by contacting your legislative representatives and responding to action alerts. Your voice makes a difference!

In League,
Jo Shim
LWVSC President

This Month's Hot Topic

Join us for a Zoom Meeting on Wednesday February 10th at  6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
 
Learn about the development of vaccines with Dr. Larry Bush. Dr. Bush has practiced in the field of infectious diseases in Palm Beach County since 1989. He is Affiliated Professor of Medicine at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University, as well as Affiliated Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Bush will be striving to answer many of your COVID-19 questions. His presentation will touch on information about the COVID-19 virus, vaccine development, clinical trials, as well as different types of COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, he will provide updated statistical information and where we are with current and projected vaccine availability.
 

Members of the Month

Marcia Booth
Susan Little
Congratulations to Susan Little and Marcia Booth, LWV of the Space Coast (LWVSC) members of the month for February 2021. Both Susan and Marcia are extremely involved with advocacy and education around environmental issues. Marcia is the Founder and President of Recycle Brevard a recycling non-profit organization located in Rockledge that focuses on reducing waste and sustainable living. The recipient of numerous community awards for her work on the environment, Marcia served several terms on the LWVSC Board and now hosts monthly recycling and social media zoom meetings open to participation for all LWVSC members. Look out for Marcia at any League event or send her an email if you have social media or recycling questions.

Susan Little is co-chair of both the Natural Resources and Sustainability committees and is also a frequent contributor to the Sustainability Book Club. She is passionate about environmental issues that impact Brevard including improving the health of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), low impact development (LID) and educating the community about sustainability. She is a past secretary of the LWVSC Board and currently serves as an appointed director.

LWV of the Space Coast thanks Marcia and Susan for their work championing environmental and sustainability issues. Please help them with their advocacy and education efforts by participating in the work of the Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Recycling committees. 


Coming Soon

CONTACT for 2021-2022
 
 Last year’s edition didn’t top the New York Times bestseller list.  You won’t find it on the book racks at Books-A-Million.  The film rights haven’t been snatched up by Hollywood, so it won’t likely be coming to a theater near you.  But the 2021 edition of the LWVSC Contact Directory of Elected Officials will soon be at Brevard County libraries and other locations around the county.

One of the most popular and effective voter education tools we produce, the Contact Directory will be published during February with initial distribution to all of the county libraries and many government and non-profit organizations.  The Voter Services Committee spent about two months verifying and updating data on elected officials, their phone numbers, email addresses, office locations and other contact information to give Brevard citizens a handy one-stop directory of federal, state and local office holders.  

The 2019-2020 Directory is still available for download from our website right now, but the new Directory will soon replace it online.  As before, on request individual copies of the Contact Directory will be available for mailing.  If any members are aware of an organization needing multiple copies, contact Rob Grisar at robgrisar@yahoo.com to arrange for delivery after its publication in February.

Committee Spotlights

Education Committee Article by Chair, Fran Baer
 
February is the time when committees review our Programs of Work, evaluate our accomplishments and set goals for approval of the League’s Board and ultimate membership approval at the annual meeting in April.
The Education Committee learned a lot this year from our visiting guests which we have reported to the membership in previous articles. We also recognize how complex the educational issues are. Finances, technology, equality, support, politics, and curriculum are part of a complex public school system. To better address these issues we decided to prioritize our current Programs of Work. To date the following were identified as the most significant:
 
1. Research, monitor and report on the adequacy of and advances in educational technology in Brevard Public Schools; ensure adequate technology funding and supervise the delivery of the online continuity plan for the present and any future disruptions.
2. Promote civics and citizen education for all K-12 students in Brevard Public Schools.
3. Explore the available support to Brevard Public Schools’ teachers to enable the delivery of high quality education for all students.
 
All of the 2020 twelve Programs of Work are listed in Club Express and, as always, your comments are appreciated as we continue to explore and report on the education of Brevard’s youth.
 

Article by Kathy Ebersberger
 
The Social Justice Committee celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by holding a panel discussion on racial disparities in the Brevard County Justice System. The panelists, Dr. Dedra Sibley, Provost of Eastern Florida State College, Attorney Alton Edmond, a criminal defense attorney, and Attorney Valeta Cameron, a Legal Aid attorney, offered their perspectives on the African-American experience in the Brevard County justice system. The 61 participants on the Zoom call agreed that the discussion was just a small step in the path to racial equity.

In an attempt to keep the discussion going and in honor of Black History Month, the Social Justice Committee is sponsoring a panel discussion on February 27, from 2-4 pm on Growing Up Under Jim Crow. We have a distinguished panel from the African-American community—Mrs. Alberta Wilson (a LWVSC member), Mrs. Rosemary McGill, Mr. Leroy Smith (a founder of the Harry T. Moore Cultural Center), and Mr. Bill Mazyck. More information on our panelists will be available soon.

Please join us for this important discussion. Racial justice requires an unvarnished assessment of our history.

Registration is required and will be available on the LWVSC website soon.


Preserving Quality of Life for Brevard
by Terry Mott, Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee
We all know the critical elements needed to sustain life for both humans and the awesome creatures that share the planet with us: clean air, water, food, and cover (a safe haven to grow our young).

But since the definition of “Sustainability” goes beyond just achieving the basic elements and includes preserving the “quality of life” for today and for future generations, then what constitutes “quality of life”?

That’s a question Brevard County officials recently asked its citizens through a survey conducted under a new program entitled, Resilient Brevard.

Brevard County has contracted with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council to launch this effort, which was created to develop proactive strategies, policies, and a plan of action to protect our citizens, environment, and economy from the impact of environmental shocks and hazards.

The Resilient Brevard project is important because it compels us to address the critical questions needed to be answered if we are going to sustain the “quality of life” we currently enjoy and hope to leave for future generations:

● What are the vulnerabilities we need to prepare for over the next 50-75 years?
● How can we create a more economically, socially & naturally resilient community now & for the future? 
● What types of strategies are the most appropriate for Brevard County?

The first virtual public Resilient Brevard workshop will be held February 8, 2021 to discuss the survey findings. To register for the workshop, please visit: https://www.perilofflood.net/resilient-brevard

While we have all had a tumultuous year and we’ll have to continue to face unknown challenges ahead--especially as we prepare for the 1,000 new permanent residents moving to Florida every day--this year has also proven that we have an esteemed and dedicated cadre of scientists to help lead the way.

And on that note, our Committee wants to thank our recent guest speaker, Zachary Eichholz, the City of Cape Canaveral’s Sustainability Program Manager and Resilience Planner, for his recent stellar presentation entitled Urban Forestry: Finding the Green in the Gray.

According to Eichholz, urban forestry–or the art, science, and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and around communities–has become ever more important as society attempts to balance its rapidly growing urban centers with the dwindling natural environment.

Eichholz’ exhilarating webinar demonstrates the benefits of urban forestry and the latest in green urban planning intended to make cities cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful. To view the recorded presentation, go to the link at the bottom of the event flyer on the LWVSC's website at: https://lwvsc.clubexpress.com/

Zachary Eichholz will be giving this presentation again in the Spring as part of Cape Canaveral's 2021 SustainaWhat? webisode series. This will be a one-hour monthly virtual platform where the City will be discussing relevant environmental and technology-based topics. Each presentation will be released through the City’s official YouTube account the last Thursday of every month.
 
 

Article by Maureen Rupe - Co-Chair of Natural Resources Committee
 
A May 9, 2017 Associated Press article by Jason Dearen & Mike Schneider titled “Building boom threatens Fla. wildlife-rich lagoon,” gave a lot of good background information.  The article said a lot more but the following is a good summary:
“It’s the death by a thousand cuts,” said Bob Knight, an environmental scientist with the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute who has studied Florida’s waters for 40 years.
"The lagoon’s woes threaten the region’s $2.5 billion recreation, fishing and tourism economy, alarming kayak tour operators, charter boat captains, restaurateurs and organizers of bird-watching festivals.
Environmentalists are distressed to see the lagoon’s rich variety of life threatened in a crisis similar to what has happened in recent decades in such places as the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie and the Gulf of Mexico.
Although the federal and state governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to heal the lagoon in recent years, an Associated Press examination found that pollution spiked, algae blooms spread and fish kills worsened over the past decade and a half as central Florida’s population swelled faster than that of anywhere else in the state.
Water quality data analyzed by the AP showed that the average level of phosphorous — a byproduct of fertilizers and human waste that algae thrive on — rose nearly 75 percent between 2000 and 2016. Average chlorophyll readings used to measure the presence of algae, almost tripled.
Home to more than 2,900 species of plants, birds and fish, the waterway has been polluted since the mid-20th century by fertilizer runoff from farms around Lake Okeechobee, which drains into the lagoon during heavy rains. Nevertheless, parts remained largely healthy until the recent building boom.
Since 2000, more than 1.5 million people moved into the six counties along the lagoon and three Orlando-area counties that drain into Lake Okeechobee or directly into the lagoon. More than 500,000 new homes were built in those counties over the same time period.”
 Since this article aired the Marine Resource Council has published 4 IRL Report Cards which have indicated that the state is still not meeting the TMDL's standards that were set 10 years ago by the state.  They have also suggested some possible actions we can take to hasten the rebounding of the Lagoon., such as promoting Low Impact Development and enhancing testing to include measures of toxins and bacteria present in the Lagoon.  For further reference see www.SaveTheIRL.org

The League of Women Voters of the Space Coast Natural Resource Committee is looking for 2 or 3 people who are interested and fairly knowledgeable of the Indian River Lagoon and issues.  They will be involved in finding issues, monitoring results, tracking Indian River Lagoon tax projects, and storm water and sewage plant upgrades throughout Brevard County to ensure a holistic outlook of the Indian River Lagoon.  Please contact Maureen Rupe. .rupe32927@earthlink.net  
  

International Relations Information for February
 
The February International Relations meeting will be a zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 9th at 1 p.m.  Margee Smith will be leading The End of Globalization?  There will be discussion of merits and drawbacks of globalization This is the second presentation for 2021.  We use the Great Decisions Publication from the Foreign Policy Association for our topics.   League Members and the public are invited.  If you have not previously attended our meetings please contact Joyce Calese, chair of the International Relations group so you will receive the link for the zoom meeting. Joyce’s e-mail address is calese37@gmail.com  


Additional Information & February Zoom Meetings


Ordering Name Tags
 
Members who are interested in ordering a League name tag will find the information on our website.
1. Sign into the LWVSC website as a member.
2. Click on Event Calendar under Meetings and Events Tab.
3. Go to Monday, March 15th entitled LWVSC Nametag Orders.  Information there will tell you that cost is $13 to be paid in advance.
4. Click order now.  Name tags will be mailed to you. Contact Barbara Williams if you have questions. 
5. If you would like to receive your name tag sooner, contact Barbara Williams.  

New Student Member
 
We welcome Mandy Baily

February Zoom Meetings
 
Tuesday, February 2nd Board Meeting at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, February 9th International Relations Meeting at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, February 10th Hot Topic on "Covid-19 The Virus, Vaccine and Where We Go" at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 13th Recycling Committee meeting at 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Monday, February 15th Social Justice Committee Meeting at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Monday, February 15th Education Committee is joining Social Justice Committee Meeting at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 20th Social Media Meeting at 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, February 27th Black History Event - Growing Up Under Jim Crow at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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