May 2024
Letter from the Chair
Greetings Collier County Democrats,
Looking forward to the upcoming elections, it’s crucial to grasp the pivotal issues at hand that will shape our civil liberties and rights.
With the August 20th primary just 111 days away, its significance cannot be overstated. This primary will determine whether we stand resilient against the looming Republican agenda, poised to erode our public educational system and sow seeds of doubt in our election process. Our choices in this primary will determine our stance against attempts to ban books, sanitize history, promote corporal punishment, and impose religious indoctrination in our schools. We must ensure our elections remain transparent, accessible, and inclusive for all members of our county, rejecting any attempts to discredit the integrity of the 2020 election.
In November, Floridians will have the chance to vote on amendments directly affecting our personal freedoms, such as protections for abortion and the legalization of recreational marijuana. These amendments aim to empower individuals to make their own choices without undue interference.
Reflecting on the recently concluded 2024 Florida legislative session, it’s clear that our fight for justice and equality continues. Alarming laws targeting minorities, immigrants, and children underscore the urgent need for advocacy and action.
In this newsletter, we delve deeper into these critical issues, offering insights, updates, and avenues for engagement. Educate yourselves on candidates committed to serving Floridians’ interests.
Visit CollierVotes.gov to ensure your voter registration is up to date, and sign up for a Vote By Mail ballot.
Join us as a volunteer and/or support the Collier Dems through donations. Your contribution, no matter the size, is vital to our mission. Remember, we are a democratically funded organization, dedicated to upholding our values and championing a fair and just society. Let’s unite to make a meaningful impact in Collier County!
In solidarity,
Collier County Democratic Party
The Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) will meet
MAY 1, 2024 – 5:30 PM Meet & Greet, 6:30 PM Meeting
at Collier County Democratic Party Headquarters
600 Goodlette Road #110, Naples FL 34102
The DEC is the local official arm of the Florida Democratic Party and is comprised of elected Committeemen and Women. Official meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM. We will hold a public Meet & Greet at 5:30 PM at our May meeting. Please join us!
All registered Democrats may attend and observe as guests, and all attendees must register ahead of time. Only DEC members may vote and participate in the meeting. Attendees are encouraged to join 10 minutes early to get settled before the meeting begins.
To learn more about the Collier County Democratic Party, join us at one of our Saturday morning “Welcome to the Party” virtual sessions! For more information and to register, click here.
The Collier County Democratic Club (CCDC) will meet
MAY 14, 2024 – 4:30-6:30 PM
End of Season Happy Hour at K-Rico Mexican Grill
475 Bayfront Place, Naples FL 34102
Come celebrate another year of interesting and informative meetings as we close the season with a festive gathering at K-Rico’s for Happy Hour featuring spectacular water views, Mexican fare, and hip cocktails in a casual atmosphere. Check out their happy hour menu to see what is in store. Olé!
👈 Please RSVP using the registration button!
The Democratic Women’s Club of Marco (DWC Marco) will meet
MAY 14, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM
Mackle Park Community Center – 1361 Andalusia Terrace, Marco Island
Featuring SANDY PARKER, author of Sparker’s Soapbox
Sandy will speak about our Collier County elections, as her mission is to encourage informed voting. She will explain that Florida is a ‘closed primary’ state and how the legality of Florida’s ‘write-in loophole’ has shaped Collier County’s political environment, using Byron Donalds’ 2020 election to Congress and the election of Chris Hall and Daniel Kowal to the Collier County Commission as examples. She will also give a heads-up on the more than two dozen state and local offices that will be on the August 2024 ballot. Voting in August is essential! Don’t miss this important informational meeting!
Join Us! Doors open for sign in at 4:45pm, and the meeting will begin promptly at 5:00pm. Please be on time.
👈 Please RSVP using the registration button!
Community members interested in joining the club and promoting our Democratic values while supporting its charitable efforts can go to dwcmarco.org or contact us at info@dwcmarco.org.
The Collier County Democratic Environmental Caucus
The Collier County chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida (CCDECF) is engaged in several activities. One crucial activity is recruiting Democratic candidates, to ensure that no Republican runs unopposed in any state or federal election.
This November, Collier County voters in U.S. Congressional District 19 can vote for Democrat Kari Lerner, and Democrat Joey Atkins in U.S. Congressional District 26. Democrat Charles Work has filed to run in State Representative District 81. Democrat (and CCDECF board member) Arthur Oslund has filed to run in State Representative District 82.
Look for ways to support these four Democrats! Certainly with your vote, but also with your volunteer time and/or your donations, to help them bring their message to voters.
Florida Democratic Party Leadership Blue 2024
MAY 3-5, Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Join the Collier County Democratic Party at Naples Pride Fest
JUNE 8, 2024 – 11 AM – 5 PM – Cambier Park – 755 8th Avenue South
Admission: $10, kids 12-under free. All proceeds benefit Naples Pride activities.
ONGOING MEETINGS – Make your voice heard in local government!
More and more people have been asking us for specific ways they can help out in this extremely important election year. There is so much that needs to be done! All hands on deck!
Do you have a little bit of time ⏲️, or a lot 🕒? Do you want to volunteer from your home 🏠, or out in the community 🏙️? Do you enjoy talking to people 👋, or do you prefer to work in the background 💻? What are you passionate about? What expertise can you share? Can you help with a one-time donation, or a monthly amount? No matter your availability or skills, there’s a way for you to get involved during the next 7 months! Check the icons for each opportunity to get an idea of the time, location, and interaction involved.
Here are just some of the current and upcoming opportunities:
Get your feet wet…
Join one of our online Saturday morning “Welcome to the Collier Dems Party” virtual programs to learn how the Democratic Party works in Collier County and about volunteer opportunities. Upcoming sessions: April 6th, 13th, and 27th at 11:00am. ⏲️🏠
Help us staff the Democratic Party HQ office on Goodlette-Frank Road. The office is currently open on weekdays from 1:00 to 4:00, but with more staff, we could extend those hours to assist the growing number of people who stop by or call. Contact Vickie McCormick, HQ office manager. ⏲️🕒👋🏙️
Attend DEC (Democratic Executive Committee) meetings on the first Wednesday evening of each month, as a guest, or learn how to become a Precinct Leader. There are 67 voting precincts in Collier County, and there are currently one or more Precinct Leaders in 21 of those. We would love to have representation for ALL precincts in the DEC! Precinct Leaders are voting members of the DEC, and they help coordinate Democratic activities within their precinct. Learn more or contact Jane Schlechtweg, Chair. 🕒🏙️👋
Join one of the other local official Democratic organizations to meet other like-minded folks, learn about issues, and have fun! Information about the Collier County Democratic Club, Collier County Chapter of the Democratic Environmental Caucus, and the Democratic Women’s Club of Marco is in the Events section above. 🕒🏙️👋
👉 Amplify our voices by following CollierDems on social media (see the bottom of this newsletter for all of the accounts), forwarding this newsletter to friends and family, and signing up to receive our Legislative Alerts. There are over 53,000 registered Democrats in Collier County, and another 60,000+ voters registered as “No Party Affiliation”, many of whom may be progressives. However, our mailing list for this newsletter and other important announcements has only 18,000 subscribers. Our Legislative Alerts mailing list has only about 400 subscribers learning about and taking action on issues at the local and state level. Please help us spread the word more broadly in this crucial election year! Share these links to subscribe to our general mailing list and our Legislative Alerts. This is an easy one! ⏲️🏠
Join a team…
Do you like to plan parties? Join our new Meet & Greet committee, and help coordinate and assist with neighborhood social/educational get-togethers. Or sign up to host a meet & greet in your neighborhood! The Meet & Greet committee can help with planning and logistics. Contact Judy Freiberg and/or join the April 8 Zoom call to find out how you can help! Learn more. ⏲️🕒👋💻🏙️
Help get out the Democratic vote in Collier County by joining the Voter Registration committee! The VR committee is currently focused on registering new voters, especially in underrepresented areas, and on making sure all Democrats have re-registered for Vote By Mail. There’s work to be done out in the community, but also administrative and planning tasks. Closer to the election, the focus will turn to getting out the vote. Contact Katie McNutt and/or register to attend Voter Registration training at HQ on April 20. ⏲️🕒👋🏠🏙️💻
As we get closer to the elections (both Primary and General), our Voter Protection Team goes into action. Help will be needed to cure mail-in ballots by calling and emailing voters to make sure their vote counts, greeting voters at the polls, and observing activities inside the polling places. Contact Anne Daley to learn more. ⏲️🕒👋🏠🏙️
People need to hear the Democratic message loud and clear! That’s the job of our Communications committee, which meets each Wednesday afternoon via Zoom to plan and produce content, including this newsletter, the Collier Dems website (see especially the new FYI printables available on the Issues pages!), and pieces to submit to local publications. There are also subcommittees dedicated to Social Media and Legislative Action messages. Contact Melodee Hardy to learn more. 🕒🏠💻
Our Community Events committee gives us visibility in the community by marching in local parades and participating in events. Upcoming events include the Naples Pride Festival and the Juneteenth celebration, both in June. Come out to one event, or many. Contact Cindy Marino-Clark to find out how to join this crew! ⏲️🕒👋🏙️
Other opportunities…
– Do you have bookkeeping experience (including with accounting and other software)? We’re looking for someone to assist with our financial functions on an ongoing basis. 🕒🏠💻
– Are you a member of the Haitian community? We’re looking for people to help us create relevant content in Haitian Creole, similar to what we’re doing in the Español section of the newsletter and website. 🕒🏠💻
– Are you a young voter or know someone who is? We want to form a Young Democrats committee to engage more with our youth to hear about issues important to them and how best to communicate that. 🕒🏙️👋
Please contact Chair Jane Schlechtweg about any of the above open opportunities!
We plan to do texting and phone banking at several points during this election cycle, targeting different audiences. An upcoming focus will be reaching voters who have not yet re-registered for Vote By Mail. Texting will be done via your computer using an online texting platform. Phone banking may be done from HQ or from your home, making use of online software. There are also opportunities for both texting and phone banking at the state and national levels. Contact Sandy Ussia if you would be interested in phoning or texting. ⏲️🕒🏠👋
El Partido Demócrata del condado de Collier necesita urgentemente su ayuda para asistirnos en las campañas electorales de 2024. Contamos con varios comités donde se pueden utilizar sus talentos y tiempo. Estos incluyen la participación en comités centrados en comunicaciones y mensajes, campañas, registro de votantes y eventos comunitarios. Se necesitará ayuda para la protección de los votantes (observación de elecciones, saludo en las urnas y más). ⏲️🕒🏠🏙️💻👋
An activity at the state level is the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida’s project to recruit Democratic candidates for every state and federal office in Florida, to prevent Republicans from running unopposed and just walking away with seats without spending money or effort. Currently, it appears that all of the state and federal races within Collier County do now have a Democrat running! But the DECF is looking for volunteers to help with related tasks such as updating spreadsheets with data found online about each of the races, tracking and helping new candidates with the process, and other administrative tasks. Contact DECF Vice-President Judy Freiberg if this sounds interesting to you! ⏲️🕒🏠💻
The drive for a Right to Clean Water constitutional amendment has restarted with a goal of getting this on the ballot in 2026. Contact John Reynolds if you’d like to get involved with this initiative. ⏲️🕒🏙️👋
We also encourage you to check the Mobilize website for our events and others nearby.
And last, but certainly not least… All of this work is being done by volunteers, but it takes money to produce communications, help get Democrats on the ballot and elected, keep the office open, and get out into the community. Please consider either a one-time or a monthly donation to the Collier County Democratic Party to help us pull out all the stops this year! Any amount helps! DONATE HERE
Your Collier County Democratic organizations, led by the Collier County Democratic Party, have been holding fun and successful parties for registered Democrats in neighborhoods all over Collier County. Thank you to our individual hosts and the volunteers helping to bring these parties to you.
Democrats in attendance have been surprised to learn how many of our neighbors share our values, while we all have the opportunity to socialize with one another and learn about local elections, upcoming School Board races in the August primary, and issues that will be on the ballot in November.
If you enjoy putting on parties, learn what you can do to help: Join our Meet and Greet Team!!! · Collier County DEC
If you are considering putting on a party for your Democratic neighbors, learn how we help you host your own meet and greet: Party with Fellow Democrats (Party with the Party) · Collier County DEC. See you at the Party!
Collier County is divided into 66 precincts. The Democratic Party of Collier County is looking for leaders in each precinct who will reach out to Democrats who live in their precincts. (Your precinct number is on your voter registration card or can be found online at colliervotes.gov).
Once you become a Precinct Committee Person you will receive a list of Democrats in your precinct. You will be trained on the most effective way to connect with your fellow Democrats, keeping them informed on important issues, and encouraging them to vote in every election.
In addition, you will become a voting member of the Democratic Party of Collier County and attend our monthly meetings. This will give YOU a greater voice in the Democratic Party!
To qualify, you must file the Partisan Loyalty Oath with Party Affiliation form DS-DE 305. Email info@CollierDems.org or call 239-434-7754 if interested.
2024 Florida Legislative Session Wrap-Up – Indifference at Best, Cruelty at Worst
Collier County Public Schools Under Attack – Record of Academic Excellence Threatened
Collier County School Board Elections May Be Decided in August!
DO NOT ALLOW our A-rated school system to fall into the hands of MAGA ideologues – VOTE!!!
Update: Florida’s 15 Week Abortion Ban, the Six Week Ban, and the Constitutional Amendment
So Much Legislation, So Little Science…Even Less Equality Under the Law
We encourage all voters to register for vote by mail now, even if you intend to vote in person at election time. This gives you an option should something come up. In addition, receiving a ballot in the mail allows you to read through it prior to voting, even if you then go to the polls to vote.
Even if you received a ballot in the mail in the last election, you must re-register for 2024!
The Collier County Democratic Executive Committee (CCDEC) is the official, local county arm of the Florida Democratic Party. The CCDEC has oversight over all Democratic Party activities within Collier County. LEARN MORE
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Your Collier County Democratic Party is an all-volunteer donor-funded organization. Your donations allow us to support Democratic candidates, prepare election materials for distribution to voters, help fund our vote-by-mail and voter registration efforts, and allow us to maintain a local party headquarters for the use of volunteers and candidates.