"Defend Democracy"

Complete the Puzzle with Your Talents

President Cathy Swerdlow's Message

As League members we believe in the power of the vote and the defense of democracy. Knowing our sense of commitment, the next step is to find where you feel most comfortable – finding where you ‘fit in’. Just like a puzzle, each of us has an important role to play in the workings of our League. Puzzles aren’t much fun with missing pieces!

How do you find where you fit in with the League? I have a couple of suggestions -

First, explore our website lwvseminole.org. When you sign in as a member (and if you’re not a member yet, you can sign up easily on the site!) you will see Our Work along the top of the page. You can click here to see Issues, Committees/Teams, and Join a Committee. You can also look under the About tab and view the Leadership of our League. Here you will find a complete list of our Board members and committee chairs. If you want more information about anything in LWV, use our [email protected] address and your question will be answered!

Second, mark your calendars for a virtual League 101 event on September 26th at 7pm. This will be an opportunity to hear from the various committees and learn a little more about LWV Seminole as well as our state (LWVFL) and national (LWVUS) leagues.

Most importantly, come to an event or activity! Come to a Hot Topic or attend a committee meeting. Participate in a voter registration event or petition signature event. You are always welcome!

Cathy

Community Captains

As counties go in Florida, Seminole is rather compact. But that doesn’t mean that it is any easier to get around. I live in the Wekiva neighborhood, and it takes me an hour to get to the Oviedo campus of Seminole State College.

Community Captains is an idea that can help us provide programming and social activities within a smaller geographic area. There are seven cities in Seminole County and although not everyone lives in one of these cities, we can use our mailing addresses as a community point. Again, I live in Wekiva which is unincorporated Seminole County but my address in Longwood…one of the cities in our county.

I am looking for some volunteer captains who would like to help bring this initiative to life. The captains (and it can be co-captains!) would receive a list of all the members in their community. Over the course of the next year, the goal is to plan one event for your community. It could be a meet up at a park, a happy hour, a lunch or dinner out…whatever you decide. You will receive support from the Board to help with organization, logistics, ideas, and publicity.

If you are interested in being one of the Community Captains (Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, Sanford and Winter Springs), please contact me, Cathy Swerdlow, at [email protected]

If your home address is not one of these cities, feel free to pick the one closest to you. And of course, if you see an activity that interests you, go for it! The idea is to meet one another and strengthen our League.

Listening Sessions - League of Women Voters Florida

September 5, 2023

League of Women Voters Florida - Listening Sessions

Legislative Priorities for 2024

September 5, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. 

Click here to register for the rescheduled September 5, 2023 Listening Session now!

During legislative listening sessions, all League members are welcome to discuss our issue areas (not including the predetermined voting issue area that is always a focus for our organization) and make cases for actions within a specific issue utilizing a pro-con format. Our current issue areas (excluding voting rights & election reform) are listed below in alphabetical order:

- Clean Energy
- Education
- Gun Safety
- Health Care
- Home Rule/Preemption
- Juvenile Justice
- National Popular Vote
- Natural Resources
- Poverty & Affordable Housing
- Reproductive Health & Justice

In order to accommodate all of our issue areas, the program will allow for a predetermined amount of speaking time for each speaker with up to three pro speakers and three con speakers, totaling no more than five minutes per issue area. No votes will be taken, or decisions made during the listening event as it is a forum for individual member's voices to be heard. 

Following the listening session, input will be gathered from each League in our state regarding legislative priorities. The League of Women Voters of Florida Board of Directors has predetermined that the issue of “voting & election reform” will remain our number one priority this session. The subsequent three priorities are primarily determined by submissions from local Leagues coupled with input from LWVFL's Board of Directors.

A survey will be sent to the members of LWVSC on September 6^th, to be returned by September 12^th that will enable us to submit our Seminole County priorities for consideration by LWVFL.

League 101 / Membership Zoom Orientation

September 26, 2023

7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

League 101 / Membership Orientation

If you are new to the League or want to learn more about our activities, please join us on Zoom the evening of September 26 from 7 – 8:30 pm for League 101 – Everything you always wanted to know about LWV in Seminole County!

Each of our committees – and we have some new ones – will be on hand to give you an update. This is your opportunity to network, learn and find your niche!

This orientation is for members only. You must be logged into Club Express to RSVP.

Member 101 / Orientation Link

Welcome New Members

June/July 2023

Patricia Cregar

Becky Davis

Patricia Graves

Rebecca Gruse

Christine Lemieux

Lynda Mays (SBA)

Elaine Silver (SBA)

Fran Utchel

Carol Wetmiller

Margaret Windsor

Current Members

Thank you for your renewal!

June/July 2023

 Megan Betche, Floyd Martin (Associate), Pat Burkett (Life Member), Alvin McCain (SBA Household), Mary Ann Coffey, Helen McCain (SBA Household), Tashara Cooper (SBA), Richard Morissette, Household, Anna-Marie Cote, Kathleen Morton, Margaret Donovan, Marjorie Murray (SBA), Bridget Elliott, Lee Patrizzi (SBA), Mary Ann Feldheim (Associate), Judy Pizzo, Lynn Fenster (SBA), Deborah Poulalion, Christine Flood, Abby Sanchez, Sarah Freeman, Calvin Schulz (SBA Household), LaVonne Grayson (SBA), Valerie Schulz (SBA Household), Deborah Green, Jane Seibel, Sarah Green, Jeff Siskind, Bonnie Harrison (SBA), Janice Smith, Margaret Higgins, Sandra Smith, Christine Holland (SBA Household),          Marguerite Terwilleger, Kathie Holland (SBA Household), Kathleen Wallace, Cynthia Huggins, Jeannine Walsh (Life Member), Marilyn Lea, Lynn Warnicke, Patricia Linden, Andrea Welch, Jan Mangos, Diana Wix

September Hot Topic

September 28, 2023

New Location for Hot Topics!

Our Hot Topics have a new home at Chianti’s Event Center at 685 Towne Center Blvd Sanford.

There is ample parking, including spots for disabled parking. There are no steps or stairs. And there is plenty of room for us!

We will be serving a wonderful Italian buffet including a Mediterranean Salad, garlic knots, 4-cheese baked ziti, chicken parmesan, assorted pizza slices, vanilla cake with a strawberry topping and soft drink, coffee, or iced tea.

If you have a specific dietary restriction just let the restaurant know by calling Ian Schneider at 407-484-6510.

We look forward to seeing everyone in September for our program on National Popular Vote. 11:30 am September 28!

Register for September 2023 Hot Topic

Seminole County Health Department Tour

October 12, 2023

11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Upcoming Field Trip

Including a Presentation on Treating Opioid Overdose with Narcan 

A Seminole County Health Department tour (400 W. Airport Blvd. Sanford, FL 32773) is scheduled for October 12, 2023, from  from 11:00 am to 12 :30 pm. The tour will also include a presentation on Narcan's use, how it is distributed in the County and training on its administration. Health Policy Committee members and all League members are encouraged to attend.

Please RSVP as they are requesting a head count.

Leslie Grubl 321-439-6862 cell [email protected]

Seminole Forever Passes Unanimously!

On August 8th, the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the passage of “Seminole Forever”, a program dedicating a portion of the county’s budget to secure and maintain conservation lands, not just in rural areas but in urban areas as well. The ordinance includes a citizen’s Advisory Board to be established to provide guidance, and recharge and water projects will be addressed, among other provisions. This will likely serve as an example and template for other counties in Florida to make similar commitments to conservation lands.

At our most recent Hot Topics luncheon, County Commissioner Lee Constantine addressed our members and guests with a presentation that included information about “Seminole Forever”. The topic was seemingly well-received by those in attendance. This was reflected by the number of League members who showed up at the August 8th Board of County Commissioners meeting to support the initiative. Attendees included Sharon Lynn, Pat Burkett, Val Schulz, Robin Dehlinger, David Bottomley, Lindy and Bill Freeman, Lee Patrizzi, Zelda Ladan, Deborah Green, Chris Laning, Pat Southward and Leslie Grubl. 

Thank you to our County Commissioners for taking this action on behalf of the residents of Seminole County.

Certify to Perform Voter Registration

To volunteer to register voters , you must first be a League Member and be certified by the League of Women Voters of Florida.  New voter registration training and certification has been requied of all members since May 2021.   

If you would like to take the quiz to be able to register voters, email us at  [email protected] 

Juvenile Justice Center Tour and Information Seminar

League members were invited to a seminar about juvenile programs in Seminole County. The seminar was given by the Juvenile Enforcement Division of the Sheriff’s office on August 3, 2023. We learned of many of the programs offered to the youth of Seminole County. Some of the programs are highlighted here.

The major paradigm for the treatment of juveniles consists of four different programs. Many programs exist within one of the four areas. These four areas are Assessment, Detention, Enforcement, and the PAY (prosecution alternatives for youth) program.

Each child is individually assessed when entering the system. The assessment determines which programs are appropriate for that child.

An example of one of the many programs offered is SNAP (Stop Now and Plan). It is a 13-week intervention program for the whole family where communication is learned.

Another program is the Eugene Gregory Youth Academy. This is a school which is housed in the Juvenile Justice Building in Sanford. This school works with students whose behavior took them out of their zoned school. After attending the Academy, children, if appropriate, are sent back to their zoned school.

The Sheriff’s Work Ethic Training Program (SWEAT) is a supervised community service program for those youth on probation. A GPS monitor is used with these juveniles. When a child is absent from school, the detectives may search for the child, or look for a possible abduction.

There are problems within the system. A child who needs to be Baker Acted has no place to go other than the University Behavioral Center near UCF. The other place these youths were sent to in the past was South Seminole Hospital. It is closing its doors on their psychological unit.

There is also a program which deals with drugs, overdoses, and the homeless. This program is the SCORE (Seminole Collaborative Opioid Response Efforts) Program. This program also keeps statistics on the number of overdoses and overdose deaths. Seminole County leads the nation in arresting drug dealers.

The motto for the office is “Everybody is somebody’s child”.  The LWVSC can help its youth. There are many areas in which to volunteer. These include but are not limited to the CLEA (Community Law Enforcement Academy) program, Teen Court, and Dividends.

Lyn Hochman, Chair Juvenile Justice Committee

National Popular Vote

What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact?

No one wants the Loser to win and that is entirely possible with the Electoral College. 

In 2006, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact was introduced. It’s an elegant solution to ensure that the candidate with the most votes in all 50 states wins the US presidency.

Learn how this works without a constitutional amendment.

Register here to learn more and join us September 6 from 1-2 PM

OR

Join LWVSC at our September Hot Topics on September 28th!

LWV Seminole Home Page