April 18, 2018
The New Florida Majority works to increase the voting and political power of marginalized and excluded constituencies toward an inclusive, equitable and just Florida. It trains grassroots citizens to be leaders, mobilizes communities to vote, educates the public and inspires Floridians to take action toward their dreams. Thanks to Voqal’s support, in 2017 the New Florida Majority built the coalition and tools needed to realize real campaign finance reform in southern Florida.
Despite the challenges of 2017, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, the New Florida Majority helped pass two successful ordinances thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Levine-Cava. The first enhances reporting requirements for county and municipal elected officers. The second expands on this positive change by extending the requirements to 501(c)4 tax-exempt organizations.
The New Florida Majority also helped develop the People’s Charter Review Task Force, a coalition that engaged organizations including SEIU, League of Women Voters, Our Walmart, Engage Miami, the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Miami Workers Center, Sustainable Miami and American Society of Public Administration (ASPA). This coalition brought the issue of money in politics and other needed reforms into the public sphere on radio programs and candidate debates with gubernatorial, congressional and municipal candidates.
Most importantly, the New Florida Majority learned an important lesson about efforts at getting money out of politics in southern Florida: it is an issue that resonates with low-income communities of color. Furthermore, it learned that the key to mobilizing those communities is putting the individuals most negatively impacted by the outsized role of money in politics at the forefront of the conversation.
This enhanced understanding of the community coupled with the relationships built has the New Florida Majority well positioned both to engage small donors in the upcoming election and to advocate for increased campaign finance reform in the coming years. We are proud to have supported this important work and look forward to seeing the New Florida Majority’s continued efforts at getting money out of politics.