Join the Capital Equality Democratic Caucus as we celebrate the holiday season and the end of an active election year with cold drinks and delicious bites at one of our favorite local watering holes, Waterworks, 1133 Thomasviile Road, Tallahassee! The event begins at 6:30pm. Local Democratic leaders have been invited to celebrate with us!
FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS LAUDS GILLUM-KING TICKET
GAINESVILLE — The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to the Florida Democratic Party, applauds our gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum’s selection of Chris King as his running mate. Caucus President Terry Fleming issued the following statement: “Chris King is an outstanding running mate for Andrew Gillum, and shows his […]
2018 Summer Conference and Leadership Dinner
The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Democrats in Florida, presents its 2018 Summer Conference, July 27 through 29, at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport Hotel. Caucus conferences bring together a wide range of politically active Democrats to hear from state, local and national elected officials and candidates, party officials, allied […]
LGBTA Democratic Caucus Announces Legislative Report Card
Today, the Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus unveiled our priorities for the 2018 Legislative Session, and announced we would provide letter grades to lawmakers. It’s the first time the Caucus is tracking legislative activity and rating lawmakers on their support of bills in the legislative process. Too many elected officials in the Legislature spend time advancing […]
RELEASE: LGBTA Caucus on Florida Sponsors of LGBT Elder Americans Act
The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Floridians, today commended Florida Members of Congress for cosponsoring HR 4222, The Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017. Rep. Darren Soto (FL-9) today signed on as a cosponsor, joining Florida Reps. Charlie Crist (FL-13), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Lois Frankel (FL-21) and […]
The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus Responds to President Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops
The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus issued the following statement from President Terry Fleming on President Trump’s just-announced ban on transgender troops: “Once again, President Trump has displayed callous disregard for the lives of LGBTQ service members. As a Navy veteran, I am appalled at this action. The President received a medical deferment to avoid service […]
Capital Equality Holiday Social
December 12th, 2018 
Capital Equality Democratic Caucus 
Comments Off on Capital Equality Holiday Social LGBTQ Supportive Candidate Endorsements
October 16th, 2018 Capital Equality Democratic Caucus Comments Off on LGBTQ Supportive Candidate Endorsements The next meeting of the Capital Equality Democratic Caucus will be held on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at 6:30pm. At this very special meeting, members will be approving our slate of endorsed candidates in Leon County and Tallahassee Democratic races! Candidates seeking endorsement by the Caucus have been invited to attend.
Responses from candidates to our endorsement questionnaire have been posted to our website. Please take a moment to review these responses before Wednesday’s membership meeting.
Click here to view candidate responses.
The membership meeting will be held at Krewe de Gras, 1304 North Monroe Street, Tallahassee, and is open to all Democrats.
Grab a friend and join us for an informative and entertaining session! We hope to see you there!
Its Time To Vote!
October 12th, 2018 Hillsborough County LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on Its Time To Vote! Here are our 2018 Palm Cards with the candidates we support and our stances on the Constitutional Amendments. Select the Amendments card to ready why we take the stance shown on them! You can sign up to Vote By Mail until October 31. Once you have filled out your ballot, signed and dated your envelope, and sent it in, you can track it here. Early Voting starts October 22 and goes until Nov 4 at these sites. You can also vote at your Polling Place on Election Day, November 6!
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Here’s Our Full Endorsement List
October 5th, 2018 Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! Here’s Our Full Endorsement List THE FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS WANTS YOU TO #BRINGITHOME!
GAINESVILLE – The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to the Florida Democratic Party, is releasing its final list of endorsements for the 2018 general election. Our endorsed candidates are committed to supporting and fighting for equality for Florida’s LGBT residents. The Caucus has also taken positions on the Constitutional Amendments on the ballot.
“The momentum is on our side, the Blue Wave is real, and we’re ready to Bring It Home for the LGBT community and all Floridians,” said Terry Fleming, president of the Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus. “After two years of Donald Trump, eight years of Rick Scott, and 20 years of Republican rule in Tallahassee, voters want change that works for them, and not just the top one percent. Our endorsed candidates will do just that.”
Caucus members voted to support endorsed candidates and amendments during a series of membership meetings throughout the primary and general election process.
As a reminder, vote by mail ballots are already arriving, and the last day to register to vote is Tuesday, October 9.
Following are our endorsed candidates for statewide and federal offices, the Florida Legislature, and constitutional amendments.
Federal
US Senator Bill Nelson
CD-1: Dr. Jennifer Zimmerman
CD-3: Yvonne Hayes Hinson
CD-4: George “Ges” Selmont
CD-5: Rep. Al Lawson
CD-6: Nancy Soderberg
CD-7: Rep. Stephanie Murphy
CD-8: Sanjay Patel
CD-9: Rep. Darren Soto
CD-10: Rep. Val Demmings
CD-11: Dana Cottrell
CD-12: Chris Hunter
CD-13: Rep. Charlie Crist
CD-14: Rep. Kathy Castor
CD-15: Kristen Carlson
CD-16: David Shapiro
CD-18: Lauren Baer
CD-19: David Holden
CD-20: Rep. Alcee Hastings
CD-21: Rep. Lois Frankel
CD-22: Rep. Ted Deutch
CD-23: Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
CD-26: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
CD-27: Donna Shalala
State
Governor & Cabinet
Governor: Andrew Gillum
Attorney General: Sean Shaw
CFO: State Senator Jeremy Ring
Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Nikki Fried
State Legislature
Senate District 8: Kayser Enneking
Senate District 16: Amanda Murphy
Senate District 18: Janet Cruz
Senate District 20: Kathy Lewis
Senate District 22: Bob Doyel
Senate District 26: Catherine Price
Senate District 34: Gary Farmer House District 4: Rebecca Koelzer
House District 21: Jason Haesler
House District 28: Lee Mangold
House District 37: Tammy Garcia
House District 42: Barbara Cady
House District 47: Anna Eskamani
House District 49: Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith
House District 55: Audrey Asiuto
House District 59: Adam Hattersley
House District 60: Debra Bellanti
House District 61: Dianne “Ms Dee” Hart
House District 63: Fentrice Driskell
House District 66: Alex Heeren
House District 69: Jennifer Webb
House District 71: Tracy Pratt
House District 72: Margaret Good
House District 76: David Bogner
House District 78: Parisima Taeb
House District 89: James Bonfiglio
House District 93: Emma Collum
House District 97: Jared Moscowitz
House District 98: Michael Gottleib
House District 103: Cindy Polo
House District 105: Javier Estevez
House District 106: Sara McFadden
House District 115: Dr Jeffrey Solomon
House District 118: Robert Asencio
The Caucus SUPPORTS:
Amendment 3: Requires voter approval of casino gambling
Amendment 4: Restores voting right for felons who have served their time
Amendment 9: Bans offshore oil and gas drilling and vaping in enclosed indoor workplaces
Amendment 13: Prohibits betting on dog races
The Caucus OPPOSES:
Amendment 1: Grants an additional $25,000 homestead exemption for homes worth $125,000 or more
Amendment 2: Makes permanent what currently is a temporary cap of 10 percent on annual property value increases for vacation homes, apartments and commercial property, effectively limiting increases on tax bills. (2nd homes and commercial) property assessment increases permanent
Amendment 5: Requires 2/3 vote of legislature to impose or increase tax or fee instead of a simple majority
Amendment 6: Adds a Marsy’s Law (victims’ rights) to state constitution, increases judicial retirement age; prohibits judges from deferring to administrative agencies to interpret law
Amendment 7: Requires death benefits for first responders and military members, a supermajority vote for college fees, and adds state college system structure to constitution
Amendment 11: Repeals some obsolete language; repeals a provision saying that changes to a criminal statute are not retroactive
The Caucus took NO POSITION on:
Amendment 10: Prohibits counties from abolishing certain local offices, changes start date of legislative sessions, and adds an executive office and executive department to constitution
Amendment 12: Prohibits public officials from lobbying for compensation while in office and 6 years thereafter.
STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE APRIL FREEMAN
September 24th, 2018 Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE APRIL FREEMAN GAINESVILLE — April Freeman, candidate for Congress in District 17, died suddenly, her family announced today. She was officially endorsed by the Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus. President Terry Fleming issued the following statement:
“The sudden passing of April Freeman has saddened all of us. Her energy and focus has been on making life in Southwest Florida better for all, and her commitment to equality never wavered. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues and supporters at this difficult time.”
September Membership Meeting with Dot Inman-Johnson
September 7th, 2018 Capital Equality Democratic Caucus Comments Off on September Membership Meeting with Dot Inman-Johnson The next meeting of the Capital Equality Democratic Caucus will be held on Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at 6:30pm. Our special guest is Former Mayor of Tallahassee Dot Inman-Johnson. She will be discussing the Progressive Leadership Council of North Florida, a coalition of local organizations working together to make our community stronger.
We will also be reviewing our endorsement policy and gearing up for the November election.
The membership meeting will be held at Milano Pizzeria, 514 W. Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, and is open to all Democrats.
Grab a friend and join us for an informative and entertaining session! We hope to see you there!
FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS LAUDS GILLUM-KING TICKET
September 6th, 2018 Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS LAUDS GILLUM-KING TICKET GAINESVILLE — The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to the Florida Democratic Party, applauds our gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum’s selection of Chris King as his running mate.
Caucus President Terry Fleming issued the following statement:
“Chris King is an outstanding running mate for Andrew Gillum, and shows his commitment to taking back Florida from the extremism of the Republicans and Ron DeSantis. Like all Democrats across the state, LGBTA Caucus members are ready to help Andrew Gillum bring it home in November to ensure equality, strengthen our civil rights, and return respect and common sense to Florida government.
“Chris King introduced himself to the Caucus at our 2017 Summer Conference with a powerful story about the discrimination his gay brother faced. Both Andrew Gillum and Chris King have deep personal experiences with the LGBT community, and they’ve shown their commitment to our issues throughout the campaign. We look forward to working with them to strengthen the LGBT community when they’re sworn in next January.”
# # #
2018 Endorsed Candidates
August 14th, 2018 Hillsborough County LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on 2018 Endorsed Candidates The Hillsborough County LGBTA Democratic Caucus is proud to endorse the following candidates in the primary and general election this year. These candidates, many of who are members of the Caucus, have shown a commitment to fight for full equality for LGBT residents of Hillsborough County as well as the State of Florida. We look forward to electing these candidates in the upcoming elections!
Primary Election: August 28th
Governor: No recommendation Attorney General: Sean Shaw* Commissioner of Agriculture: No recommendation Congress District 12: Chris Hunter Congress District 15: Andrew Learned* Congress District 16: David Shapiro State House 61: Dianne Hart* or Karen Skyers* State House 62: Mike Alvarez* County Commission District 5: Mariella Smith* County Commission District 7: Mark Nash* or Kimberly Overman* School Board District 1: Bill Person* School Board District 4: LaShonda Davison School Board District 6: No recommendation
General Election: November 6th U.S. Senate: Bill Nelson Chief Financial Officer: Jeremy Ring State Senate 18: Janet Cruz State House 57: Debbie Katt* State House 58: Phil Hornback* State House 59: Adam Hattersley* State House 60: Debra Bellanti* State House 63: Fentrice Driskell* County Commission District 2: Angela Birdsong County Commission District 4: Andrew Davis*
Remember to vote in the primary on or before August 28th.
It’s time to set the Blue Wave in motion!
* indicates HCLGBTA Democratic Caucus member
City Commission and Mayoral Candidates LGBTQ+ Meet and Greet
August 3rd, 2018 Capital Equality Democratic Caucus Comments Off on City Commission and Mayoral Candidates LGBTQ+ Meet and Greet Capital Equality is proud to present a very special Tallahassee City Commission and Mayoral Candidate Meet and Greet event on Friday, August 10, 2018! We are inviting these important Democratic candidates into our local “safe space” to learn more about the needs of our community. Join us at 926 Bar & Grill, 926 W. Tharpe Street, Tallahassee, for a meet and greet beginning at 6:30pm followed by our usual monthly business meeting.
The mission of the Capital Equality Democratic Caucus is to foster good will between lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally members of the Democratic Party and the community at large. We seek individual freedom in the framework of a just society and political freedom in the framework of meaningful participation by all citizens.
Grab a friend and join us for casual conversation and an opportunity to learn more about these candidates.
FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS ANNOUNCES PRIMARY ENDORSEMENTS
August 2nd, 2018 Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus Comments Off on FLORIDA LGBTA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS ANNOUNCES PRIMARY ENDORSEMENTS Support for Statewide Candidates, Federal and State Legislative Candidates
Membership Threshold Not Met on Gubernatorial Race
GAINESVILLE — The Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus, representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to the Florida Democratic Party, announces its full list of endorsements for the August 28th primary election. Caucus membership voted on these endorsements at our Summer Conference in West Palm Beach on Saturday, July 28, and includes candidates and Constitutional amendments. The announcement was held to notify candidates.
In the state’s most watched election — for governor — no candidate received the required two-thirds vote of eligible voting members participating to receive the endorsement. Utilizing a successive voting process whereby the candidate with the least amount of votes was eliminated each round, the final two candidates were Andrew Gillum and Gwen Graham. Neither secured the two-thirds threshold to win endorsement.
Following is the full list of endorsed candidates this cycle:
Endorsed July 28, 2018:
Federal
CD-6: Nancy Soderberg
CD-7: Rep. Stephanie Murphy
CD-10: Rep. Val Demings
CD-12: Chris Hunter
CD-16: David Shapiro
CD-19: David Holden
CD-20: Rep. Alcee Hastings
Gubernatorial & Cabinet
Governor: No Endorsement
Attorney General: Sean Shaw
CFO: State Senator Jeremy Ring
Commissioner of Agriculture: No Endorsement
Legislative
House District 55: Audrey Asciutto
House District 89: James Bonfiglio
House District 115: Dr Jeffrey Solomon
House District 106: Sara McFadden
Previously endorsed and already announced:
Federal
US Senator Bill Nelson
CD-3: Yvonne Hayes Hinson
CD-5: Rep. Al Lawson
CD-8: Sanjay Patel
CD-9: Rep. Darren Soto
CD-13: Rep. Charlie Crist
CD-15: Andrew Learned
CD-17: April Freeman
CD-18: Lauren Baer
CD-22: Rep. Ted Deutch
CD-23: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
CD-27: State Representative David Richardson
State
House District 28: Lee Mangold
House District 37: Tammy Garcia
House District 49: Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith
In addition, the state Caucus endorsed candidates recommended by local chapters. These include:
Stonewall Democrats of Alachua County
Senate District 8: Kayser Enneking
House District 21: Amol Jethwani
School Board: Rob Hyatt
School Board: Tina Certain
Dolphin Democrats (Broward County)
Senate District 34: Gary Farmer
House District 92: Paulette Armstead
House District 93: Emma Collum
House District 96: Saima Farooqui
House District 97: Jared Moscowitz
House District 98: Andrew Dolberg
House District 105: Javier Estevez
Hillsborough County LGBTA Democratic Caucus
House District 59: Adam Hattersley
House District 60: Debra Bellanti
House District 63: Fentrice Driskell
Commissioner District 4: Andrew Davis Hillsborough
Lee County LGBTQA Democratic Caucus
House District 76: David Bogner
House District 78: Parisima Taeb
School District Seat 4: Debbie Jordan
Fort Myers City Council Seat 4: Christopher Pierce
Pasco LGBTA Democratic Caucus
County Commission District 2: Kelly Smith
County Commission District 4: Brandi Geoit
Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County
Senate District 16: Amanda Murphy
House District 66: Alex Heeren
House District 69: Jennifer Webb
County Commission District 6: Amy Kedron
School Board District 6: Matt Stewart
Rainbow Ridge LGBTA Democratic Caucus of Polk County
Senate District 22: Bob Doyel
Senate District 26: Catherine Price
House District 42: Barbara Cady
County Commission District 4: Karen Cooper Welzel
School Board District 3: Sarah Fortney
Constitutional amendment positions approved by membership on July 28, 2018 are listed below. The Caucus had voted earlier to support Amendment 4, the Voter Restoration for Felons Initiative.
The Caucus SUPPORTS:
Amendment 3: Requires voter approval of casino gambling
Amendment 9: Bans offshore oil and gas drilling and vaping in enclosed indoor workplaces
Amendment 13: Prohibits betting on dog races
The Caucus OPPOSES:
Amendment 1: Grants an additional $25,000 homestead exemption for homes worth $125,000 or more.
Amendment 2: Makes permanent what currently is a temporary cap of 10 percent on annual property value increases for vacation homes, apartments and commercial property, effectively limiting increases on tax bills. (2nd homes and commercial) property assessment increases permanent
Amendment 5: Requires 2/3 vote of legislature to impose or increase tax or fee instead of a simple majority.
Amendment 6: Adds a Marsy’s Law (victims’ rights) to state constitution, increases judicial retirement age; prohibits judges from deferring to administrative agencies to interpret law
Amendment 7: Requires death benefits for first responders and military members, a supermajority vote for college fees, and adds state college system structure to constitution
Amendment 8: Establishes school board term limits; allows state to operate non-board established schools; requires civic literacy
Amendment 11: Repeals some obsolete language; repeals a provision saying that changes to a criminal statute are not retroactive
The Caucus took NO POSITION on:
Amendment 10: Prohibits counties from abolishing certain local offices, changes start date of legislative sessions, and adds an executive office and executive department to constitution
Amendment 12: Prohibits public officials from lobbying for compensation while in office and 6 years thereafter.
# # #
