Our Fourth Week in Tallahassee

Dear Friend,

Late Friday night we got home from another impactful week in Tallahassee. We spent the weekend attending events in House District 47, and are heading back to the State Capitol this afternoon. Here’s your quick update from last week→

Participated in Live Town Hall on Gun Violence and School Safety

Last Monday night we participated in a live town hall hosted by WKMG News 6 that focused on gun violence and school safety. We shared the stage with fellow lawmakers, a criminal defense attorney, Sheriff John Mina, School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, a mental health provider, and a community advocate. You can watch the whole 90 minutes town hall at this link.

Addressing the Connection Between Domestic Violence and Gun Violence

House Democrats came together to roll out an intersectional approach to reducing gun violence. Policies being sponsored include a state ban on all semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, comprehensive universal background checks, a refusal of policies like open carry and campus carry, alongside legislation that does not arm our teachers. I also spoke to a bill that I will be filing soon that focuses on keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

Defended the University of Central Florida

You might have heard the news that a fellow lawmaker said he had a plan to “shutdown” the University of Central Florida (UCF) for five to ten years. As a proud graduate and now PhD student at UCF, I know all too well the impact our hometown university has on our region and state. I stepped in quickly to defend UCF and sure enough later in the day, the lawmaker who made those hyperbolic comments rolled back his plans.

Filed Legislation to Define Tiny Homes in Florida Law

This week we sponsored HB801, an act to define tiny homes in Florida law. From natural disasters, to stagnant wages and a growing separation of wealth, Florida is suffering from an affordable housing crisis. My hope with this bill is for local governments across our state to embrace tiny homes into the affordable housing conversation and implement creative solutions to solve our affordable housing crisis that includes tiny homes. Click here and here to read more.

Met With 25 Organizations & Attended Committee Meetings

It was wonderful to meet with advocates from across our state, including student leaders, bioscience job creators, attorneys, educators, healthcare providers, and state agency heads. When not meeting with visitors I was in Committee Meetings! Remember, you can see our full list of Committee appointments here.

Marking the Tragedy at Parkland

On the one year mark of Parkland, we attended three vigil events in Tallahassee and our team back in House District 47 attended vigils at Pulse, Lake Eola, and UCF. We will always honor those who are no longer with us through action.

Visited the Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville

On the way back from Tallahassee to Orlando we made a stop in Gainesville to visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy, and learn all about Sea Turtle policy in Florida, and what we can do to help. As a vegetarian and lifelong lover of turtles/terrapins/tortoises, I am excited to see what more we can do to reduce take and protect this important species along with their critical nesting places.

While in Gainesville, we also visited a local Physical Therapy clinic to learn more about pain management tactics that do not use opiods.

Joined Florida Public Radio for The Florida Roundup

I was honored to call-in to Florida Public Radio’s The Florida Roundup to share our perspectives on why arming teachers is such a terrible idea. You can listen to our whole interview at this link.

Indie Fest & Orlando Chili Cook Off!

On Saturday Team Anna tabled and collected petitions at IndieFest in Loch Haven Park. We also attended the Orlando Chili Cook Off. I thought I had committed to be a judge for one of the competitions but in reality I signed up to be a contestant for a vegan chili dog eating contest! Needless to say, I didn’t win — but I did chomp down four-and-a-half vegan chili dogs! Anything for House District 47.

Marched in Orlando’s Dragon Parade

Yesterday we marched in Orlando’s annual Dragon Parade to mark the Chinese New Year. As a daughter of immigrants, I am proud to live in a community that embraces and celebrates diversity each and every day.

Talk to you soon, and thank you for your support!

Onward,

Representative Anna V. Eskamani