🤡Show - Action Alert, March 16, 2026

beachesactivistmov
2 days ago
5 min read

2026 FL Legislature: Another Clown Show

For the second consecutive year, the GOP-controlled FL Legislature ended its regular session last week without passing a state budget --- its sole required task for the 60-day

assembly. Members will return to Tallahassee for two, maybe three, additional special sessions next month --- at a cost of $50,000+ a day --- to figure out the budget, further gerrymander the state's Congressional districts, and, if the Governor has his way, kneecap local governments by cutting property taxes. Apparently, infighting among legislative leaders prevented action on the budget but did not stand in the way of the passage of other really bad bills that create barriers to voting, protesting, union organizing, and diversity efforts by local governments. Oh yeah, lawmakers also found time to rename the Palm Beach airport the Donald J. Trump International Airport, and designate a South Florida roadway Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue.

There was some good news. Advocates succeeded in stopping further restrictions on reproductive healthcare, including limiting access to abortion pills and establishing fetal personhood. Lawmakers also failed to pass bills imposing work requirements for Medicaid recipients and creating a counterintelligence unit with authority to spy on Floridians. They blocked cuts to programs that help people afford AIDS and HIV medication, and mandated reporting requirements on the "emergency" slush fund used by DeSantis to build an immigrant detention center in the Everglades.

As long as the GOP retains its supermajority, we can look forward to more clown show sessions like this. Beaches lawmakers, Sen. Clay Yarborough (R) and Rep. Kiyan Michael (R), face re-election in November. Hold them accountable (click on name for an email you can adapt), and let's find strong candidates to run against them. Qualifying closes June 12th!

Keep Up the Pressure: Stop the War

In what the Contrarian describes as a "colossal foreign policy blunder," Trump's two-week war on Iran has produced no regime change, sparked conflicts across the region, killed 13 U.S. service members and hundreds of civilians, including school children, and threatened the economic stability of the world and the pocketbooks of everyday Americans with soaring gas prices. Despite the bravado of Trump and his fawning cabinet members, there is still no end in sight. Twenty-five hundred Marines are headed to the Middle East, and U.S. allies are being pressured by the administration to join in this ill-conceived conflict.

Keep up the pressure! Demand Congress take action to stop the illegal war by conducting immediate oversight, continuing to force votes on War Powers Resolutions, opposing any supplemental packages that would fund the war, holding the Trump administration accountable, and putting an immediate stop to this war.

Keep calling Rep. John Rutherford, Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, and demand they take action now to stop the war. Use this script from 5 calls.
Follow up with this email. Republicans need to understand that we will not accept their rubber-stamping of endless wars.
Contact Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and urge them not to compromise on funding for the war. A vote for supplemental funding negates the DEMs' votes for the War Powers Act. Period.
Join us next Saturday at 10 am at the Beaches Library as we protest against the war, and everything else Trump and his MAGA adherents are doing to destroy this country. The frog joined us last weekend!

Town Hall for Neighborhood Bill of Rights March 23rd

Everyone deserves a voice regarding what is developed in our neighborhoods. While Jacksonville’s existing Neighborhood Bill of Rights (NBR) is intended to manage unwanted construction, the current ordinance lacks the necessary enforcement to be effective, and too many unwanted developments are being built, particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Interrupt Redlining Coalition has been working to strengthen the NBR, and they are hosting a Town Hall to discuss these improvements on Monday, March 23. Learn more about how we can give residents a stronger voice in neighborhood development by attending the Town Hall on Monday, March 23, 6-8 p.m. at the IBEW Hall, 966 N. Liberty Street. RSVP here.

Quick Takes

Thumbs Down on Mullin. As the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues, the Senate will consider the nomination of Markwayne Mullin to head the controversial agency following the firing of Kristi Noem. Mullin's sole qualification appears to be his fealty to Trump --- the Oklahoma senator is a 2020 election denier who has demonstrated questionable judgment and behavior. The agency holds enormous power over immigration enforcement, surveillance, and domestic security. We can do better. Sign this petition telling the Senate to vote NO on confirming Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Resist and Unsubscribe. Hit major tech companies enabling ICE and the cruel mass deportation actions of the administration where it hurts -- their bottom line. Unsubscribe from services and delete apps from Amazon, Google, Apple, and Meta, as well as other firms identified as "active enablers of ICE." Resist & Unsubscribe shows you how and the economic impact of your actions. These services and companies are insidious --- make a conscious decision about where you want your money to go and find alternatives where you can!
Orlando Leaders Oppose ICE Warehouse. The Orange County Commission last week voted unanimously on a resolution opposing the conversion of a warehouse into an ICE detention facility in east Orlando, following advocacy efforts by a coalition of more than 60 immigration rights groups! Thanks to everyone who reached out to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings last week. BAM has joined the nationwide No Concentration Camp Coalition to oppose the massive expansion of ICE detention facilities. Find out more about this effort and how to take action in this Movement Call: Warehousing Immigrants on Wednesday, March 18th, 7 - 8 p.m.

No Kings 3 is Just Two Weeks Away!

The largest mass action in Jacksonville history is less than two weeks away! Jacksonville No Kings 3 will feature a march beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th from Friendship Fountain across the Main Street bridge to a rally at the Duval County House. There will also be a protest at the Beaches Library at 10 a.m. followed by a carpool to downtown activities. These events are among the 3000+ being held nation- and world-wide. Check Mobilize for additional actions in NEF.