[NFBF-L] April 20 Florida Statewide Meeting Cancelled; Statewide Updates Inside
Florida Statewide Chapter Secretary
statewide at nfbflorida.org
Wed Apr 16 23:58:11 UTC 2025
If this email cannot be read, refer to the attach word document. I will
also attach the March minutes for your reference.
Hello Statewide Members and Supporters
I hope this message finds you well. Please note that our next Statewide
meeting, scheduled for Sunday, April 20th, is cancelled due to the Easter
holiday. If you have any questions about this email, don’t hesitate to
contact me at statewide at nfbflorida.org. In lieu of the meeting, here are
some important updates and announcements from across the Federation:
In this update:
· Florida Statewide giving challenge reminder
· Affiliate-related Announcements
· Legislative Alerts
· State and national convention information
Florida Statewide giving challenge
We’re launching the Statewide Giving Challenge to raise funds and support
our members! Our goal is $2,000, and we’re just $600 away. Here’s how you
can help:
· Ask friends & family to donate.
· Start a fundraiser or request donations from businesses.
· Make a personal contribution if possible.
Where to donate: Zelle (nfbf.statewide at gmail.com) or PayPal (paypal.me/nfbf)
Incentive: The top fundraiser wins a $100 Amazon gift card!
Challenge Dates: March 30 – September 30
Report your donations here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEAreJ54OYLZv7cDLRxux9Igq5Y2450L41q7CQ-VEk2AGy4g/viewform
Let’s work together to make an impact! Thanks to everyone who has donated
so far.
Affiliate-related Announcements
Open Convention Planning Meetings: Thanks to everyone who attended the
first open convention planning committee. These meeting will occur the
first Sunday of the month. These meetings are a great opportunity to give
id on how convention can be a success. This convention is not just the
affiliate board’s convention; this is all of our convention, and we, the
members and our ideas is what can make it a success for everyone.
Cruise Fundraiser: The affiliate is hosting a cruise fundraiser to help
raise funds for the affiliate. The cruise will start and end in Port
Canaveral:
· The sail date of the cruise will be on October 18th from Port
Canaveral, FL, and return on October 26th to Port Canaveral, FL.
· In order to sail on the cruise, you must make a deposit. Deposits
are due April 25th. The deposit is $120 per person.
· Ports of Call:
o Port Canaveral, FL (Sailing Port)
o Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
o St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
o Tortola, British Virgin Islands
o Stirrup Cay, Bahamas
o return at Port Canaveral, FL
· Rooms:
o All cabins are double occupancy; that means you can pay for half the
cabin or pay for the full cabin. If you pay for half, you will most likely
be paired with someone. If you know someone, you should contact them.
o Balcony Cabins: $1483 Single; $2967 entire cabin.
o Interior Cabin: $1202 single; $2404 entire cabin.
· Refer to March’s minutes for more info.
Florida Affiliate Scholarship: The Florida Affiliate Scholarship has been
released and is now accepting applications.
· Recipients will receive their scholarships at the state convention
scheduled for the weekend of October 3rd to October 5th at Hilton Altamonte
Springs.
· Travel to and from convention, hotel room,, and a daily stipend
will be covered by the affiliate for the scholarship recipients.
· Qualified high school seniors and college students must complete
the scholarship application form in MS word format, write a 500-word essay,
provide two letters of recommendation, and submit academic transcripts.
· All documentation must be returned to the scholarship committee
chair, Kaye Baker at scholarships at nfbflorida.org.
· Four scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $1500; two blind
and two deaf blind scholarships.
· Deadline: September 1st at 11:59 PM
· For more information and to ask questions, contact the scholarship
chair, Kaye Baker, at scholarships at nfbflorida.org or by telephone at (904)
832-2884.
· The application can be found at
https://nfbflorida.org/2025-student-scholarship
· If you know a student that is a Florida high school senior, or is
attending college in Florida, please share this scholarship with them.
Florida State Convention Theme Contest: It’s time once again to put on your
thinking cap and come up with a theme for our 2025 NFB Florida State
Convention! The contest will be open until Easter Sunday at midnight.
Please send your entries to: peggy.lynn.fleischer at gmail.com You could be
the winner of a $25 Amazon gift card!
Legislative Alerts
· Reminder: Contact the Attorney General and Florida Governor
regarding Section 504 Lawsuit
o The lawsuit is still ongoing, and a hearing will occur very soon.
o For more information, refer to previous emails from the affiliate or
refer to the March minutes.
· Reminder: Senate Bill 1050 and house bill 1103: Consolidating Blind
Agencies into one Agency for People with Disabilities
o This bill is still active on both houses until the end of the session
in May.
o This bill will consolidate all disability services into the Agency for
Persons with Disabilities (APD).
o The National Federation of the Blind is firmly apposed to any
consolidation of blind services into one general disability services agency.
o For more information, refer to the March minutes and previously sent
emails by the affiliate board.
SB 676: Minimum Wage Requirements
· A new bill, SB 676, has been introduced in the Florida Senate.
· The bill would allow employees to “volunteer” to be paid less than
Florida’s current minimum wage.
· This would undermine the minimum wage increases approved by Florida
voters in 2020.
· Current and Future Wage Increases:
o Current minimum wage in Florida: $13/hour.
o Scheduled increase to $14/hour on October 1, 2025.
o Scheduled increase to $15/hour on October 1, 2026, followed by regular
adjustments per Florida Statute.
· SB 676 would reclassify certain jobs (e.g., internships) to exempt
them from minimum wage laws.
· The bill may violate the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which
sets federal worker protections.
· Contact your Florida senator to demonstrate our opposition to this
bill.
· For a template and more info, refer to previous emails sent by the
affiliate board.
Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529)
· The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the FY25 Concurrent
Budget Resolution.
· This sets the stage for a comprehensive tax bill as part of the
reconciliation process.
· The Access Technology Affordability Act (H.R. 1529) can be included
in the comprehensive tax bill.
· This is a prime opportunity to get the bill enacted into law.
· There are currently 18 current cosponsors: 10 Democrats, 8
Republicans.
· More bipartisan cosponsors, especially Republicans, are needed due
to GOP majorities in both chambers.
· A recent Mathematica report estimates the ATAA would save the
federal government $315 million over 5 years.
· Savings would come from increased employment among blind Americans
and reduced reliance on government benefits.
· Urgent action is required as Congress could finalize the tax bill
very soon.
· We must contact our Representatives and ask them to cosponsor H.R.
1529.
· For more information, including a template, can be found in a
previously sent email from our national office.
Convention Reminders
· State Convention
o Dates: October 3rd – October 5th
o Location: Hilton Altamonte Springs, 350 Northlake Blvd, Altamonte
Springs, FL 32701
o Information regarding room reservations, virtual options,
transportation options, convention activities, and more will be released as
we get closer to the convention Date. Stay tuned for more details.
· National Convention
o Registration is $25 and banquet is $80.
o Dates: July 8th to July 13th
o Hotel info:
§ Main hotel: New Orleans Marriott - 555 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
§ Overflow Hotel/ Exhibit Hall Hotel: Sheraton New Orleans - 500 Canal St,
New Orleans, LA 70130
o Prices: $119 for doubles and $129 for triples and quads. Expect
combined sells tax and tourism support rate of 18.2%, and $3 nightly
occupancy fee.
o Total nightly cost: Based on rough math, the cost per night for doubles
should be $141.28 and triples and quads should be $152.90. These are just
rough estimates.
o An initial deposit of the first night’s cost is required upon booking.
o If a reservation is cancelled before Sunday, June 1, 2025, half of the
deposit will be returned. Otherwise, refunds will not be made.
o Reserve your room by calling 888-238-2427 for the Marriott or
888-827-7033 for the Sheraton New Orleans. Ask for the “National Federation
of the Blind 2025 Convention” block.
o Visit nfb.org/convention for more info.
Best,
Jose
Jose Bohorquez, Secretary
Florida Statewide Chapter - National Federation of the Blind of Florida
"We know that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or our
future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low
expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. Our
collective power, determination, and diversity achieve the aspirations of
all blind people."
-- NFB Belief Statement
Click here to become a member of the Statewide Chapter.
<https://forms.gle/qokDRMGtvpR3GTfC7>
Click here to email the secretary. <statewide at nfbflorida.org>
If you wish to keep up with all things Statewide, please subscribe to one
of the mailing lists below. Subscribing to both ensures you will receive
all statewide-related communication. The NFB of Florida internet mailing
list does not require moderator approval, but the Florida Statewide mailing
list requires approval so patience is key. Always check your spam folder
for emails.
Click here to subscribe to the NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List.
<https://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org>
Click here to subscribe to the Florida Statewide Chapter Mailing List
(closed list; will require moderator approval).
<https://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-statewide_nfbnet.org>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250416/54958426/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Florida Statewide April Meeting Key Points.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 22520 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250416/54958426/attachment.docx>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Florida statewide Chapter Monthly Business Meeting Minutes 03-16-2025.docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 24910 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/attachments/20250416/54958426/attachment-0001.docx>
More information about the NFBF-L
mailing list