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The Florida House’s passage of HB 991 represents yet another dangerous escalation in efforts to restrict access to the ballot in our state. This bill creates new documentary proof of citizenship requirements, not because there is evidence of widespread non-citizen voting, but because Tallahassee politicians would rather chase a manufactured crisis than address the real and pressing issues facing Floridians every day. Non-citizen voting is already illegal under both state and

Here’s What’s Wrong: “…I'm asking you to approve the Save America Act to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections.” - Donald Trump Full speech transcript can be found here Here’s what you should know: It’s already illegal for non-citizens to cast a ballot in federal elections, and states have secure systems in place to prevent noncitizens from voting. Those who violate the law already face severe penalties.  Ele

This week, we saw meaningful movement on legislation that directly impacts our communities. The House passed HJR 203, a proposal that would phase out certain non-school property taxes on homestead property over the next decade, beginning January 2027. The proposal has been sent to the Senate for a vote. If ultimately approved by lawmakers and voters, the proposal could significantly reshape Florida’s property tax structure by cutting public funding in other city service areas

This past Saturday February 21, marked what would have been the 86th birthday of the great Congressman John Lewis, one of the most fearless warriors for voting rights in American history. Born to Alabama sharecroppers in 1940, Lewis was inspired as a boy by the words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He became chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at 23 years old, was a keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Washington, led the 1964 Freedom Summer voter registr

What would the proposal do? Phase Out Non- School Property Taxes on Homesteads  Gradually eliminate non-school property taxes on homesteaded primary residences by increasing the homestead exemption by $100,000 per year over a decade; eventually exempting the full assessed value from county, city, and special district taxes (but not school district taxes).  An amendment adopted on the floor accelerated this phase-out so that the tax would immediately go away once the amendment

As we reflect on Black history and the people whose courage moved this nation closer to its ideals, we also pause to honor a life that helped shape those chapters in real time. Rev. Jesse Jackson was a drum major for justice who changed what millions of people believed was possible. He taught us that dignity had to move beyond feeling and into participation. When he declared “I am somebody,” that wasn’t ego, he was turning affirmation into participation. Demanding we know our

This week marks the mid-point of the annual Legislative Session, which traditionally signals the commencement of the most critical and intensive phase of the legislative calendar, the release of budget proposals from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This year, the two chambers came in with notably different numbers. The Senate proposed $115 billion in spending, while the House came in at just under $113.6 billion, a difference of more than $1 billion. Both pr

House Proposal $113.58 billion (↓$1B from current) Senate Proposal $115 billion (↑$1.4B above House) Gov. DeSantis’  Request $117.4B  Budget Gap $1.4B difference  Governor DeSantis’ $117.4 billion FY 2026–27 budget is $2.2 billion higher than the current year. Education:  $30.6 billion for K–12, including $1.56 billion for teacher/staff pay, raising per-student funding by $279 to $9,406. Public Safety & Workforce:  5% raises for state law enforcement, expanded prison staffi

At 12:01 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 14, 2026, a partial government shutdown began affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Before adjourning for a scheduled one-week recess on Thursday, February 12, Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, leaving DHS operating with essential staff. The House is on 48-hour notice and the Senate on 24-hour notice to return if a deal is reached, but for now, Washington is out of town with the job unfinished. This is the third shut

HB 991, A controversial voter citizenship verification bill cleared its first House committee this week, advancing despite significant public opposition speaking out against it. House Bill 991 bill text includes the following restrictive stipulations;  Require persons to swear or affirm they have reviewed voter registration instructions, and are United States citizens Penalties for providing false information Requires voter registration application to elicit documentation req

Two Florida voters are suing Governor Ron DeSantis to stop him from redrawing the state's congressional voting districts this April. Elizabeth Pines from Miami-Dade and Eugene Pettis from Broward County filed a lawsuit saying the governor doesn't have the legal power to call for new voting maps. They argue that only the Florida Legislature can make this decision, and the governor is overstepping his authority. Normally, states only redraw voting district maps every 10 years a

The fourth week of the 2026 Legislative Regular Session was a busy committee week, where legislators heard different opinions and discussions on a wide range of issues. One of EG's priority bills, SB 1134, Official Actions of Local Governments, an anti-DEI bill that had over 20 public testimonies in opposition, still advanced to the next committee with a favorable vote of 6 yeas and 2 nays. HB 641, which prohibits requiring employees or contractors to use pronouns or attend g

2026 will be the first election cycle in decades without a voter-initiated proposal on the statewide ballot. According to the Department of State, “ all twenty-two active proposed constitutional amendments by initiative petitions failed to meet the requirements of Florida law to be placed on the November ballot.  Ballot initiatives give voters direct power to make changes like raising the state minimum wage and restoring voting rights to returning citizens. When zero out of t

On Thursday, February 5, 2026 Florida legislators in the Government Operations Subcommittee heard House Bill 991 which was designed to revise information DOS is required to include in specified report; requires persons to swear or affirm they have reviewed voter registration instructions, are United States citizen, & understand penalties for providing false information; requires voter registration application to elicit documentation required by United States Election Assistan

The decision by the unelected Attorney General to arbitrarily declare which laws are “valid” and which will no longer be enforced is not his to make. We live in a democracy with a system of checks and balances. The executive branch has no authority to usurp the power of the legislative branch or rewrite the law by unsolicited decree. This action, combined with the Governor’s failure to hold the Attorney General accountable does not just reveal a double standard. It demonstrat

On Wednesday, January 21, 2026 members of the Florida Senate Committee on Education Postsecondary passed Senate Bill 194 Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance by a vote of 4 Yeas and 2 Nays. It will now head to it's next committee stops before it is taken up by a vote by the entire Senate. On this the same day the Florida House Government Operations Subcommittee heard the companion bill HB 125. It passed and it will now head to it's next committee stops before it is taken up by a v

Every year we search through thousands of bills introduced by legislators and provide a list of our top priorities. We will actively track these bills throughout the legislative session. Here are the bill that impact your voting rights and include our position on the bills. SB 0062 Candidate Qualification by Sen. Arrington Candidate Qualification; Specifying that a person seeking to qualify for office as a candidate must be a registered member of a political party, or registe

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Feldman Strategies,  team@feldmanstrategies.com PRESSER: Equal Ground & Leading FL Advocates to Respond to Gov. DeSantis’ State of the State, Outline Legislative Priorities Following DeSantis’ State of the State, key Florida advocates will come together to react while laying out their top priorities on day one of the FL legislative session TALLAHASSEE & LIVESTREAM – On Tuesday, January 13th, Equal Ground – the preeminent Black-led

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 9, 2026 CONTACT Christopher Miller Office of Senator LaVon Bracy Davis Miller.Christopher@FLSenate.gov [850] 487-5015 Jerry Owens Jr. Office of Representative RaShon Young Jerry.Owens@FLHouse.gov [850] 717-5040  Lawmakers and Civil Rights Organizations Announce Revised and Expanded Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act for 2026 As threats to our democracy mount, legislators offer an alternative vision for making Florida’s elec

Today’s announcement by the Governor calling a special session to take up redistricting is reckless and irresponsible, just like the mid-decade redistricting effort itself. Instead of respecting long-standing precedent and the will of Florida voters, the Gov continues to impose on the independence and authority of the Legislature by calling for a special session, even though the regular legislative session begins next week and is scheduled to run until March 13th. Ample time