Making your voice heard in Tallahassee is more crucial than ever

It’s hard enough in normal times for people in South Florida to be heard in faraway Tallahassee, and these are unprecedented times.

COVID-19 makes things so much harder. Travel is risky and the state is blocking access to the Capitol. The Senate is largely off-limits to the public and the House is open with restrictions. The result is a deeply unsettling portrait of a Republican Legislature rushing to jam through its right-wing agenda in a deserted Capitol with few citizens watching and a press corps greatly shrunken in size from years ago. With so little on-the-scene scrutiny, there’s no telling how much damage Tallahassee politicians can do.

To make matters worse, the Senate requires people to testify remotely from a nearby basketball arena, but refuses to use the technology to let the sunshine in and allow remote testimony across the state. Senators stubbornly insist that people drive hundreds of miles to be heard. They’re using a public health emergency as a smokescreen to draw a curtain of secrecy around the Capitol.

That makes it more vital than ever that people connect with elected leaders using the essential tools of communications: the phone and the laptop.

Every conscientious public official values feedback from people back home. “I want to be able to share their stories,” says Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, one of Broward’s new lawmakers. “I want to know the real-world impacts of the laws already in place.”

Send an email (snail mail takes too long). Keep it short. Stick to facts. State your case in personal terms. Include relevant bill numbers in the subject line and make sure you spell the lawmaker’s name right. Details matter.

The priorities of senators and House members are online, and the Florida Channel livestreams legislative proceedings. The website of the ACLU of Florida has useful tips on how to effectively lobby lawmakers.

We can help, too. Below is a list of area legislators and their phone numbers in their districts and in Tallahassee and their state email addresses. Legislators are listed alphabetically by county, with Broward first, followed by those from our primary Palm Beach County circulation areas.

Make your voice heard. You own this government. Act like it. Remind your leaders in Tallahassee that you care, and you’re watching.

Senators

District: 954-424-6674 Capitol: 850-487-5032 book.lauren.web@flsenate.gov

Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point (Democratic Leader) District: 954-467-4227 Capitol: 850-487-5034 farmer.gary.web@flsenate.gov

Shevrin Jones, D-West Park District: 305-493-6002

Capitol: 850-487-5035 jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov

Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton District: 561-443-8170 Capitol: 850-487-5029 polsky.tina.web@flsenate.gov

District: 954-321-2705

Capitol: 850-487-5033 thurston.perry.web@flsenate.gov

Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach

District: 561-292-6014

Capitol: 850-487-5031 berman.lori.web@flsenate.gov

Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach

District: 561-650-6880

Capitol: 850-487-5030 powell.bobby.web@flsenate.gov

District: 954-217-4833 Capitol: 850-717-5104 robin.bartleman@myfloridahouse.gov

District: 305-222-4116

Capitol: 850-717-5105 david.borrero@myfloridahouse. gov

Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs District: 954-845-6005

Capitol: 850-717-5097 dan.daley@myfloridahouse.gov

Bobby DuBose, D-Fort Lauderdale (Democratic Co-Leader) District: 954-467-4206

Capitol: 850-717-5094 bobby.dubose@myfloridahouse. gov

District: 305-364-3064

Capitol: 850-717-5103 tom.fabricio@myfloridahouse. gov

District: 954-924-3708

Capitol: 850-717-5100 joseph.geller@myfloridahouse. gov

District: 954-655-5498 Capitol: 850-717-5098 michael.gottlieb@myfloridahouse.gov

District: 954-956-5600

Capitol: 850-717-5096 christine.hunschofsky@myfloridahouse.gov

Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach (Democratic Co-Leader) District: 954-893-5000

Capitol: 850-717-5099 evan.jenne@myfloridahouse.gov

Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point

District: 954-784-4531

Capitol: 850-717-5093 chip.lamarca@myfloridahouse. gov

Anika Omphroy, D-Lauderdale Lakes

District: 954-747-7933

Capitol: 850-717-5095 anika.omphroy@myfloridahouse. gov

Felicia Robinson, D-Miami Gardens

District: 305-620-3711 Capitol: 850-717-5103 felicia.robinson@myfloridahouse.gov

Patricia Williams, D-Pompano Beach

District: 954-202-3201

Capitol: 850-717-5092 patricia.williams@myfloridahouse.gov

District: 954-965-3700 Capitol: 850-717-5101 marie.woodson@myfloridahouse.gov

Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach District: 561-750-2396

Capitol: 850-717-5089 mike.caruso@myfloridahouse. gov

Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach District: 561-292-6015

Capitol: 850-717-5090 joseph.casello@myfloridahouse. gov

Omari Hardy, D-West Palm Beach

District: 561-840-0177

Capitol: 850-717-5088 omari.hardy@myfloridahouse. gov

Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton District: 561-470-2086

Capitol: 850-717-5081 kelly.skidmore@myfloridahouse. gov

Emily Slosberg, D-Boca Raton District: 561-496-5940

Capitol: 850-717-5091 emily.slosberg@myfloridahouse. gov

Sources: Florida Senate, Florida House of Representatives