Worried about national and state events? Concerned about the chaos of executive actions and a silent legislature? Want to do something but can’t figure out how?
The League of Women Voters of Alachua County is preparing a series of action plans. They are intended to encourage you to respond to the daily breach of the rule of law and the separation of powers. That separation has nourished and guarded this nation since its inception. We are calling this the What You Can Do (WYCD) campaign.
These WYCD Action Items will appear regularly. They will be designed to provide concrete actions to give you a mechanism for doing something. Daily assaults on personal freedoms and institutions meant to serve American citizens can be
overwhelming. Ignoring the worst and retreating inward can seem like the only response. Fear is
understandable. But fear contributes to the dismantling. Action, because it is the right thing to do, helps us sleep at night. Action, regardless of outcome, makes a pillow softer.
The League suggests that you post each message in your kitchen. Grab your morning beverage, grab your phone, and take action.
To receive the What You Can Do actions directly, please email info [at] lwv-alachua.org (subject: What%20You%20Can%20Do) with "What You Can Do" in the subject line. Request to be added to the email list. Messages come out about once a week.
CURRENT ACTION TOPICS: 1) Send support to Gainesville City officials during 'audit', 2) Email state legislators about detention camps, 3) Call national legislators to demand the release of the Epstein files, 4) Call national legislators to restore funding to public broadcasting
Action Items:
LOCAL (Gainesville residents specifically, but all are welcome to participate.)
1) The state has ordered another audit of Gainesville. In 2023, the legislature ordered an audit of Gainesville that covered 2019 – 2023. The city complied with recommendations by significantly reducing expenses and the general funds transfer from GRU. The hope was that by complying we would allay concerns about city finances and discourage the takeover of GRU by the state. The hope was not realized. The legislature and governor still passed the HB 1605 that put a governor-appointed board over GRU. Now the Florida DOGE staff will be auditing the city, rather than the professional auditors who visited the books previously. They are scheduled for July 31 – Aug 1, time to be determined.
Action: Our city staff work hard to make Gainesville the place that we enjoy calling home. They, especially those in the budget office, have taken hit after hit with changes in processes from the GRU Authority, the prior audit, loss of staff and uncertainty. Let’s send them some support. Suggestion: email the mayor and city commissioners a message of support. Here’s what I wrote. You are welcome to copy and paste or adjust to your own style and message. Use the address CityComm [at] cityofgainesville.org
Dear Mayor and Commissioners
I am writing to express my support of our city. Gainesville is a special place. We are home to a diverse array of people with incredible talent, creativity and love of nature. We are a welcoming city as experienced by so many people who come here for events and comment on our culture of friendliness. Our parks and recreation sites are enjoyed by many and are under frequent improvements. We have an urban tree canopy of some 50% coverage that keeps us cooler, keeps our air clean and makes being outside refreshing. We have numerous live theater venues, run by talented volunteers, who put on high quality, entertaining performances. We have a wide array of farmer’s markets for nutritious food that traveled about ten miles, not thousands of miles, to find its way to our kitchens. Despite state pre-emptions, we are making progress on affordable housing. All this is possible because of the work of the leadership of Gainesville and city staff. We are not perfect, but we are well-intentioned and we are strong.
It is unfortunate and a little hard to understand why the state keeps meddling in our affairs. For over ten years they worked, against the will of voters, to take our municipal utility out of our hands and into the hands of the governor. In 2023, the legislature ordered and auditors completed a detailed financial audit and made recommendations, which we followed. Now, the Florida DOGE team will descend on us again. One goal is to eliminate duplicity in spending. The state performing two audits in two years sounds like duplicity in spending to me.
I want you to know that I support you and our city staff. I appreciate the work of city manager, Cynthia Curry, the budget office and all the staff who have adjusted to difficult circumstances. It’s been hard. But because of your good work, we who live in Gainesville and those who pass through, continue to enjoy the culture that is unique to Gainesville.
Please share this message with staff.
With deep gratitude,
(your name)
References:
*Gainesville Sun 7/22/25 “DeSantis DOGE teams to target Gainesville…”
*Gainesville Sun 7/23/25 “DeSantis targets Florida cities with audits - makes no mention of own no-bid spending”
*Independent Alligator 7/22/25 “New Florida CFO targets Gainesville in sweeping audit”
STATE
1) Detention camps. Email members of Alachua County Legislative Delegation. Suggested verbiage:
Subject line: No accountability for cost of detention camps
The state is concerned about financial waste, duplicity of costs and use of taxpayer money. The detention camp in the Everglades was built with no-bid contracts and lack of transparency of costs. Further it will take some 450 million dollars a year to maintain. The governor says FEMA will bear the costs which would take needed emergency services from Florida residents. The president says FEMA will be dissolved the end of this year.
Waste and traffic from the camps is predicted to damage the Everglades where millions of dollars have been spent to restore them and assure quality water for south Florida. And the cost of maintaining the camp does not have a solid funding source. This is not good use of taxpayer money. Some detainees have legal resident status and they are being kept in tents in the Everglades where heat is sweltering and storms are a certainty. I object to the use of tax money and the conditions. Dismantle the detention camp.
Send to:
Chad.Johnson [at] myfloridahouse.gov
chuck.brannan [at] myfloridahouse.gov
bradley.jennifer.web [at] flsenate.gov
mcclain.stan.web [at] flsenate.gov
Yvonne.Hinson [at] myfloridahouse.gov
2) Detention camps. There was a protest across from Camp Blanding, another site for a detention camp, on Saturday, July 19. Hundreds of people lined the street for nearly a mile with signs protesting the idea of detention camps and that Camp Blanding, where Japanese Americans were detained, becoming a site for immigrant detention sites. More protests will happen. Stay tuned.
NATIONAL
Action Items:
1) The Epstein files should be released in full. Call legislators. Suggested verbiage:
a. The executive branch has released thousands of pages of documents about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, despite objection from Dr. King’s family. If it is so easy to release those documents, why is the executive branch not releasing the Epstein files in full? If powerful, wealthy men were sexually preying on minor girls, those persons should be held accountable. It is shameful that the House has gone into recess to avoid legislation about the files. What are you doing (name of legislator) to get the files released? This is happening under your watch; you are responsible.
2) Florida is in the middle of hurricane season and across the country there are extreme weather events. Call legislators. Suggested verbiage:
a. Staff have been fired at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), FEMA funds have been reduced and are being used for detention camps and funding was cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Florida is in the middle of hurricane season. When we are hit, we have fewer resources to alert us to extreme weather events, information on how to prepare, information about resources and less information on how to recover. With the 2026 fiscal year appropriations process, funding for the CPB can be restored. The CPB is a reliable source for urgent information in Florida and across the country. I urge you to restore funding for CPB.
Senator Rick Scott: (202) 224-5274
Senator Ashley Moody: (202) 224-3041
Representative Kat Cammack: (202) 225-5744 (of note, this line was down for several weeks but seems to be working again)
