On Thursday, Jan. 9, the state legislators who represent Alachua County gathered at Santa Fe College for their annual public meeting. This was the only opportunity for the public at large to see and hear the legislators and provide input on matters of interest before the legislative session begins March 4.
President Janice Garry addressed the delegation on behalf of LWV of Alachua County. She expressed the League's support for home rule and especially efforts to restore voting rights to previously incarcerated people and secure handgun storage in private conveyances and vessels.
A video of her short address is available here and the transcript follows.
Thank you to all who attended. The most important thing we can do is to participate in local government.
For more coverage on the event, please see this article in the Mainstreet Daily News.
There is also an interview with President Garry in this report from WCJB.
Transcript:
LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION PRESIDENT’S SPEECH
January 9, 2025
My name is Janice Garry and I am president of the League of Women Voters of Alachua County. Thank you for welcoming the public today.
Nearly 85% of registered voters turned out in Alachua County for the November 5th general election. Prior to the election, the public attended candidate forums, read articles by our local journalists and accessed nearly 20,000 handouts and printed voter guides provided by the League of Women Voters. Voters used the League online VOTE411 website over 9,000 times to access ballot information. We are an engaged and informed public led by smart and resourceful leaders.
The League respects our shared values. Each of us wants to provide affordable housing and a good education for children. And nobody, absolutely nobody, wants to have a family member, a friend or neighbor, or themselves shot by a person with a gun and a grudge.
In respect of our shared values, the League asks that you find a balance between state, county and city responsibilities. Let each special place in Florida have the elbow room to manage their own affordable housing, gun safety measures and what books their children may read. Let Gainesville manage its own award-winning public utility, as voters chose by 73% on a ballot referendum in November. Let Alachua County voters choose how county commissioners are elected, as voters directed through 72% on a ballot referendum. Let each county and city apply their unique situations to safety with firearms.
The League appreciates that State Attorney Brian Kramer has initiated a process to restore voting rights to previously incarcerated people. The V 8th service can assist eligible persons know whether they are eligible to restore their voting rights. The League encourages further work on this. We can help.
The League supports Representative Yvonne Hayes Hinson’s proposed bill to specify safe storage of handguns in private conveyances and vessels. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office reported 71 guns stolen from automobiles between 2021 – 2022. Supporting safe storage is a balance between 2nd amendment rights and the rights of Floridians to feel safe from gun violence.
The League thanks you for your service. Let us all strive to work together to find solutions to the real problems facing Floridians.
