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The Florida Democratic League (FDL) is one of the state's minority-led civil rights, equality, and social justice advocacy organizations. According to the FDL, it has more than 46,000 thousand members and supporters.
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Structure
The Florida Democratic League is a State of Florida-chartered non-profit political organization focusing on advancing human rights, civil liberties, and social welfare of all Floridians, especially ethnic and racial minorities, through lobbying federal, state and local officials for support of equality, human and civil rights and social justice legislation, and mobilizing grassroots action among its members.
Local activities are carried out by local steering committees, of which there are 6 located throughout the State of Florida.
Leadership
The Florida Democratic League's leadership includes President Sara Espinoza; Chairman, Dr. Eladio Jose Armesto; Vice President, Rev. Julio E. Perez; Vice President, Nathaniel Wilcox; Secretary, Miriam Gonzalez; Treasurer, Jordanis Padron. FDL's work is supported by two boards: the Board of Directors, which is the governing body for the organization and the Board of Advisors, which advises the organization on its statewide outreach. Both boards are composed of volunteer members from across the state.
History
Bernardo Arago, Fidel Iglesias, Rene Valdez, Mariela Valdez, Jose "Pepe" Vera, Martha Vera and Eladio Jose Armesto founded the Democratic League of Dade County (DLDC) in 1991 to unite and organize the county’s Hispanic Democrats. In 1992, the League endorsed and actively campaigned for presidential candidate Bill Clinton. In January 1993, the DLDC organized the Miami Bill Clinton Inaugural Party. In March 1993, FDL launched a Florida Voter Registration project.
In October 2006, the FDL was incorporated in the State of Florida as a non-profit political organization.
As part of its commitment to true marriage equality, the FDL joined with other organizations to file an Amici Brief in the anti-Voter Rights, anti-Democracy, anti-Constitution lawsuit of Pareto v. Ruvin, filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court on January 21, 2014.
Awards
The Florida Democratic League maintains a number of awards for individuals distinguished for their social justice and civil liberties-related work. In addition to League awards, local chapters also award their own versions of the awards. These awards are typically presented at an annual dinner gala.