A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

1) The Florida Democratic Party has announced that it will hold it's 2005 State Convention December 9-11 at Disney's Contemporary Resort near Orlando. This will be an important gathering, as we will be working to reelect Bill Nelson as our U.S. Senator as well as taking back the governor's mansion.

Many people believe that somehow you have to be some type of major party mover and shaker to participate in these events, but nothing can be farther from the truth. Obviously, many are very active in party affairs, but any Floridian who is a registered Democrat is eligible to be elected or appointed as a delegate.

Every county is assigned a number of delegates, primarilly based on size and the county's performance in the previous (read: 2004) general election. While many of the delegates are elected, the county Democratic chair, vice chair, state committeeman, and state committeewoman are also allocated a number of positions to appoint. Also, a certain number of elected delegate seats are specifically mandated for persons who are not Democratic Executive Committee members in an effort to insure as much representation as possible from all segments of the county's Democratic community.

Persons who are selected as delegates must complete by written oath or affirmation a Loyalty Oath as mandated by the party's bylaws, except for those DEC members who have already done so and representatives of organizations that are not able to endorse candidates of a particular political party. In addition, there is a $35.00 nonrefundable registration fee or $20.00 student registration fee; checks/money orders must be made payable to the Florida Democratic Party.

These events are usually rather interesting, with the major candidates present and holding get-to-know-me-better events. There are usually some excellent speakers, and it's a great opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and information with like-minded Democrats from throughout the state.

If you're interested, you should contact your local Democratic Party office. If you don't know how, click on your home county at this link; it's from the Florida Democratic Party Web site, and contact one of the officers noted.

2) If you happen to be along the I-4 corridor Thursday evening, drop into the monthly gathering of the I-4 Corridor Association in Lakeland. Our featured speaker will be local author Wayne Dailey, who will discuss his new book "The Roosevelt Years".

The I-4 Association is a group of progressive minded individuals from across Central Florida who are working to elect like-minded candidates to public office. While the group is officially non-partisan, it's membership is almost unanamiously Democratic.

We meet on the third Thursday of each month at the First Baptist Institutional Church, 932 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in Lakeland.