Commission Activities

The Florida Commission on the Status of Women engages in numerous activities each year in order to empower women of the State of Florida to achieve their fullest potential including:

  Administering the Florida Women's Hall of Fame
  Conducting numerous educational conferences for women throughout Florida
  Presenting the FCSW Florida Achievement Award
  Organizing Women's History Month celebrations  

Leon County Commission for Women to
Hold Public Hearings

(January 2012) The Leon County Commission on the Status of Women & Girls was created by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners in June 2011. The Commission serves as a “Board-Appointed Advisory Committee” and its purpose is to promote matters pertaining to the status of women and girls in Leon County. One of the primary goals for the Commission is to promote awareness on issues that affect women. The Commission is charged by the Board of County Commissioners with the responsibility of giving input to the Board, as needed, on approaches in which to address issues on women and girls in Leon County.

As an important part of their effort the Commission is holding its first public hearings to hear from the public about the obstacles and challenges faced by women and girls in Leon County.

Please attend one or both of the hearings:
Tuesday, January 31; 6:00 pm—7:30 pm
Bethel AME Church, 501 West Orange Avenue
Friday, February 3; 11:00 am—12:30 pm
Human Services Center, 1000 W. Tharpe Street (corner of Tharpe & Old Bainbridge)

Commission Follows Florida Redistricting

(January 2012) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is following the redisticting process in the Florida Legislature. We encourage all Floridians to stay informed about this important process. Learn more and keep up with the latest developments here.

Commission Publishes 2012 Wall Calendar

(December 2011) The Florida Commission is please to kick off 2012 with the publication of its new wall calendar filled with highlights from 2011 events. Click here to download a copy!    

Commission Announces
Florida Women's Hall of Fame Finalists

(October 2011) Governor Rick Scott will soon select the 2011/2012 inductees into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame from the list of ten finalists chosen by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women. The Governor will select up to three women for induction into the Hall of Fame, which recognizes and honors women who, through their works and lives, have made significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and for all citizens of the state of Florida. The Commission has determined that the following nominees exemplify the great diversity of women’s contributions to Florida life: Dr. Ruth Alexander of Gainesville; Elizabeth “Budd” Bell formerly of Tallahassee; Jeanne Bochette of Ft. Myers; Vicki Bryant Burke of Jacksonville; Elizabeth Fago of Palm Beach Gardens; Edna Hibel of Lake Worth; Anne Briardy Mergen formerly of Miami; Shannon Miller of Jacksonville; Dr. Nilda (Nena) Peragallo of Miami; and Lillie Pierce Voss formerly of Delray Beach. Learn more here!    

Commission Releases 2011 Fact Sheets

(October 2011) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women has released five new Fact Sheets for 2011 on subjects from Voter Registration to Women Veterans. Be sure to read them here!

Commission Honors Outstanding Women for Volunteer

 Work in Their Communities

(August2011) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women will honor Dr. Kamala Anandam of Weston, the Honorable Brenda Carey of Longwood, Eunice Nuekie Cofie of Tallahassee, Amanda C. Evora of Bradenton, Betty Gissendanner of Port Charlotte, Donna Parker of Winter Park, Patricia A. Snow of West Palm Beach, Judy Wiseman of Niceville, Jennifer L. Berrian of Tallahassee, Dominque Gelin of Oviedo and Erica Lindegren of Sarasota with a FCSW Florida Achievement Award  for their  work in improving the lives of women and families in their communities. They will receive recognition at a special luncheon ceremony during the third quarterly meeting of the Commission on Saturday, September 10, 2011, 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., at W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. In addition to the Achievement Award from the Commission, each will receive a congratulatory letter from Governor Rick Scott.  Click here for more information.

The Commission will meet to conduct business on Saturday, September 10, 2011, 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. All events are open to the public. The FCSW Achievement Awards Luncheon will be 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM and is hosted by the FCSW Foundation. Tickets are $30 and those wishing to attend should RSVP to 850-414-3531 by September 5.

Statistics Show Women Underrepresented

in Elective Office

(July 2011) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women released a Fact Sheet, Women in the Florida Legislature, 2011. The report sheds light on the status of women in elected office for the 2011 State Legislature. Following the highly anticipated November 2nd general election, women currently hold 24.4% of the seats in the State Senate and House, in comparison to a continual 23.1% in 2009—remained consistent since 2007.

Highlights

• The number of women in the Florida State Legislature increased to 39 following the recent elections, up from 37 in 2009. This modest increase follows a continual number of women legislators in 2007-2009. Recently, the number of seats held by women has increased by two.

• Women hold 13 (out of 40) seats in the State Senate, up from 9 in 2009; and hold 26 (out of 120) seats in the State House, down from 29 in 2009.

• Despite the modest increase in the overall number of seats held by women, 16 women rose to the challenge to take up new seats in the 2011 State Legislature.  Among these, 7 women were elected to the Housein races for open seats while 7 women were also elected to the Senate in races for open seats.  Two women unseated incumbents gaining seats in the Assembly.

• Among legislators (Senate and House) 13 new women were elected.
  

Commission Releases 2011 Legislative Summary

(May 2011) The 2011 session of the Florida Legislature was the state’s 113th, and the budget was again the one of the top issues facing lawmakers who worked to close a $3.8 billion dollar gap during the 60 days they convened. The state education budget was cut by $545 per student and the state’s Medicaid program was completely overhauled. Changes were made to state worker’s benefits and  many layoffs were announced.

Click here to learn more about the report.

Commission Elects New Officers

(April 2011) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW) has elected the following members to serve as officers for 2011-2012: Nancy C. Acevedo, Chair; Laurie Pizzo, Vice-Chair; Laura McLeod, Treasurer; Amy Kryak, Secretary; Barbara Wall, Member at Large; and R. Jai Gillum, Member at Large. The FCSW is a nonpartisan board consisting of 22 members appointed by the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and members of the Florida Cabinet, statutorily created in 1991 and administratively housed in the Office of the Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Commission is dedicated to empowering women in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement and to recognizing women’s accomplishments. The election took place during the Commission’s first quarter meeting, March 23, 2011 in Tallahassee. “It is an honor to serve with such an outstanding group of women who are working to improve the lives of women and families in Florida,” says Commission Chair Nancy C. Acevedo. “I’m looking forward to a busy and successful year.”

(August 2010) The Florida Commission on the Status of Women hosted its third Gender Bias in the Media Roundtable discussion on August 31, 2010, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Pugh Hall of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

The Roundtable participants included elected officials and community leaders and representatives from the media, academia, local women's groups and students. They shared their perspectives and experiences in dealing with gender bias or stereotyping in the media, particularly political coverage.

"The Florida Commission on the Status of Women is compelled to take a public stand regarding the approach employed by some members of the media related to women, particularly in the political arena," said Susanne Hebert, Commission Chair. "Through these discussions we endeavor to ensure credibility and integrity in our media by asking Florida newspapers, television and radio stations, and the blogs to conduct an honest evaluation of their conduct and adopt an affirmative policy of no tolerance of misogyny or gender bias in reporting and commentary."

The Roundtable participants discussed whether women have been portrayed with bias in the media and political coverage; the impact of such bias or misrepresentation on women; the need to initiate changes in various sectors (including roles that different parties could play); how to tackle the problem while balancing the right to freedom of the press and expression; and effective ways to promote gender awareness in the media.

More than 130 people were in attendance.

Upcoming Commission Meetings and Activities*