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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
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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.
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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.
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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.”
Words Matter:
Gender Bias in the Media
Panel DiscussionAugust 31, 2010
Bob Graham Center
for Public Service
University of
Florida
Watch
the Event Here!
Commission Hosts
Third Gender Bias in the Media
Panel
Discussion
(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.
FCSW Foundation to Publish
Florida Women's History Book
The Florida Commission
on the Status of Women (FCSW) and the
FCSW Foundation
Inc., are pleased to announce an exciting
project that, for the first time, will chronicle
the important contributions of women to Florida,
from the earliest Native American tribes, to
today’s pioneering women.
The soon to be published book, created in
partnership with
University Press of Florida and renowned
author and historian
Doris Weatherford, will be an invaluable
resource and research tool for educators,
students and the public. This project will bring
a historical perspective to the role of women in
the evolution and development of our State…one
that will inspire and motivate future
generations of Floridians.
Click here for more information.
Upcoming
Commission Meetings and Activities*

Fourth Quarterly
Meeting Wednesday,
November 16, 2011
9:30 AM -- Noon
FCSW
Quarterly Meeting
Tallahassee Community College Capitol Center
301 West Pensacola Street, Room 111
Tallahassee, FL 32301
2011/2012 Florida
Women's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Capitol Courtyard
Tallahassee, FL
*Times and dates for meetings and events may
vary.
Please contact the
Florida Commission
on the Status of
Women at (850)
414-3300 for additional information.
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