Our 2023-24 Programs

1.   Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough and Pasco Counties’ mission is to encourage the active participation of citizens in government, increase the public’s understanding of important policy issues, and influence policy through education and advocacy. Central to this mission is the inclusion of and engagement with the diverse communities of Hillsborough and Pasco Counties to ensure the voices of all residents are prominent and that they can exercise their power to make positive change for all by influencing municipal, county, and state policymakers.

2.   Social Policy

Healthcare:  The Healthcare Action Group strives to inform, educate and support health issues that directly affect our community, while uniting with organizations that work on health-related issues supported by the HCLWV, LWVFL and LWVUS. We support the implementation of health equity including access to affordable quality healthcare, expansion of Medicaid, mental health and substance abuse services, protect the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA), oral health, and the education to better understand. We stand behind reproductive services and the constitutional right for women to make reproductive choices and have available services, including abortion. We support efforts to build a healthcare system that provides access to comprehensive quality care to all residents at an affordable price.

Transportation:  Our focus is to educate and advocate on transportation-related issues and how those issues impact other LWV focuses. Transportation viability significantly intersects with equity, climate change, affordable housing, economic development, growth management, education, and voter rights. Locally, safety concerns over the Tampa Bay region’s ranking as among the highest nationally in vehicular fatalities and serious injuries must be considered, but the importance of transportation access as it connects to other League programming will be a Transportation Action Group priority.

Gun Violence Prevention:  We educate and advocate for LWVFL positions on meaningful state gun law reform while promoting responsible gun ownership. We promote safe storage, including gun locks, for consumer protection. We support the ban of semi-automatic assault style weapons and large capacity feeding devices. We support implementation of comprehensive universal background checks, and ensuring the state provides all relevant records to the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Our group will continue efforts to defeat unsafe gun legislation and promote awareness and education to reduce the incidence of domestic violence, suicide, and accidental child gun deaths.

3.    Government

Our group educates and advocates to protect, extend and encourage voting by all sectors of the public with an emphasis on underserved communities. We advocate for voters rights by monitoring local, state and national legislation. We promote implementation of the Florida constitutional amendment authorizing voting rights restoration for former felony offenders. We support adoption of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) and open primaries in Florida.

4.    Education

Our group advocates for LWVFL positions on adequate funding of public education in Florida, including facilities and operations. We promote an assessment and accountability system that provides the same data at appropriate intervals to measure student progress for all schools that receive public funds, directly or indirectly. Encourage comprehensive information on all schools receiving public funds so choice between all options is clear and available to the public. Support the authority of local school boards to determine the need for and location of additional schools within their districts. Support a curricular framework that includes broad common standards developed by educational experts that serves as a guide to local districts.

5.   Environment & Climate

We support national, state and local League positions on climate change, sustainability, environment and natural resources, especially those involving energy conservation, greater reliance on renewable resources and a carbon-free Florida; the protection and wise management of the State’s natural resources, including the conservation of safe fresh water and funding for public transportation. We recognize the interrelationships of air quality, energy, land use and waste management and their impacts on the health of people and the environment. We support policies that provide for cooperative, coordinated decision-making on land use and promote resource conservation, stewardship and long-range planning with the responsibility for managing natural resources shared at all levels of government. We oppose state preemption of local environmental controls. We consider the impact of state and local environmental policies and ordinances in terms of their impact on vulnerable communities and advocate on environmental justice issues. We support scientifically based projects to reuse treated wastewater and improve water conservation and scientifically based fertilizer standards to protect surface water and maintain a healthy Tampa Bay. We support sustainable policies and local government efforts to improve community awareness and promote transparency and accountability.