Please Renew Your Membership Or Become A New Member For 2020 By Clicking HERE.  You Can Sign Up With PayPal or Credit Card Or A Downloadable   Mail-in Form.

Also please check out the details for our luncheon speaker programs from October 2019 through March 2020 HERE.

Democratic Club News

• Due to the coronavirus pandemic our March 31 luncheon featuring Dean Snow, PhD. is being cancelled.  We want to be proactive in doing anything we can to prevent the spread of this illness.  We are hoping that after we get beyond this current situation that we can reschedule Dr. Snow at a later date this summer or in the Fall.  We apologize for any inconvenience that this causes.  We will issue full refunds to anyone who has already registered for the event.  Despite this cancellation, we are committed to do everything we can to keep our momentum going regarding supporting Democratic candidates during this critical 2020 election.  Please stay tuned as our plans develop.  

• Announcement: Manatee County Democrats are invited to a Zoom webinar -  When: Apr 6, 2020 06:00 PM Topic: DEC Meeting with Tracy Pratt-  Hope you are all well.  We are going to hold our April DEC meeting virtually as a ZOOM webinar.  We are still in the fight to elect Democrats and to encourage Vote By Mail for all registered Democrats in Manatee County.  I hope that you will be able to attend and participate in our DEC webinar.  Please let me know if you are able to join us.  Hope to "see" you all on the 6th.  Please read the instructions HERE and if you have questions about ZOOM contact Bev Pannee at beverlypannee@gmail.com, 443-629-1001.  And visit https://manateecountydemocrats.com/ to volunteer, donate and check out all our news.

• We were honored to award the 2020 Murray Blueglass Award to Judge Marvin Morse at our March 3rd luncheon.  The Longboat Key Democratic Club gives the Blueglass Award annually to outstanding Democrats who have served with us.  Marvin has been a genuine and distinguished lifetime Democrat. He has served with honor and distinction as a member and President of the Longboat Key Democratic Club.  Marvin retired from the Board in 2018.  We are proud and greatly appreciate his extraordinary participation and service to our Club. He has made a positive and significant difference. HERE, in his own words, is his story.

• The Best and Easiest Way to Vote in Florida is Vote By Mail (VBM).  Also, consider early voting. In Sarasota County, if you have not applied to have a Vote By Mail form sent to you, you can request a form from the Supervisor of Elections at PO Box 4194, Sarasota, FL 34230-4194 or call 941-861-8618.  You can also request a VBM form to be mailed at www.sarasotavotes.com.  You can pick up a form at Sarasota SOE, Terrace Building, 101 S. Washington Blvd, Sarasota, Fl 34236.  In Manatee County call 941-741-3823 or go to www.votemanatee.com. The address of SOE in Manatee County is 600 301 Blvd. W, Suite 108, Bradenton FL 34205.  For March 17 voting, the deadline for requesting a VBM form in both Sarasota and Manatee Counties is Saturday, March 7th by 5 pm. VBM Ballots go out a month prior to the election and must be received at SOE by 7 pm on election night.  VBM ballots are not forwarded by the post office. Please provide the SOE with the address where you want your ballot sent for each election. VBM allows you to avoid the standing in line and other hassles of election day.  VBM also assures that you have a “Plan B” so that no last minute emergency can keep you from voting.  Early voting is Saturday March 7 to March 14, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. 

• How to Vote in Florida even if You are a Snowbird - Did you know that you can register to vote in Florida even if you do not spend six months and a day here?  The so-called 183-day rule is one used by many states for taxation purposes -- but has nothing to do with voter registration.  Looking ahead to the critical election of 2020, your vote is likely to be much more important in Florida than in a so-called “blue” state:  Whoever wins Florida is likely to win the presidency. If you own or rent property in Florida, you can register to vote here.  According to Florida law, what matters is where a person intends to make his or her permanent residence for purposes of voter registration.  You can be both a legal voting resident of Florida and a taxpaying resident of another state. (You must give up your right to vote in your alternate state.) This is a good time to make a switch, well in advance of next year’s election.  HERE is more information on how to register to vote in Florida as a snowbird. 

•   Sarasota Stands Together, An Indivisible Group, has announced that, due to the need for social distancing,  the Selby Library is closed effective from March 17th to April 12th.   Future SST meetings at the Selby are NOT scheduled at this time.  However, there are things that we can do from home.  See the suggested home activities HERE.

• Terri Rizzo, Chair of the Florida Democratic Party has mailed out the Weekly Update from the Party.  The Update contains important information about upcoming Democratic Party events over the next few months.  The events include the Leadership Blue meeting on March 29-31 in Orlando and many other training and organizing events planned for this critical election year.  Check out the details HERE.

• Norma Schatz has released her April letter to Plymouth Harbor residents and others who care.   Norma writes, "Hate in the time of COVID-19.  Xenophobia didn't start when candidate Trump descended the golden escalator to rant against a Mexican invasion.  Xenophobia, racism and exclusion have long been a part of American history; Irish, Italians, Jews, Hispanics, Asians, Moslems, Blacks, Native Americans have all known it. But hate crimes have become more prevalent and white supremacists bolder in the past three years.  Now, with the coronavirus affecting our lives in so many ways, fear and hate have infected the susceptible.  “Asian Americans report over 650 racist acts over last week. (NBC News 3/26/20)"  See Norma's complete April letter HERE.

• The Florida Democratic Party’s Organizing Corps 2020 is an effort to build the talent and infrastructure needed to win in 2020. Together we’re investing in the next generation of local and diverse staff for the 2020 general election and beyond.  The DNC, the Florida Democratic Party and 6 other state Democratic parties, in partnership with 270 Strategies and The Collective PAC, have launched Organizing Corps 2020 —a new program, starting in 2019, focused on recruiting, paying, and training young people, especially people of color, to work on the 2020 presidential cycle!  See Details HERE. 

A Message from the President – Ken Marsh

For decades the Longboat Key Democratic Club has provided means for local residents to support Democratic candidates, to hear from knowledgeable and stimulating speakers, to link to other Democratic Party efforts, and to impact government decisions based on our values. And now, for the 2019-20 program year, we are setting our sights on being more effective than ever before!

We are located on Longboat Key, a barrier island whose 3,000 registered Democrats vote at either Sarasota County precinct 201 or Manatee County precinct 309. Our island is situated between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and is 12 miles long and 1/2 mile wide.  Most of our voters are seasonal but still very involved in local election issues year-round.  Our precincts typically have the highest percentage of voter turnout in the county.

Our Club meets for lunch and discussion on the first Tuesday of the month, from November - April. Our luncheons are held at the Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota.  Our guest speakers give presentations that are stimulating, relevant, and humorous. The presenters include members of Congress, local and state officials, candidates, political pundits, journalists, and entertainers. Our new luncheon format has Registration at 11:30, the Speaker at 11:45, Lunch and Club updates at 12:30, and adjournment at 2:00 after an extended Q&A with the Speaker.

Increasingly, we host luncheons, receptions, and Meet & Greet events from May through October. We also coordinate our activities with the captains for both precincts. And our members work hard to keep voters informed, educated and involved, even in off-years. Most Longboat Key residents are already registered to vote so our volunteers register voters elsewhere in both counties. For years we have strongly supported Democratic Party efforts in the Newtown neighborhood in north Sarasota.

The Longboat Key Democratic Club is proud to share information about the club and about your opportunities to get involved.  We encourage you to join us in our quest to support Democratic nominees at the local, state and national levels. Together, through excellent voter turnout and our support of Democratic candidates, we can make a significant, positive difference in the future of our country.

Contact any Board Member to discuss how you can participate in the camaraderie and activism of the Longboat Key Democratic Club.

Ken Marsh
President

Longboat Key Democratic Club Board

Executive Committee

President - Ken Marsh (awekam@yahoo.com

Vice President - Arlene Skversky (arskylbk@gmail.com)

Treasurer - R. Andrew Maass (maass.ra@gmail.com)

Secretary - Becky van der Bogert (vanderbogert@gmail.com)

Members

Lois Barson (hbarson@comcast.net)

Michael Boorstein (MABoorstein@outlook.com)

Slade Cargill (gscargill3@gmail.com)

Robert Gary (rdgary@gmail.com)

Terry Guzman (terry4ray@aol.com)

Barbara Katz (katz.barbara@gmail.com)

Lucie Lapovsky (lucie@lapovsky.com)

Ed Sabol (eddiedc3@gmail.com)

Alan Sprintz (alan1745@me.com)

C. Evans Tilles (evanstilles@hotmail.com)

Howard Veit (howardrv@gmail.com)

Mary Lou Winnick (edmlw18@gmail.com)