President’s Race
Donald Trump will be the 45^th President of the United States. On Tuesday, America resoundingly said “I’m not with her!” The ‘basket of deplorables,’ as Clinton called them, were sufficiently angry and tired of the direction of our country. They made it very clear that they were not going to take it anymore. Not only did Donald Trump carry Florida, but he also carried Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania —all states that Barack Obama won— twice. One of the reasons that the polls were so wrong this election cycle was because of what is called “under polling.” Many people are uncomfortable saying what they believe in a phone poll (or won’t answer polls when the candidate of their choice is under fire in the media) but the ballot box reveals the truth of their convictions. It is in this way that polling can be inaccurate.

ABC News reported last night that the evangelical voter turnout was the largest in U.S. history and you helped us to make this happen. With your support, Florida Family Action operated four field offices this year. Each office was staffed with a full-time field operative and dozens of committed volunteers who engaged in an aggressive voter identification and turnout campaign. FFA staff and volunteers made hundreds of thousands of phone calls, distributed voter guides, engaged their churches and pastors, and forwarded important information to their circles of influence. In addition, we published one of the most researched and effective Presidential voter guides in the country, which was used by many other pro-family organizations in Florida and nationally. This election is a historic victory for our country and for our state.

While many of us opposed Trump back in the primary (and some people even in the general) the people have spoken and we now have an extraordinary opportunity. We can all breathe easy now that the threat of the Clinton dynasty is dead and there remains great hope for the future of American liberty. To be clear, we need to have our eyes wide open here. Based on his long history, Donald Trump is not a man to be emulated as an example for moral character because of his consistent comments degrading and dehumanizing others. But let’s pray for him and pray that he will learn self-control, that he will be convicted of the weight of his sin and the weight of the monumental task before him and rise to the occasion. For us to lead with integrity, we need to praise officials when they do good and call them out to hold them accountable when they do bad.  We don’t board any candidates “train” blindly without seeing everything as it really is.

Notwithstanding this, there is an extraordinary opportunity to take back America from the stranglehold of the left. Trump is surrounding himself with remarkable principled conservative advisers, many of whom are Christians. He will also make thousands of political appointments that have worldviews much more like ours, than those who would have governed under Hillary Clinton. If he does nothing else than appoint two Justices to the Supreme Court from the two lists he made public, this alone will turn the tide on so much of the social and immoral nonsense that is currently being shoved down the throats of the American people by a runway leftist SCOTUS.

Even so, we must remember there are major divisions and anger not just in America, but also within the Evangelical and faithful Catholic communities. Almost half of Americans voted for other candidates and many of them are sitting in the pews of our churches. We need be charitable, humble and reach out to them.  You can read my recent article published in The Stream entitled “Leadership in an Angry & Divided Nation: A Christian Response to the 2016 Election Results” here.

In addition to the Presidential race, there were major victories for conservative, pro-life, and pro-family candidates across the country:

Florida U.S. Senate Race
Marco Rubio won re-election to the US Senate easily against Democrat challenger Patrick Murphy. FFA President John Stemberger personally encouraged Marco Rubio to run again for his Senate seat after he lost his GOP Presidential primary bid. Our staff launched a “Draft Rubio for U.S. Senate” campaign on Facebook urging him to run. The National Review reported on our involvement Tuesday in their article “For Marco Rubio, What Might Have Been — and Still Could Be.” Senator Marco Rubio is a man with remarkable gifts and character. He will continue to serve Florida as one of the brightest and best communicators in American politics. Rubio will remain one of the brightest stars in the GOP constellation, along with a long bench of leaders including Mike Pence, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, Paul Ryan and a host of other standard bearers. Contrast this depth of leadership with the Democrat Party which is leaderless, apart from Hillary and Bernie, who are the old, tired white “guys” on the way out.

U.S. Senate
Thankfully, the majority of seats were retained by Republicans. There were serious concerns over whether Republicans could hold their majority in the US Senate. It appears that Trump’s presence did not harm, but rather may have helped them with voter turnout. The Presidency, Senate, and House are now under Republican control for the first time in 10 years.

U.S. House
As in the Senate, the Republicans kept their majority in the U.S House of Representatives. Florida’s standard-bearer Dan Webster will return to Washington, along with conservative congressmen Ron DeSantis of Jacksonville, Ted Yoho of Gainesville, and Dennis Ross of Lakeland. In the Panhandle, State Rep. Matt Gaetz was elected to the US House. While Rep. Gaetz has remained pro-life in the Florida Legislature, he capitulated to LGBT special interests while serving in the Florida Legislature by helping to remove the prohibition against homosexual couples adopting. A wide field in the primary and his family name helped him to secure the Republican nomination for his district. We remain concerned about his commitment to conservative principles. Neal Dunn also won his first election. Dunn has been accused of being the ultimate Washington insider, but a wide field in the primary also helped him to secure the nomination and ultimately his new seat. Dunn attended and participated in the District 2 Congressional Debate we held in Tallahassee earlier this year. Former Ambassador to the Holy See and businessman Tom Rooney won a Republican seat in Congress as well as Brian Mast, a double amputee war veteran.

Democrat Debbie Wasserman-Schultz managed to retain her seat despite the scandal surrounding her after a DNC email leak.  Democrats can’t be happy and some are even blaming her for Clinton’s loss.

BREAKING: Florida Republicans supporting gay rights lose elections
Two incumbent Florida Republican congressman who supported “gay rights” lost their election bids Tuesday. Long-time incumbent John Mica of Orlando and David Jolly a two-term Pinellas congressman lost to Democrats and will not be returning to Washington, DC. John Mica betrayed conservative Christians that supported him for years, when in an extraordinary act of desperation and cowardice, he signed on to support a federal expansion of gay rights to create a new protective class for gender identity and gender expression. These sexual orientation and gender identity laws are weapons to punish Christians, and compromise the privacy, safety and security of women. Such laws allow men to use women’s private places in showers, locker rooms and bathrooms. Frankly, I am glad to see Mica and others like him go.

David Jolly also lost to Charlie Crist, Florida’s former governor, attorney general and former US Senate candidate. Charlie Crist currently works as a lawyer with Morgan and Morgan. John Morgan’s Orlando personal injury law firm is responsible for the passage of Amendment 2 “Medical Marijuana.” Jolly betrayed voters only months after his election. He campaigned against gay marriage and then he flip-flopped and came out in support of it. We personally challenged David Jolly with an open letter which made national news because he lied to and then betrayed voters who worked very hard to get him elected based on his views on marriage and gay-rights.

Republican Dean Asher in Central Florida also lost his bid to replace Andy Gardiner in the Florida Senate. Asher also openly supported these anti-liberty, pro-gay “non-discrimination” laws, and cut a deal with gay activists from downtown Orlando.

MEMO TO ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY:  Pro-gay rights Republicans are losing Republicans. Do not cave to the LGBT mafia and bullies of our culture. If you support the Florida Competitive Workforce Act, or The Equality Act in Congress, you will become enemy number one to our movement. We will actively oppose you for your opposition to religious liberty and for your cowardice in being unwilling to stand for basic public safety, security and privacy of women and children.

Florida State Legislature
The 2014-2016 Florida House of Representatives was comprised of 81 Republicans and 39 Democrats. If current projections by the Florida Division of Elections hold, Republicans will lose two seats to Democrats. This will make the 2016-2018 House makeup 79 Republicans and 41 Democrats. Florida Senate Republicans lost one seat to Democrats. Republicans retain control of the Senate with 25 seats and Democrats increase to 15 seats. Republicans will retain a trifecta in the state, controlling the governorship and both chambers of the Legislature.

Florida Senate
A couple of key wins may very well make the Senate a more conservative chamber than it was last session. Keith Perry, a FFA Champion of the Family, moved from the House to the Senate, beating former Democrat Party Chair Rod Smith. Dennis Baxley, Debbie Mayfield, Dana Young, Greg Steube, Kathleen Passidomo, and Frank Artiles are other Republican House members moving to the Senate. Mayfield and Steube are also FFA Champions of the Family, while Baxley is very strong on our non-negotiables of life, marriage, family and religious liberty. Dana Young’s win out of Tampa is somewhat concerning as she’s been vocal in her support of the Florida Competitive Workforce Act (FCWA). Moderate Republican Miguel Diaz de la Portilla in Miami lost to his Democrat challenger after drawing the ire of his party by refusing to hear two bills on open carry this last legislative session. In addition, he insisted on hearing FCWA in his committee twice, a bill that had never been heard previously in the ten years the bill has been proposed.

Florida House
There were several competitive races in the Florida House involving FFA Champions of the Family. Those races resulted in wins for the conservative candidate. Ross Spano was heavily targeted by Democrats and his race was considered one of the toughest races in the state. He won Tuesday by approximately 9 points.  Bob Cortes, Manny Diaz, and George Moraitis also achieved victory in competitive races. But last night’s results did not come with all good news for social conservatives. Carlos Guillermo Smith, a lobbyist for Equality Florida, won a seat in the House. Having an LGBT special rights advocate embedded in a Legislature that has grown increasingly friendly to LGBT special interests and is coming under increasing pressure to grant special rights to the LGBT community could be very dangerous to our religious liberty.  In other news, UCF student Amber Mariano beat the Democrat incumbent in House District 36, making her the youngest person to ever win a seat in the Florida House (a record previously held by Jennifer Sullivan). Republicans did lose their supermajority in the Florida House and overall the chamber may not be as conservative as previous years. Under the leadership of Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran, an outspoken champion of life, we hope that the Florida House will continue to protect the foundational freedoms of all Floridians. Corcoran is a promising and reform-minded conservative Republican who will be a force to be reckoned with long into the future of Florida politics.

Florida Constitutional Amendments
Amendment 1: We recommended a no vote here and Florida voters rejected the second solar amendment of the year. While 50.77% of Floridians voted yes on the measure, it failed to meet the 60% threshold for addition to the Constitution. The utility company sponsored amendment’s ballot language appeared pro-consumer, but it was bad for Floridians and the future of solar.

Amendment 3: We also recommended a yes vote here and Florida voters overwhelmingly approved this amendment granting the Legislature the ability to pass a property-tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled first responders injured in the line of duty.

Amendment 5: Florida voters also followed our recommendation here and granted the Legislature the ability to pass a property-tax exemption for low-income senior citizens living in houses valued at less than $250,000.

WORST NEWS OF THE ENTIRE ELECTION:
Amendment 2: The legalization of pot in Florida passed with just over 71% of the vote. This was the single greatest loss for Floridians Tuesday and for many generations to come. This is not a problem that can be fixed in 4 or 8 years; it is now a permanent part of our state Constitution. Sadly, this will become a lasting, transforming and negative force on the fabric of our culture. Floridians will have to deal with the effects of increased pot consumption all across our state. 2,000 pot shops will pop up everywhere. The devastation that has consumed Colorado and California is now coming to Florida, and we have Orlando Lawyer John Morgan to thank for this horrific proposal which he will profit from, making millions of dollars. If you voted for this amendment or thought this amendment was just trying to help suffering people, the facts and the bottom line are here and here. You can read extensively about the devastation to Colorado here.

The post Analysis of the 2016 Election Results appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Barring some kind of freak election scenario with hanging chads in a key swing state like Florida in 2000, America will wake up on November 9, 2016, to the sober realization that we have elected a new president. Whether it is Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, the President-Elect will begin leading with the reality that roughly one half of the nation doesn’t just dislike — but viscerally hates — him or her.

Most American citizens, for very different reasons are angry, really angry.

Bernie Sanders supporters are angry at Hillary Clinton’s corruption and crony capitalism. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz supporters are angry at conservatives that supported or helped Trump in the primary. Trump supporters and members of the Tea Party are totally furious that the GOP Establishment did not stand up stronger against Obama. The GOP Establishment is reeling because they argue that Trump hijacked the Republican Party, is utterly uncivil, and that his presence has caused other down ballot Republican candidates to lose in races with small victory margins.

Most disconcerting of all, Evangelical Christians are angry at each other. Some are upset that #NeverTrump Christians voted for third party candidates which helped Clinton with little regard for the future of the Supreme Court. Others are upset that Christian leaders were willing to risk compromising their witness to an unbelieving world by openly promoting a man whose personal moral history is deplorable.

Whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump wins, it seems inevitable that America will be angrier and more divided. This heightened “national anger” and division will present a major challenge in the ongoing struggle to maintain a civil and orderly society. Within the Church, we will have continuing challenges to achieve unity, advance God’s Kingdom, and effectively proclaim the Gospel.

In some ways, I am just as concerned with what happens in the days following November 9th, as I am with the outcome of the election itself.

When the election results are announced, millions of Americans will feel a sense of despair, disenfranchisement and indifference. For various reasons, many will be tempted to withdraw and give up on active citizenship and self-government and may even go so far as to do something radical and foolish to perpetuate social unrest. Sadly, these reactions will not be limited to the culture at large but will also be found within the Christian community.

If you are a pastor or Christian leader and you think that this strife does not exist within your church or ministry… think again.

What should our response, as Christians, be to this unfortunate national chaos?

What can we say and do to bring spiritually clear thinking in the midst of confusion? How can Christian leaders navigate healing between angry, divided and emotional souls into the future?

Here are five ways I believe Christian leaders can and should honor God as they lead others in “the days after” November 8^th:

1) Christian principles hold the key to creating a civilized society and ultimately bringing peace between men, and between man and God. The ideas of religious liberty and the rights of conscience were birthed during the Reformation. These seeds of faith need to be germinated again today to robustly grow and create civility in our citizens. A Judeo-Christian worldview gave birth to the freedoms of the American experience. What the secular left does not understand is that when they undermine a person’s deeply held religious Christian faith, beliefs and values they are actually undermining the very roots of the freedom they rely upon to oppose us. The concepts of separation of powers, rule of law, a written constitution, federalism, all men being created equal — these are ideas which spring from Christian history and the principles of scripture. Most importantly, Christ has the power to enable men to see the reality of their own human condition. Christianity frees the human heart from its bondage to sin. Steps toward final resolution of our nation’s internal warring against ourselves can only be found when we first individually make peace with God. When we truly understand the high price that was paid for our own forgiveness and then offered as free gift, how can we withhold our forgiveness of others.

2) We must start the peacemaking process in our own personal relationships. If you bitterly resent that #NeverTrump member of your family or church that voted third party (helping Clinton), then either choose to forgive them in your heart or directly reconcile. If you have grudges against Christians who were helping Trump in the primary, you must clear your heart and mind toward them as well. The same applies towards those who foolishly supported Hillary Clinton outright. Whoever it is you would rather avoid and not talk with, much less serve or fellowship with because of their politics, is precisely the person you need to start restoring your relationship with. C.S. Lewis once said, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” Before we can help the culture heal, we need to start with our own hearts. The cause of the gospel and the survival of the republic demand that we make things right between us so we can move forward in unity.

3) We need to develop a long-term view with long-range plans to win back the culture and our government. Many leaders and funders of the conservative movement trying to change society only think and invest in the short term, or election to election. We find that Christian leaders are typically concerned with either the culture or politics — but seldom both. For instance, restoring a culture of marriage and family may take many decades. We should start with our own families and churches. We can never give up believing in, fighting for, and protecting the non-negotiables, both in the political and cultural realm. These are the very foundations of our civilization. We need to begin to develop the same kind of long range and tenacious perspective on these issues as the pro-life movement did after the Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. The “idea of America” is slipping away and unless we have a long-term, disciplined strategy and vision to win the hearts and minds of future generations, we will have little chance of winning elections or controlling political decision-making in the future.

4) Remember that God is sovereign and we have no other choice but to trust Him for our future. Statements like these are often made by Christians, but seldom truly understood for the life changing power they contain. The truth of God’s sovereignty is also commonly misapplied to the wrong side of history. When we are faced with evil and injustice, we have a moral responsibility to make choices and act in accordance with God’s Word. However, when evil and injustice are in the past and behind us, we must rest in God’s sovereign plan realizing that His ways are higher than our ways. God is constantly intervening in history and He can be trusted with the future, even if we do not fully understand His plan.

5) There is still some good in this world and its worth fighting for. No matter how dark and desperate the world appears, Christians must never lose hope. Relentless hope should be ingrained in our DNA. Our faith and trust cannot be ultimately in the government, or in any leader, but only in God Himself. Scripture shows that God often does his best redemptive work in dark and desperate times. Christ’s brutal torture and death on the cross is “Exhibit A” that God can use even the darkest moments in world history for His Glory and for our ultimate good; even when we don’t understand why. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Sam urges Frodo to not to give up on his mission — though the journey will be dark and desperate. He pleads, “There is some good in this world Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for!” When we see a man and a woman commit themselves for life unconditionally in marriage; when we hold and look into the eyes of a baby who has been rescued from abortion; when we place that same newborn into the loving hands of a family; when our families are able to teach, guide and protect children from the many dangers and deceptions of this world; when we are free to exercise and live out our faith without governmental interference; when we see the tears of others who have come to faith — these things are examples of the good in this world that is always worth fighting for. Looking forward, we need to develop a kind of spiritual resilience that shields us from discouragement, cynicism and the temptation to give up when the path is difficult. As long as God gives us breath, we must be willing to run the race and fight the good fight.

Christians understand there is a time for peace and a time for anger. But they also understand that “the anger of man does not bring about the righteousness of God.” Let us think and pray now for the discernment to know the difference as we lead others into this next season of our nation’s history.

# # #

The post Leadership in an Angry and Divided Nation: A Christian Response to the 2016 Election Results appeared first on Florida Family Action.

(English) Early Voting Locations and Times by County

(Español) Lugares y Horarios de Período de Votación Adelantada

Check out our voter guide resource page before heading to the polls!

The post Vote Early! Click Here For Early Voting Dates and Locations appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Did you see the email I sent you last week?  More importantly, did you see the article that came out yesterday in the New York Times?  They are reporting the presidential election ALL COMES DOWN TO FLORIDA!  Specifically, the I-4 Corridor from St. Pete / Tampa, east through Polk County, and then Orlando and Seminole County all the way to the east coast of Daytona.

I believe this is the tipping point of the election and we are exactly one week out from the election and thousands more voters can be reached by social media efforts and our get-out-the-vote campaign in our five offices around the state.

If you’ve been busy and haven’t had a chance to give to our voter education and get out the vote efforts efforts, or, if you would like to give another gift today, would you do that now?  PLEASE GIVE HERE TODAY

Over 35% of voters have voted already but absentee ballots are being mailed in daily…. Voters are casting their ballots at early voting locations all around the state… Our phones at the office are ringing off the hook with voter guide requests and questions… and it’s all building up to November 8th.

Below is a copy of the email I sent about 10 days ago, stressing how important this election is to our religious liberty, as Christians in America.  If you haven’t read it, would you take a moment and read it, and prayerfully respond?

Thanks so much!  John Stemberger

——————————————————————————

From: Florida Family Action
Sent:  Thursday, October 20, 2016 
Subject:  We may all become “Ichthus Christians” if…      

Friend,

I will get right to the point.

If this election goes the wrong way, we may all have to return to being “Ichthus” Christians where we are sneaking around just to speak of our faith in secret because we are unable to publicly.

The ichthus, (pronounced “ikh-thoos”) the “fish symbol,” was used by Christians (as early as the 1st Century AD) to help identify with one another silently, in the hope of escaping persecution.  Christians would often draw an “ichthus” to let other Christians know that they were fellow believers of Christ and that it was safe to talk about their faith.

Fast forward to 2016…

We are on the brink of being in a similar place as the early church, where government sanctioned persecution of Christians is the norm!

And while we may not yet face physical death, we are on track to face the death of our robust religious liberty, our ability to worship, our ability to preach from the Bible, our ability to live our lives and run our businesses according to Scripture and speak of our faith publicly.  After our rights are stripped, the consequences and the persecution will come.

If we are going to stop this from happening, we need your help today. 

Would you invest with a sacrificial gift now to help our election efforts to preserve religious liberty? 

Time is short, with less than 3 weeks left until the election.

We must ACT NOW if we are going to thwart, stop or hopefully reverse this devastating course our culture is on.

Evidence that the persecution and attempted eradication of our faith has already begun:

• In Iowa and Massachusetts, Christian churches are being told they are now public accommodations and need to comply with non-discrimination laws as it relates to transgender use of showers, locker rooms and bathrooms.  These anti-liberty sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI, laws in state civil rights codes (exactly like the Florida Competitive Workforce Act which will be proposed again in 2017) are creating the problems and could grant government a “green light to directly regulate churches.”  This is outrageous but it’s exactly where the battle is headed—inside the walls of your local church.

• In Pennsylvania, the Senate Labor and Industry Committee recently held a hearing on a bill which would make it illegal for religious churches, schools and other religious organizations to only hire employees that agree with the religious organization’s teaching on sexuality, marriage and gender. Our opponents are pushing hard for this.

• In California, three faith-based crisis pregnancy centers are in the middle of a legal battle to continue to operate according to their faith by offering resources, counseling, advice and alternatives to abortion.  The State of California is requiring them to post agovernment-approved message – promoting free or low cost access to “family planning” (or ABORTION!) or be fined $500 for the first violation and $1,000 for each additional violation. This law was just upheld by the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Christian business owners providing goods and services to weddings throughout our country are being attacked by SOGI laws which enable gay activists to slap businesses with costly lawsuits and fines for simply living out their faith, if they choose not to celebrate or participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies with their creative and artistic services.

• Business owners, corporations, and organizations which provide health insurance to their employees are being forced to pay for abortions or abortifacient drugs throughObamacare, regardless of their, or the employees,’ religious beliefs that all life is sacred. Any disagreement or failure to comply is met with government imposed fines and penalties.

If you disagree with this encroachment on our religious liberty, would you stand with us today and help us preserve this precious right with a secure online gift?

Did you notice the consistent government enforcer in the examples above?

… legal battle in a US District Court  (DISTRICT COURTS) which could grant government a green light to regulate churches

… Senate Labor and Industry Committee  (THE STATE LEGISLATURE)

… government approved message  (by THE STATE)

… federal government mandated “Affordable Care Act” or “Obamacare”.  (OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT carrying out the will of the President of the United States.)

Here is my point:  You and I have an impact on every single one of these branches and levels of government, directly or indirectly, which determine our future – WHEN WE VOTE!

Unfortunately, many voters are confused about voting in this election, and have said they may sit out this election and not vote.  That would be catastrophic.  We must not be governed by emotions and feelings.  Rather we must look at the facts which our Voter Guides present clearlyHERE.

We must reach more Christian voters, educate them with the facts, and encourage them to vote.  This takes substantial funding.  Will you help us with a gift of any amount today?

IF WE DON’T REACH MORE CHRISTIANS, EDUCATE THEM WITH THE FACTS, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE, WE ARE CERTAIN TO LOSE MANY OF OUR RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES IN AMERICA WITHIN THE NEXT 4 YEARS.

On November 9^th, I hope we can all wake up knowing we have done everything within our power to protect religious liberty for our children and our next generation.  I hope you will join me in this effort with both PRAYER and with a GIFT of any amount today HERE.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

John Stemberger

PS:  Our impact will be limited only by our funding.  Thank you in advance for giving your best gift possible at this time, and for praying for us, our efforts, and our country!

The post It all comes down to Florida, and specifically, the I-4 Corridor appeared first on Florida Family Action.

CRITICAL FACTS YOU NEED KNOW ABOUT AMENDMENT 2 “MEDICAL MARIJUANA”

We agree there is a real need to help people suffering with debilitating medical conditions and to alleviate pain. However, the goal of Amendment 2 is not to help the sick, but to create a constitutional right to grow, sell, and consume pot. 

Pot Candy: Medicine? (30 sec)	More Pot Shops than McDonalds, Starbucks, & 7-Elevens Combined (60 sec)

Amendment 2 claims to be about legalizing just medical marijuana, but its wording amounts to the de-facto legalization of pot in Florida. 

Prominent and well-respected groups such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Epilepsy Society, Florida Medical Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Baptist Convention, Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Christian Family Coalition and Florida Family Action, among others are publicly opposing Amendment 2. Elected officials (both Republican and Democrat) have also urged a no vote on 2. And at least five former Florida Supreme Court Justices oppose Amendment 2.

Amendment 2 is bad policy for Florida. Here are five critical reasons why we believe you should VOTE NO on Amendment 2:

1. FLORIDA ALREADY HAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Florida Legislature already legalized medical marijuana. In fact, TWO different laws are actively in effect today. In 2014, Florida passed “Charlotte’s Web” allowing the use of low-THC (non-euphoric) marijuana by those suffering from cancer, seizures or severe muscle spasms and for whom no other treatment has proven effective.

In 2015, Florida’s “Right to Try Act” was amended to include medical marijuana, allowing patients with terminal conditions to access the drug without FDA approval. We recognize the real need to help people suffering with debilitating medical conditions and to alleviate pain. We believe these two EXISTING laws properly provide for these situations and that Amendment 2 is completely unnecessary.

2. FLORIDA DOES NOT NEED 2,000 POT SHOPS
If this amendment passes, within the first year approximately 2,000 “pot shops” will spring up around the state (according to estimates from Florida’s Department of Health.) This is twice the number of McDonald’s restaurants in the state of Florida.

3. ALLOWING THE SALE OF UNSAFE “EDIBLES” PUTS CHILDREN AT RISK
Amendment 2 legalizes marijuana foods (edible products laced with marijuana) which will include cookies, candies, and “pot-tarts.” These are obviously enticing to children, and in “medical” marijuana states like California, children are being rushed to the ER after unknowingly consuming marijuana in the form of candy.

States where medical marijuana is legal have been shown to have higher rates of calls to poison-control centers and ER visits by children under 9 years of age for unintentional marijuana exposure. Edible products have also caused deaths in Colorado.

4. AMENDMENT 2 WOULD PROHIBIT REGULATION OF THE POT INDUSTRY
Amendment 2 ties the hands of our elected representatives to respond to its inevitable unintended consequences. Because it grants a fundamental “constitutional right” to sell, purchase and consume marijuana, the Florida Legislature and other state regulatory bodies would be unable to pass common-sense legislation to correct problems with the amendment’s outcomes. Instead, another constitutional amendment will be necessary, a very lengthy and costly process.

This is not an issue appropriate for a Constitution, a document intended for fundamental rights and the structure of government. Florida has an unfortunate history of placing policy issues in our state Constitution – like fish net bans, pregnant pig regulations and others. The bottom line is this: drugs should not be permanently enshrined in Florida’s Constitution.

 5. INCREASED POTENCY LEVELS MEAN INCREASED HEALTH RISKS
Marijuana would not be dispensed at pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription. Instead, it would be sold by what the marijuana industry refers to as “budtenders,” with NO medical training or clinical experience required.

Further, Amendment 2 does not regulate the strength or potency of the marijuana being used. In Colorado, THC levels have increased from around 15% to more than 20%, and levels in extracted hashish or concentrates can reportedly reach 90%. There have been increased public safety incidences and the CDC warns of the “potential danger.” There is no standard amount, quality or limit to the pot that may be contained in an edible. As in other states, the wide range of marijuana products available and their increased potency would have serious public health implications for Florida.

A printable version of our “Five Critical Reasons to VOTE NO on Amendment 2” and other free voter guide resources (Candidates, Amendments, Judges, Local Races) are available at FloridaElectionCentral.com. 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!  If our voter guide resources have been helpful to you, your family and your church please consider supporting this important effort with a gift here.

The post Facts you need to know about the medical marijuana Amendment 2. Must see video. Early voting starts today. appeared first on Florida Family Action.

I will get right to the point.

If this election goes the wrong way, we may all have to return to being “Ichthus” Christians where we are sneaking around just to speak of our faith in secret because we are unable to publicly.

The ichthus, (pronounced “ikh-thoos”) the “fish symbol,” was used by Christians (as early as the 1st Century AD) to help identify with one another silently, in the hope of escaping persecution.  Christians would often draw an “ichthus” to let other Christians know that they were fellow believers of Christ and that it was safe to talk about their faith.

Fast forward to 2016…

We are on the brink of being in a similar place as the early church, where government sanctioned persecution of Christians is the norm!

And while we may not yet face physical death, we are on track to face the death of our robust religious liberty, our ability to worship, our ability to preach from the Bible, our ability to live our lives and run our businesses according to Scripture and speak of our faith publicly.  After our rights are stripped, the consequences and the persecution will come.

If we are going to stop this from happening, we need your help today. 

Would you invest with a sacrificial gift now to help our election efforts to preserve religious liberty? 

Time is short, with less than 3 weeks left until the election.

We must ACT NOW if we are going to thwart, stop or hopefully reverse this devastating course our culture is on.

Evidence that the persecution and attempted eradication of our faith has already begun:

• In Iowa and Massachusetts, Christian churches are being told they are now public accommodations and need to comply with non-discrimination laws as it relates to transgender use of showers, locker rooms and bathrooms.  These anti-liberty sexual orientation and gender identity, or SOGI, laws in state civil rights codes (exactly like the Florida Competitive Workforce Act which will be proposed again in 2017) are creating the problems and could grant government a “green light to directly regulate churches.”  This is outrageous but it’s exactly where the battle is headed—inside the walls of your local church.

• In Pennsylvania, the Senate Labor and Industry Committee recently held a hearing on a bill which would make it illegal for religious churches, schools and other religious organizations to only hire employees that agree with the religious organization’s teaching on sexuality, marriage and gender. Our opponents are pushing hard for this.

• In California, three faith-based crisis pregnancy centers are in the middle of a legal battle to continue to operate according to their faith by offering resources, counseling, advice and alternatives to abortion.  The State of California is requiring them to post agovernment-approved message – promoting free or low cost access to “family planning” (or ABORTION!) or be fined $500 for the first violation and $1,000 for each additional violation. This law was just upheld by the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Christian business owners providing goods and services to weddings throughout our country are being attacked by SOGI laws which enable gay activists to slap businesses with costly lawsuits and fines for simply living out their faith, if they choose not to celebrate or participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies with their creative and artistic services.

• Business owners, corporations, and organizations which provide health insurance to their employees are being forced to pay for abortions or abortifacient drugs throughObamacare, regardless of their, or the employees,’ religious beliefs that all life is sacred. Any disagreement or failure to comply is met with government imposed fines and penalties.

If you disagree with this encroachment on our religious liberty, would you stand with us today and help us preserve this precious right with a secure online gift?

Did you notice the consistent government enforcer in the examples above?

… legal battle in a US District Court  (DISTRICT COURTS) which could grant government a green light to regulate churches

… Senate Labor and Industry Committee  (THE STATE LEGISLATURE)

… government approved message  (by THE STATE)

… federal government mandated “Affordable Care Act” or “Obamacare”.  (OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT carrying out the will of the President of the United States.)

Here is my point:  You and I have an impact on every single one of these branches and levels of government, directly or indirectly, which determine our future – WHEN WE VOTE!

Unfortunately, many voters are confused about voting in this election, and have said they may sit out this election and not vote.  That would be catastrophic.  We must not be governed by emotions and feelings.  Rather we must look at the facts which our Voter Guides present clearlyHERE.

We must reach more Christian voters, educate them with the facts, and encourage them to vote.  This takes substantial funding.  Will you help us with a gift of any amount today?

IF WE DON’T REACH MORE CHRISTIANS, EDUCATE THEM WITH THE FACTS, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VOTE, WE ARE CERTAIN TO LOSE MANY OF OUR RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES IN AMERICA WITHIN THE NEXT 4 YEARS.

On November 9^th, I hope we can all wake up knowing we have done everything within our power to protect religious liberty for our children and our next generation.  I hope you will join me in this effort with both PRAYER and with a GIFT of any amount today HERE.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

John Stemberger

PS:  Our impact will be limited only by our funding.  Thank you in advance for giving your best gift possible at this time, and for praying for us, our efforts, and our country!

The post We may all become ichthus Christians if… appeared first on Florida Family Action.

The Florida Family Policy Council and Lifebridge church (formerly Harvest Bible) will be hosting a Pastors Conference and Community forum in Windermere on Tuesday, October 4 entitled “An Honest Discussion about a Difficult Election.”

The pastors conference will focus on how you can guide your congregation in the Christian duty to vote, and the forum will focus on how believers are to choose to vote when the choices aren’t clear.

The pastors conference will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and a community forum on this topic will be held that evening from 7p.m. to 8:30p.m.

Register for the Pastors Conference HERE.

Register for the Community Forum HERE.

Address & Directions:
Lifebridge Church
12120 Chase Rd
Windermere, FL 34786

The post Oct 4 Event: An Honest Discussion about a Difficult Election! appeared first on Florida Family Action.

The post FFA Celebrates Official Opening of 2016 Field Offices appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Palm Beach Field Office
Sue Trombino, Field Director
The FFA office is inside Women Impacting the Nation at
500 NE Spanish River Blvd, Suite 29-30
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: (561) 239-8847
Email: suet@floridafamilyaction.org

The post Volunteer at Florida Family Action’s 2016 Field Offices appeared first on Florida Family Action.

Please post this email on your Facebook page and forward it to all your family and friends and anyone you know in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Florida. See tools for forwarding above and below and reposting on social media at the top left side of this email.

The post ICYMI: 3 Questions Evangelicals Should Ask Donald Trump: CNN appeared first on Florida Family Action.