Even when the cost of living is high and the political landscape in Florida is poor (or depressing), there’s one aspect of Orlando that buckles people in. It’s the sense of community here, and the knowledge that those who advocate for others — especially those who are marginalized or more likely to be left behind — will step up.
At Orlando Weekly, we try to keep an eye out for important efforts by advocates and activists in the Orlando area who lend a helping hand in meaningful ways, with or without government support.
Here are just five examples (not nearly a comprehensive list) from the last year:
1. The Farmworker Association of Florida: Fighting wage theft among agricultural and immigrant workers
Florida is home to the nation’s third-largest workforce, and yet, since 2002, Florida has lacked a state department of labor — because Florida lawmakers and Jeb Bush abolished it. Along with other responsibilities that have since been similarly pushed under the rug, privatized or handed off to federal agencies, that department used to investigate complaints of wage theft among workers. Today, the state Attorney General is the only state official authorized to investigate complaints of minimum wage violations in Florida and enforce Florida’s wage floor, and public records show this largely does not happen. This leaves a patchwork made up of of local government-run wage recovery programs and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which is suffering from near historically low staffing levels (and also isn’t focused only on Florida). They do what they can. To help connect them with some of the state’s most vulnerable workers, including immigrants, the Farmworker Association of Florida in Apopka is one community nonprofit that steps in to fight wage theft. They’ve done this for years, as an organization that actively connects with and empowers mostly-Hispanic and Black workers in the agricultural industry — an industry that’s high-risk for wage and child labor violations.
2. Central Florida Jobs With Justice: Organizing to cancel medical debt
Central Florida Jobs With Justice, a coalition of groups connected to a national labor organization affiliate, passionately advocates for a number of issues affecting Central Florida, including climate justice, as well as showing up to picket lines when local workers need a show of support from the community. This year, however, they also prioritized an initiative to leverage a portion of Orange County’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars to cancel county residents’ medical debt — arguing that doing so would be an important way to help working-class people who, often through no fault of their own, find themselves injured or sick and saddled with debt for simply requiring medical care. Central Florida Jobs With Justice built out a campaign with relevant talking points and empowered local residents and activists to speak in front of the County Commission about why this was an important issue. Ultimately, through connecting county officials with Undue Medical Debt — a nonprofit that’s worked with other municipalities and states across the U.S. on similar initiatives — advocates successfully persuaded county commissioners to use $4.5 million in ARPA funds to eliminate an estimated $424 million in medical debt for more than 150,000 individuals and families in Orange County over the next two years.
3. Peer Support Space: Offering a safe, supportive space for people who need a break
Let’s face it: It’s been a tough year. Maybe a few tough years, actually. Especially so for LGBTQ+ folks, those of us struggling to make ends meet, or those of us with pre-existing depression, anxiety or other mental health challenges that have been exacerbated by state and federal politics and the material impact of that on our day-to-day lives. Peer Support Space, a local LGBTQ-led nonprofit, was able to realize a long-term goal this year by opening up the region’s first peer respite center, funded in part by the Orange County government as well as private donors. Eva’s Casita is a small residence south of downtown Orlando that offers a comfortable, non-medical setting for people who just need to get away for a few days and regroup. It’s not a hospital or a homeless shelter, but it is staffed with at least one peer specialist, 24/7. It’s meant for consenting adults 18 or over who are struggling with non-urgent mental health challenges. There are more than 40 similar centers across the country, according to founder-director Yasmin Flasterstein, but this is really the first of its kind in Florida, and the first in the nation that is LGBTQ-led. It’s inclusive, no-cost and accessible, with features such as a ramp, a kitchen faucet that can turn on and off with the wave of a hand, and a microwave located at knee level. There may be a waitlist (fair enough), but it’s one example of a local nonprofit making space for those who may be looking for a sign they’re not alone.
4. SkateBud: Empowering at-risk youth through skating
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to cut through the trials and tribulations of youth and bring them out on the other side — especially for kids with difficult upbringings. Sometimes more creative, less traditional solutions are needed, particularly in underserved communities. That’s the argument of SkateBud, a nonprofit led by local couple (and California transplants) Tiffany and Zach Moldof that has advocated to improve local skate parks in Orlando and Orange County as a way to uplift at-risk youth. Their campaign, Legalize Wheels, is about empowering youth through skating, which Zach argues can be more accessible and helpful than competitive sports, which pit kids against each other and rely on scoring, wins and losses — unlike skating. Skate Bud’s advocacy-focused programming is multi-pronged: They provide free skateboards to kids, teach free skating lessons, and offer mentorship for personal and career development. As someone who struggled to find his path in life after a troubled childhood, Moldof recognizes how important a helping hand can be. Earlier this year, they worked with State Rep. Anna Eskamani to request state art and culture funds to help support their programming in the Orlando area. Gov. Ron DeSantis, however, rejected all of state lawmakers’ arts and culture grant requests this year in a surprise move impacting more than 600 arts groups and facilities — including SkateBud.
5. Homeless Services Network of Central Florida: Empowering young, formerly homeless young adults to advocate for others
An annual point-in-time count conducted in mid-2024 found that more than 1,200 people in the Central Florida region lacked shelter on a given night. That’s a more than 100 percent increase from last year, according to the Homeless Services Network, a regional nonprofit that facilitated the count. While the HSN already has established programs to provide temporary and permanent supportive housing to vulnerable folks in our community, this year (thanks largely to funds from the federal government), the nonprofit was able to officially launch a new initiative — Brighter Days — aimed at housing and empowering youth and young adults with lived experience of housing instability. Through the HSN, one of the young adults involved in the new initiative, Yasmine Arencibia, was able to find a temporary, safe place to live after living out of her car. Although she worked as a shift manager at McDonald’s, she wasn’t making enough to make ends meet. She became homeless at 19, and was able to connect with local homeless service resources at 23. Today, she works for AmeriCorps and advocates for other youth and young adults who are either in a similar position to where she was, or at risk of getting there. “I want to be that blessing to somebody. I want to be that hope for somebody that I didn’t have years ago,” she told us, back in May.
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This article appears in Jan 1-7, 2025.