The Energizer Bunny would drop in exhaustion if it had to keep up with Manny Fernandez. He’s a full-time junior majoring in history at FIU. He serves as Chair of the DEC Interclub Council Committee and as the Communications Committee member responsible for posting on the DEC Instagram account. He gives advice on procedural matters as Parliamentarian of the Kendall Dems. And, to top it all off, at age 20, he is very likely the youngest elected official in Miami-Dade County. Yes, call him the Honorable Manny Fernandez, elected unopposed in August 2024 as the Community Council 11 member representing Subarea 116.

The Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee joins with all those who honor the courage and grit of civil rights pioneers in mourning the passing of longtime DEC member Dr. Mae Christian (1945-2025).

Dr. Christian, recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2016 for her contributions as a “Foot Soldier” during the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, was selected as a Floor Whip during the 2008 and 2012 National Democratic Conventions. Locally, she played an active role in community affairs and in Democratic Party leadership, serving at one time as President of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Black Caucus.

On Sunday, September 14th, I joined Glenna Milberg for This Week in South Florida alongside my Republican counterpart. The segment was meant to focus on something critically important: toning down the divisive, polarizing, and all too often dehumanizing rhetoric that has become pervasive in our politics, especially as political violence escalates across the country.

That’s why I invited my counterpart to join me in a joint statement condemning political violence and inflammatory rhetoric. Because words matter. Words can save lives, or they can end them.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF CHAIR KELLEY ON THIS WEEK IN SOUTH FLORIDA

By Nancy Lawther, Ph.D., DEC Legislative Liaison Chair

COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL:

“Alligator Alcatraz”: Citing an executive order signed in 2023, the administration of Governor DeSantis abruptly seized control of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport and hastily transformed it into a migrant detention center for up to 3000 detainees. The facility is being used to showcase the Governor’s support for the Trump Administration’s plans to deport massive numbers of immigrants. It was built over the immediate and vociferous objections of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Native American community leaders, and numerous environmental and human rights organizations concerned about damage to environmentally sensitive Everglades lands and mistreatment of detainees.

At 93½ years old, Ann Bregman Rascoe proves that it’s never too late to act for democracy. A new but already invaluable volunteer with the Miami-Dade Dems, Ann, joined our phone bank because she deeply cares about helping Democrats vote.

“I’ve always felt I need to be doing whatever I can to help elect the candidates I prefer,” she says. 

Ann has mastered the art of the automated dialer and does all her calls from her cell phone! In just two phone banks with the DEC, she has conducted nearly 60 meaningful conversations with our Miami-Dade voters, making her one of our most productive volunteers.

Michael Joseph, Esq.— First Elected Black and Haitian-American Mayor of North Miami Beach

History has shown us that although each generation has its own challenges, it also has its own purpose. Today, as Americans, as a beautifully diverse community, and as a people who believe in justice and equality, we are living in a time where our democracy is being tested — but it is not broken. In fact, it is growing stronger through the active participation and resilience of each one of us.

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Madeleine Shirley,  the Chair of the Voter Registration Committee for the DEC, has dedicated 10+ years to volunteering for various organizations throughout Florida to register voters and protect their right to cast a ballot. This year alone, she has spearheaded over 50 voter registration drives on behalf of the DEC, assisted with similar efforts by the Coral Gables Dems, and cheered on other groups like the Democratic Senior Caucus and the Miami Gardens Dems, equally committed to registering voters. The effort is particularly timely, since Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia purged the active voter rolls of more than 100,000 Democrats in May.