Warns of Disproportionate Impact on Women, Families, and Frontline Communities Across Florida

Orlando, FL — Florida NOW is sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s unprecedented $1 billion cut to the National Park Service (NPS), which is already gutting staffing and services across Florida’s most iconic and ecologically vital parklands. These cuts threaten not only the environment, but also the livelihoods, health, and safety of women and families who rely on parks for jobs, education, and climate resilience.

“Florida’s national parks are more than scenic landscapes—they’re lifelines for working families, frontline communities, and endangered ecosystems,” said Julie Kent, President of Florida NOW. “Slashing their budgets is a direct attack on environmental justice and economic stability.”

The impact is already being felt:

• Everglades National Park has laid off at least 12 staff members, reducing capacity for wildlife protection and visitor services
• Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge lost 25% of its team, including manatee rescue personnel
• Climate adaptation funding—critical for flood mitigation and habitat restoration—has been cut by more than half

Florida’s national parks draw millions of visitors annually, fueling local economies in Homestead, Everglades City, Crystal River, and beyond. These cuts jeopardize tourism, shutter educational programs, and leave vulnerable species—including manatees, sea turtles, and panthers—without adequate protection.

Women are disproportionately impacted:

• Many park employees are women in education, hospitality, and conservation roles
• Families lose access to free recreation and learning opportunities
• Low-income and rural communities face increased barriers to nature, health, and safety

“This is not just a budget issue, but rather a values issue. I treasure my experiences in National Parks across the country. They are the people’s assets. National Parks were already underfunded and now the ridiculously severe cuts, $1B, will dramatically reduce support of National Parks.” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “When we defund our parks, we defund our future.”

Florida NOW calls on Congress, state leaders, and local officials to reject these cuts and invest in a park system that reflects our commitment to our most valuable assets, equity, sustainability, and community well-being.

About Florida NOW

Florida NOW is a statewide feminist organization committed to intersectional advocacy, systemic change, and the protection of women’s rights, health, and safety. We fight for policies that center equity, science, and justice.

Orlando, FL — The Florida chapter of the National Organization for Women (FL NOW) joins global human rights advocates in condemning the Trump administration’s aggressive military deployment to Venezuela and the Caribbean. Framed as a counter-narcotics operation, this escalation is a thinly veiled attempt to destabilize sovereign nations, criminalize migration, and expand U.S. imperial reach under the guise of national security.

“This is not about drug interdiction—it’s about domination,” said Julie Kent, President of FL NOW. “We reject the militarization of foreign policy and the weaponization of the drug war to justify intervention in Latin America. These tactics echo a long legacy of colonial violence and racialized control.”

The deployment includes warships, submarines, and thousands of Marines stationed near Venezuelan waters, despite UN data showing minimal drug trafficking through the region. Meanwhile, the administration has doubled the bounty on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, escalating tensions without a clear diplomatic strategy.

FL NOW calls for:

• Immediate demilitarization of the Caribbean region
• Investment in diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and climate resilience
• An end to the criminalization of migration and the militarization of borders
• Accountability for U.S. interventions that violate international law and human rights

“We stand with Afro-Caribbean, Indigenous, and Latino/a communities resisting militarism and extraction,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “Our liberation is bound together. We demand a foreign policy rooted in justice, not conquest. Bullying and Wars are unacceptable especially for women and children suffer the most from the crimes of war.”

FL NOW urges elected officials, advocacy organizations, and everyday Floridians to speak out against this dangerous escalation and to build coalitions that center peace, sovereignty, and abolitionist values.

Proposed Rule Would Strip Overtime and Minimum Wage Protections from Over 1.5 Million Workers—More Than 80% Women

Orlando, FL – The Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW) strongly condemns the Trump Department of Labor’s proposed rule to roll back basic wage protections for home care workers, a move that would slash pay for more than 1.5 million workers nationwide—overwhelmingly women, and disproportionately women of color.

The rule would rescind a 2015 Obama-era regulation that guaranteed minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers employed by third-party agencies.

Without it, employers could legally pay these essential workers less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and deny them overtime pay, even as they work grueling schedules caring for the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill.

Care workers even paid at the ridiculously low Federal Minimum Wage can’t make enough money to support housing, food, transportation. All of them fall into the poverty category.

“This is a direct assault on women’s economic security and on the dignity of care work,” said Julie Kent, President of FL NOW. “These workers were called heroes during the pandemic. Now, the Trump administration is telling them their labor is worth less than the bare minimum.”

The Stakes for Florida

• Florida’s aging population is growing faster than the national average, increasing demand for home care services.
• Care workers here already earn poverty wages—many live below the federal poverty line despite full-time work.
• Rolling back protections will deepen the care crisis, drive workers from the field, and harm families who depend on them.

A Reverse Robin Hood

Private equity firms and large home care agencies have posted record profits since the 2015 rule took effect, proving they can thrive while paying fair wages. This rollback would funnel even more money to corporate executives while taking it directly from the pockets of women who can least afford it.

FL NOW’s Call to Action

FL NOW urges Florida’s congressional delegation, state legislators, and the public to:

1. Oppose the repeal of the 2015 home care rule.
2. Support federal and state legislation guaranteeing fair pay, overtime, and benefits for all care workers.
3. Invest in the care economy as essential infrastructure for Florida’s families and economy.

“Care work is the work that makes all other work possible,” said Debbie Deland VP of FL NOW. “We will not stand by while this administration devalues women’s labor and pushes more families deeper into poverty. Please note that even paying the Federal minimum wage means care workers live at a poverty level. The Federal minimum wage is outrageously low.
This rule change is cruel.”

About FL NOW The Florida National Organization for Women is the state’s largest feminist advocacy organization, fighting for gender equity, reproductive freedom, racial justice, and economic security for all women.