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.