H C B A
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
Go rd o n Hi l l - Hi l l Wa rd He n d e r s o n
Continued from page 4
In short, the CRC is tackling issues that significantly
impact the lives of all Floridians.
I am proud that three local lawyers have prominent
roles on the CRC — Attorney General Pam Bondi,
former Senator Arthenia Joyner, and Immediate Past
President of The Florida Bar Bill Schifino, Jr. We as
lawyers should follow their lead and get involved.
First, lawyers can help by educating the public about
this process and how private citizens can make their voices
heard. A recent poll revealed that eight out of 10
Floridians have never even heard of the CRC, while
another showed that nine out of 10 do not know what the
CRC does. Lawyers can take the lead in fixing that, and
The Florida Bar has made it easy by helping to launch a
public education program called “Protect Florida
Democracy.” Visit https://protectfldemocracy.org and
www.floridabar.org/public/crc to learn more about how
you can get involved.
Second, study the proposals under consideration by
visiting the CRC’s website at http://flcrc.gov. The
website does an excellent job of categorizing and
summarizing each proposal and includes links to redline
mark-ups of each proposed amendment. Then, contact
the Commissioners and make your voice heard and
encourage others to do the same. Each Commissioner’s
contact information is on the CRC website. You can also
attend one of the CRC’s public hearings — to be
scheduled in February or March.
Obviously, the CRC amendment process is of critical
importance to the Bar, the judiciary, and all Floridians.
We as lawyers have an opportunity to take an important
leadership role in educating the public and influencing
the CRC process. I challenge all of you to engage and
make a difference.
JAN - FEB 2018
|
HCBA LAWYER
Volunteers packing food for local children through
the End 68 Hours of Hunger program
LawYers Doing gooD in the CoMMunitY
as promised, i am closing each of my articles by telling the
story of attorneys who have gone above and beyond in their civic
involvement. in 2014, Carol LoCicero and bob kline founded the
tampa branch of end 68 hours of hunger — a nonprofit charity
that collects and delivers non-perishable food to children in
need. after recognizing that a staggering percentage of children
in public schools do not know if they will have food for dinner
on any given night, Carol and bob launched the only florida
branch of this national organization. each friday, the program
delivers food to over 200 children in approximately 10 schools.
in 2016, approximately 13,000 meals were delivered.
to learn more about this incredible program, visit
www.end68hoursofhunger.org/find-your-community/florida/tampa
or www.facebook.com/end68hoursofhungertampa. Please consider
making a donation (100 percent of the proceeds go to the kids) or
volunteering to pack or deliver food. the time commitment is
minimal – only about one to two hours per week. thank you bob
and Carol for your outstanding work in the community!
5