Florida News Straight From the Source
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam will be joined by Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas tomorrow in Clearwater, Fla. to make an announcement regarding concealed weapon licenses.
Event: Press event regarding concealed weapon licenses
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2017
Time: 11 a.m.
Location: Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office
315 Court St., 4th Floor
Clearwater, Florida 33756
The Jay Fant Campaign for Attorney General today announced the support of three of his fellow House members from North and Northeast Florida. Representatives Chuck Clemons, Jason Fischer, and Bobby Payne join a number of Central Florida House members who announced their endorsement of Fant last week.
“I’m honored to add these colleagues and friends to the list of leaders backing our campaign,” said Fant. “They are conservatives with a vision to improve our schools, create jobs, and keep us safe. I look forward to continuing to work with them in our drive to make Florida the best economy in the world.”
Clemons and Payne represent districts that include all or parts of seven counties in the heart of North Florida. Fischer represents part of Duval County.
Fant has represented District 15 in the Florida House since 2014.
ON THE WEB: www.JayFant.com
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is hosting a public hearing, as part of the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for proposed improvements to State Road (SR) 29 from CR 80A (Cowboy Way) to CR 731 (Whidden Road) in Hendry and Glades Counties, Florida. The project consists of widening SR 29 to four-lanes within the project limits, including the addition of a new bridge over the Caloosahatchee River.
The public hearing will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at LaBelle Civic Center, 481 Highway 80 West (behind City Hall), LaBelle, FL, 33935.
An open house begins at 5 p.m. where people can view the recommended conceptual plans, draft project documents and other project-related materials. Department representatives will be available beginning at 5 p.m. to discuss the project and answer questions. The formal portion of the hearing will begin at 6 p.m., and will include introductory remarks by the hearing moderator, a video presentation describing the project, and a public comment period. Written comments will also be accepted. Following the formal portion, the informal open house will resume and continue until 7 p.m.
The draft project documents and other information are available for public review through July 10, 2017 at the Barron Library, 461 N Main Street, LaBelle. Business hours are: Monday & Thursday – 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on the project website.
This hearing offers people the opportunity to express their views about the location; conceptual design; and social, economic, and environmental effects of the widening of SR 29 to four-lanes, including the addition of a new bridge over the Caloosahatchee River.
FDOT representatives will be present to answer questions prior to and following the formal portion of the hearing. Interested parties may submit written comments at the hearing or at a later date to Ms. Gwen G. Pipkin, FDOT Project Manager at 801 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, FL 33830, by telephone at 863-519-2375 or toll-free at 1-800-292-3368 Ext. 2375, or by email to [email protected]. All exhibits or statements postmarked on or before July 10, 2017 will become part of the public hearing record.
The lifetime writings of Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler, an acclaimed author and professor at Florida State University, are moving in with the collections of some of history’s greatest writers.
Yale University’s prestigious Beinecke Library, which holds one of the largest archives of rare books and manuscripts in the world, has purchased Butler’s literary archive. The collection will open to researchers by fall 2018.
Butler has earned many writing awards, including the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his book of short stories “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain,” but this career acknowledgment is especially sweet.
“If I had to choose between another major book award and my archive finding this particular home, I would choose the Beinecke,” Butler said. “The Beinecke is forever.”
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is home to personal papers and original manuscripts of some of the most gifted writers in history: James Joyce, Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, Sinclair Lewis, D.H. Lawrence, Marcel Proust, Joseph Conrad, Ezra Pound and many more.
“We are delighted to be acquiring the papers of Robert Olen Butler, a writer renowned for his lyricism and deep empathy,” said Melissa Barton, curator of drama and prose at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. “Though we would not want to limit his output to his writing on Vietnam, we remain thrilled that his papers will join those of many other veterans and war writers in the Collection of American Literature, including James Jones, John Hersey and Yusef Komunyakaa. Together, these writers’ papers form a tremendous trove of experience around the human response to conflict and atrocities.”
The unique library, designed in the 1960s with translucent marble panels shielding books by day and glowing amber by night, has been described as a laboratory for the humanities shaped like a jewel box. It is a top research library for scholars seeking to better understand an author’s entire body of work.
“This thing we call literary fiction, if it’s done right — as art — then it’s built to endure,” said Butler, who remarkably is a mostly self-taught writer. “If we intend to speak to people about our shared human condition in a way that can be understood for eternity, then you rely on scholars in a place like the Beinecke to secure and curate your legacy. If you want a scholar to find you in America, there is no better place to be than the Beinecke.”
Butler and his former graduate assistant Spencer Wise spent four years organizing virtually “every scrap” of paper that Butler had scribbled on and saved since he was a child. When they packed up all of his manuscripts, memories and musings, it filled 136 boxes.
Scholars will find a rare mountain of material offering a treasure trove of unvarnished insights about Butler’s creative genius and life.
His archive contains five handwritten, unpublished novels; four unpublished collections of short stories; 12 unproduced, unpublished, full-length plays; research and drafts of his 23 published books, including 16 published novels, six published volumes of short stories, a widely influential book on the creative process; personal correspondence; photos of his family and military service in Vietnam; and gigabytes of data on hard drives.
Now, Butler is able to witness his life’s work find a permanent home in New Haven, Conn., and that’s profoundly satisfying.
“At age 72,” Butler said, “with the inevitable intimations of mortality that one gets, the Beinecke buying my archive and putting their imprimatur on the work I have done is rather like how one might look into the face of your own child who has grown up to be a wonderful man.”
Even as a child, Butler had a creative flair. His mother enjoyed telling a story about him as a toddler.
“I was babbling away in my crib one day and she came into my room and asked what I was doing. I told her that ‘I was pulling a movie out of the wall.’”
Butler has been pulling movies out of the wall ever since.
In first grade, he wrote his first story, “The Hard Bullet,” about a law-abiding cowboy who tracked down and captured a corrupt crook. In fifth grade, he wrote “23 Flights,” about an aerial battle between a U.S. Air Force F-86 Sabrejet and a Soviet Union-built MiG-15. Both stories are in the archive.
Paying attention to that “inner movie” is the focus of a writing class that Butler has taught at Florida State. It trains writers to tune into their “cinema of the mind” and subconscious “dream space.” The workshop produced his only nonfiction book, “From Where You Dream,” about the craft of writing literary fiction.
Spencer Wise, who now lectures in FSU’s English department, is certain his mentor would have been hugely successful at whatever career he pursued.
“He is so motivated and brilliant,” said Wise, who holds a doctorate in creating writing from Florida State and will have his dissertation published by HarperCollins. “He was first in his class at Northwestern University. More than anything, he’s a born storyteller. While I was working for him, whenever I’d bring up a detail from the archive, he’d respond with some amazing story.”
Wise added: “He would’ve been a success in whatever he chose to do, especially if it was narrative-driven. Even, say, telling stories about products; he could’ve written great ad copy if he wanted. He has such an intense focus he can turn on for a project. Once he does, the work is done beautifully.”
As Butler joins a club of literary giants at the Beinecke, he is proud of his long tenure at Florida State — 17 years and counting — as well as his colleagues. He has written more than half of his books in Tallahassee and is grateful for the creative spirit and congeniality he’s enjoyed here.
“You do not endure without the help of the kind of folks who are in our English department,” Butler said. “They are brilliant scholars and inspired writers, and they are an unending inspiration to be around.”
Butler, ever the passionate narrative artist, is still adding to his archive. Right now, he’s working on his next novel, mining that place from where he dreams, and pulling another movie out of the wall.
“Yes,” Butler said, “I do love to write.”
Last night Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam was presented with the 2017 US Water Prize in acknowledgement of his leadership on water issues in Florida. The prize was award by the US Water Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the nation about the true value of water and advancing policies and programs that manage water resources to advance a better quality of life for everyone.
The US Water Alliance honored three organizations and, for the first time, two individuals for advancing innovative solutions to the nation’s water challenges. The seventh annual awards ceremony took place during the 2017 One Water Summit in New Orleans on Tuesday, June 27.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in Florida. With a growing demand on our limited water resources, we could be California right now. But with strong, conservative leadership here in Florida, we’ve taken proactive measures to meet the needs of our state by growing our water supply and improving the health of our lakes, springs and rivers. However, there’s more work to do.
“We must protect our water quality and quantity in order to accommodate our explosive population growth, to promote prosperity, and to preserve the invaluable natural resources that make Florida so unique.
“Florida’s population is projected to reach 35 million by 2070. With additional stresses on our water supply, it’s imperative that we remain focused on comprehensive and long-term solutions to our water challenges.”
Commissioner Adam H. Putnam has long-prioritized addressing the state’s water challenges. Over the course of his career, he has:
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com
One of UCF Professor Stella Sung’s longtime dreams has been to have one of her musical compositions performed on a national stage – and this summer she will achieve that goal when the National Symphony Orchestra plays one of her songs at a Labor Day concert to be broadcast from the U.S. Capitol lawn.
John Morris Russell, guest conductor for the NSO and conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, selected The Peace Corps from Sung’s Rockwell Reflections collection to play at the annual event. He also will conduct the piece at a Fourth of July celebration in Cincinnati.
“It just feels so amazing to finally have that dream come true,” said Sung, who also is director of the Center for Research and Education in Arts, Technology and Entertainment (CREATE) at the university’s downtown Center for Emerging Media.
Sung wrote the Rockwell Reflections collection for the Orlando Philharmonic in 2007. At that time, a collection of paintings by artist Norman Rockwell was touring the country and Sung became so inspired she created orchestral pieces for five of his works.
The Peace Corps was the final composition in the set and inspired by a painting of President John F. Kennedy with a group of the organization’s volunteers.
“It’s a very inspiring illustration, it just personifies that really wonderful American spirit and hope and service because that’s what the Peace Corps was all about,” Sung said. “This piece is reflective of those Peace Corps feelings.”
Russell said Sung’s composition was inspiring.
“It has the grand, open sonorities reminiscent of Copland, an epic scope worthy of John Williams, capped by a beloved melody by Irving Berlin,” Russell said. “It is as American as apple pie: inspirational and stirring.”
Sung’s music has been played all around the world by a multitude of different orchestras such as the German Ministry of Culture, the Dayton (Ohio) Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and others.
“I really am forever indebted to all the other orchestras, the youth orchestras, the university orchestras, regional orchestras, that have played my music,” Sung said. “I owe a debt of gratitude to all my colleagues and musicians because you can’t start with major orchestras. You build and have those years of support and it has finally come to fruition.
“This is one of my favorite pieces. Even if it doesn’t get played by another orchestra, I’ll be really happy with how everything turned out.”
The Florida Department of Education released school grades for the 2016-17 school year and applauded Florida’s students and educators for contributing to significant improvement over last year.
Governor Rick Scott said, “When I was growing up, I had access to a great public education which helped me achieve my goals and build a great career. Every student in Florida deserves the same opportunity. Floridians should be proud of the continuous improvement of our K-12 schools. I am thankful for the dedicated teachers, students and parents who work every day to advance education in our schools.”
“I am incredibly proud of our state’s students, parents, teachers and leaders for their hard work, which led to these exceptional outcomes,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. “Today’s announcement is further evidence that Florida’s accountability system is integral to ensuring all students have access to the high-quality education they deserve. It is particularly important in identifying low-performing schools that need additional assistance to help their students reach their full potential. I am proud that more than two-thirds of the schools that were being monitored through the school improvement program improved to a C or better.”
The Florida Department of Education calculates school grades annually based on up to 11 components, including student achievement and learning gains on statewide, standardized assessments and high school graduation rate. School grades provide parents and the general public an easily understandable way to measure the performance of a school and understand how well each school is serving its students.
Statewide Highlights
Low-Performing Schools
In addition to school grades, the department also calculates district grades annually based on the same criteria. Eight school districts improved their district grade from a “B” in 2015-16 to an “A” in 2016-17, and 10 school districts improved their district grade from a “C” in 2015-16 to a “B” in 2016-17. Forty-eight of Florida’s 67 school districts are now graded “A” or “B,” up from 38 in 2015-16. Additionally, 50 of Florida’s school districts have no “F” graded schools in 2016-17.
For more information about school grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.
For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit www.fldoe.org.
The Florida Lottery announces that Jeffrey Puleski, 54, trustee of “The Puleski Family Trust Made June 20, 2017,” of North Fort Myers, claimed a top prize in the MONOPOLY™ $5,000,000 FLORIDA EDITION Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
The Puleski Family Trust Made June 20, 2017, chose to receive the winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $3.84 million. The winning ticket was purchased from Publix, located at 6700 Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers. The retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $20 Scratch-Off game, MONOPOLY $5,000,000 FLORIDA EDITION, launched in July 2016, and features more than $346 million in prizes, including six top prizes of $5,000,000 and 20 prizes of $1 million! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.97.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 65 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $734 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2015-16.
Two UCF alumni and a student each earned first place in a competition that stretched their statistical math skills to come up with better resources to help people visiting theme parks avoid long lines.
Kanak Choudhury ‘17, Taha Mokfi ’17 and statistical computing major Phuong Pho competed individually in Touring Plans’ Big Data Challenge. The contest challenged college students to build statistical models that would predict the wait times for multiple Walt Disney World attractions up to a year in advance. The rides included Splash Mountain, Soarin’ and others. They each will receive from $500 to $1,500 depending on the success of the final models submitted.
The students had to use Big Data to do solve the problem. The information included thousands of files containing wait times for each of the attractions over several years, opening and closing times, temperature records and more.
Pho, a graduate teaching assistant in the economics department, said the project was one of the most time-consuming he’s worked on. He said he tried numerous statistical models until he found one that worked.
“I really enjoyed the Big Data Challenge because it gave me a great opportunity to apply the modelling methodology I learned in school to real-life problems,” he said. “It’s satisfying when you find the meaningful function form or the interaction that improved the predictability of the model.”
Choudhury, who will pursue a doctoral degree in statistics at Iowa State University this fall, said “It was a really challenging task to find the best model due to large and complicated data. Strong statistical experience helped me to apply the necessary techniques to decipher some of the numbers.”
Mokfi, a statistical computing graduate, used predictive models to accomplish the objective. He said he combined five different models.
“Without having enough theoretical background, no one can be successful in such competitions,” Mokfi said. “UCF offers various courses about data mining and machine learning and these courses can be excellent resources for learning big data methodologies.”
Mokfi is now employed in Hartford, Connecticut, as a data science analyst for Aetna insurance company.
The competition is another example of the power big data yields in helping business and in this case families, plan for the future. A family with young children visiting a theme park for example could use predictive information to plan their day by either avoiding peak waiting times for the children’s favorite rides or by preparing by making sure to have lunch before a long wait.
But big data is still an evolving field and the companies providing these services are looking for talent, especially people who can come up with more efficient and creative approaches.
Touring Plans is a national company that provides park information – including wait times – for tourist attractions via an app. Touring Plans and the UCF Department of Statistics sponsored the competition. The three UCF winners said they are scheduled to meet with Touring Plans officials to discuss the possibility of incorporating one or more of the models on the company’s app.
At tonight’s meeting, the Wellington Village Council enacted an ordinance protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) youth from the dangerous practice of conversion therapy. The ban goes into effect immediately.
Sometimes known as “reparative therapy” or “sexual orientation change efforts”, conversion therapy encompasses a range of discredited counseling practices by which health care providers or counselors seek to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through aversion treatment.
The ban applies to doctors, osteopaths, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage or family therapists and licensed counselors throughout Wellington. However, it does not apply to members of the clergy unless they are also state-licensed mental health professionals.
Vice Mayor John T. McGovern, Councilmen Michael J. Napoleone and Councilwoman Tanya Siskind voted to enact the ban on conversion therapy for minors.
Mayor Anne Gerwig and Councilman Michael Drahos cast the two votes against the ban.
Although a village, Wellington is Palm Beach County’s fifth largest municipality, a population of more than 62,500 residents.
The conversion therapy ban was enacted at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC), the county’s most effective civil rights organization. Over the past 29 years, the independent non-profit organization has succeeded in having local public officials enact 120 laws and policies providing equal rights, benefits and protection for the LGBTQ community. To date, PBCHRC has been responsible for the enactment of similar conversion therapy bans in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Riviera Beach.
PBCHRC Board Member Meredith Ockman focussed on the need to protect children from practitioners of conversion therapy.
“Kids are almost always forced into conversion therapy by parents who find it impossible to accept the fact that their children identify as gay or lesbian,” said Ockman. “People need to know this so-called therapy can have life-threatening consequences.”
“Tonight, Wellington took a strong stand to protect the village’s LGBTQ youth from the psychological and physical abuses related to conversion therapy,” said PBCHRC Vice President Carly Cass.
PBCHRC is partnering with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Both organizations have been successful in their efforts to protect minors from being subjected to the harms caused by conversion therapy.
“Conversion therapy is an extremely dangerous and fraudulent practice that claims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Scott McCoy, senior policy counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center. “This bogus practice is premised on the lie that LGBTQ individuals have a ‘condition’ that needs to be cured. This evening, the Wellington Village Council took a step in the right direction by enacting this ordinance to ban this harmful practice on minors. The commission has sent a message to LGBTQ youth: ‘You are perfect the way you are and do not need to be ‘fixed.'”
Earlier this month, Dr. Rachel Needle, a licensed psychologist who practices in Palm Beach County, told Village Council Members that the practice of conversion therapy is based on two false premises.
“First, it is based on the falsehood that being gay, lesbian or transgender is a mental disorder or defect that needs to be cured,” said Needle. “And second, it is based on the presumption that being LGBTQ is something that can actually be changed through therapy.”
Needle, who is also an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University, noted that the potential risks of conversion therapy on children include shame, guilt, depression, decreased self-esteem, increased self-hatred, feelings of anger and betrayal, loss of friends, social withdrawal, problems in sexual and emotional intimacy, hostility and blame towards parents, high risk behaviors, confusion, self-harm, substance abuse and suicidal ideation.
“Any ethical mental health practitioner should not attempt to cure or repair gender identity or sexual orientation through these scientifically invalid techniques,” Needle stated. “Attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity can have a devastating impact on a minor.”
“Wellington is a diverse, inclusive, safe community that strives to provide the best quality of life for its residents – most of all its children.” said Vice Mayor John McGovern. “Allowing any child to be exposed to the critical health risks associated with sexual orientation change efforts, without any clear evidence that such change is even possible, is inconsistent with our community.”
“Conversion therapy has been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades. Not only is it proven to be ineffective, but these so-called treatments can cause psychological harm to minors,” said Councilman Michael Napoleone. “This is a practice that is all harm and no good. Being gay is not a a disorder that requires treatment. We have the authority as a Village to protect minors from the harm caused by conversion therapy and I am strongly in favor of banning such practices in Wellington.”
“There are no reputable organizations or associations that consider conversion therapy to be safe or effective, however numerous credible world health organizations have found conversion therapy to be completely ineffective and exceedingly harmful, especially to minors,”said City Councilwoman Tanya Siskind. “Some extremest groups try to frame the issue of conversion therapy with a religious or political message.”
“This issue shouldn’t be about religious or political agendas, it should be about the safety and well-being of minors. Eight states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to prevent licensed mental health providers from offering conversion therapy to minors,” added Siskind. “With many more cities and states introducing similar legislation it’s clear that the practice of conversion therapy has no place in Wellington.”
Although mental health practitioners have been conducting conversion therapy on LGBTQ patients for more than 40 years, the practice gained popularity in the late 20th century, when Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, the co-founder the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), popularized conversion therapy.
NARTH was a small, but well-funded, for-profit organization made up of therapists who sought to diminish the rights of LGBTQ people by singling them out as having mental disorders.The organization advocated anti-LGBTQ therapy for children as young a three years old and encouraged parents to have their children marginalize and ridicule their LGBTQ classmates. In 2012, the organization’s 501(c)(3) tax exempt status was revoked by the Internal Revenue Service.
Dr. Julie Harren Hamilton, a Palm Beach Gardens therapist and former NARTH president, has lobbied elected officials against banning conversion therapy.
She warned Village Council Members that if they enacted the ordinance, it would prohibit children “distressed by homosexual attractions and feelings” from getting help.
“Dr. Hamilton is intentionally trying to mislead our elected officials,” said retired Judge Rand Hoch, PBCHRC’s President and Founder.
“Nothing in this ordinance prohibits children from seeking counsel, advice, or guidance if they are trying to understand their feelings,” said Hoch. “Children may seek still out treatment from licensed professionals — as well as from members of the clergy – to address any issues regarding their concerns.”
“Instilling self-hatred in children is not therapy,” Hoch added.
While a few Wellington residents expressed that a conversion therapy ban would infringe on parental rights, PBCHRC attorney Jamie Todd Foreman-Plakas countered that the rights of parents are regularly limited by government.
“While the U.S. Constitution protects parents’ decisions regarding the care, custody, and control of their children, that protection is not without qualification,” said Foreman-Plakas. “Local governments have enacted laws regarding compulsory school attendance, mandatory school uniforms, compulsory vaccinations of children and curfews for minors, to name a few.”
“Courts have repeatedly ruled that the fundamental rights of parents do not include the right to choose medical or mental health treatment for their children that has been determined to be harmful,” said Hoch. “Our elected officials have a compelling interest in protecting children — and they have broad authority to do so.”
Palm Beach County activists have been in the forefront on opposing conversion therapy for many years.
In November, 2009, more than 100 demonstrators turned out to protest the NARTH conference in West Palm Beach at which conference organizers held workshops to train therapists how to convert LGBTQ individuals to become heterosexuals.
“The discredited practice of conversion therapy is a non-effective practice of therapy which has been rejected by virtually all of our nation’s major medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional and mental health organizations for more than forty years,” said Hoch.
Nearly every major medical and psychological association in the country has come out in opposition to conversion therapy. These include the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American College of Physicians, the American Counseling Association, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American School Health Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization and the World Psychiatric Association.
In August 2009, the American Psychological Association adopted the “Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts,” which found that conversion therapy relied entirely on anti-LGBTQ bigotry and a clear distortion of scientific data.
“The American Psychological Association has linked conversion therapy to depression, substance abuse and even suicide, and these risks are particularly acute for youth,” said Carolyn Reyes, Youth Policy Counsel and Coordinator of NCLR’s BornPerfect Campaign to end conversion therapy. “We applaud the efforts by the Village Council to ensure that the children of Wellington are protected from these harms, and that their families aren’t duped by trusted professionals to whom they turn for support during a vulnerable time.”
In addition, conversion therapy has been soundly rejected by the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Education Association and the School Social Work Association of America.
Last May, the Southern Poverty Law Center published a comprehensive report entitled “Quacks: ‘Conversion Therapists,’ the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality.”
California, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Cincinnati (OH), Seattle (WA), Pittsburgh (PA), Toledo (OH), Columbus (OH) and Philadelphia (PA) all have enacted laws protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy. In addition, New York State has taken administrative action to making it unlawful for licensed mental health providers to engage in conversion therapy for minors.
In Florida, Wellington joins West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Riviera Beach, Miami, Wilton Manors, Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands, El Portal, Key West and Tampa in enacting an ordinance to protect LGBTQ youth from this abusive practice. Earlier this month, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved a similar ordinance on First Reading.
According to an Orlando Political Observer-Gravis Marketing poll of 1,243 Florida voters conducted April 4 through April 10, 71% think conversion therapy should be illegal for minors in Florida, 18% were uncertain and only 11% thought conversion therapy should be legal. The poll has a margin of error of 2.8%.
Wellington’s ban on conversion therapy – and all of the similar bans enacted to date – applies only to state-licensed therapists. Unlicensed therapists, such as those associated with faith-based groups, retain their religious freedom to engage in such work. Additionally, adults remain free to seek out conversion therapy.
Although there have been several court challenges to the constitutionality of banning conversion therapy, all have failed. On four occasions, most recently on May 1, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear challenges to the constitutionality laws banning conversion therapy for minors.
In addition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Human Rights Campaign (a Washington, DC-based LGBTQ rights organization which is not affiliated with PBCHRC) filed a federal consumer fraud complaint with the Federal Trade Commission seeking to ban conversion therapy nationwide.
Earlier this year, the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 was introduced in Congress to crack down on conversion therapy. More than 70 members of Congress have gone on record in support of the bill. If enacted, the law would make sexual orientation change efforts illegal under the Federal Trade Commission Act and classify advertising these services or providing them in exchange for monetary compensation as fraudulent, unfair, and deceptive. The bill would also explicitly clarify that the Federal Trade Commission has the duty to enforce this provision and would further provide state attorneys general the authority to enforce it in federal court.
For several years, State Senator Jeff Clemens (D-Atlantis) introduced bills to prohibit conversion therapy statewide. However, neither the Florida Senate nor the Florida House of Representatives has ever held a hearing on the bill. Clemens intends to reintroduce the bill in the 2018 legislative session.
“Hopefully, legislative leaders in Washington and Tallahassee will eventually ban conversion therapy ,” said McGovern “However, until a national or statewide ban on conversion therapy is enacted, we are taking going to do all we can to protect LGBTQ youth here in Wellington,”
For a copy of the ordinance, click here.
