March 2nd General Meeting & Club Elections Recap

Amanda Knapp, Ph.D.
1 day ago
4 min read

On Monday, March 2nd, the Miami Beach Democratic Club gathered for a powerful and inspiring General Meeting filled with celebration, gratitude, and a shared commitment to protecting our democracy.

Welcoming Our 2026–2028 Board

We are excited to officially announce our new Board for the 2026–2028 term!

First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to Linda Kolko, who has served our Club with dedication and integrity—two years as Vice President following two years as Parliamentarian. Linda’s leadership, steadiness, and institutional knowledge have been invaluable, and we are so fortunate that she will remain on the Board as Board of Director 2.

We are also thrilled to welcome Cindy Binder as Board of Director 1. Cindy has already been an incredible asset to the Club through her work on the Outreach Committee and as a true super volunteer. Her energy and commitment to growing our membership and strengthening our community will serve us well in this new role.

Congratulations to our full Board, and thank you for your continued commitment to democratic values and civic engagement:

President | Amanda Knapp, Ph.D.
Vice President | Vacant
Secretary | Shannon Murphy
Parliamentarian | Kevin Harris
Treasurer | Fred Knapp
Board of Director 1 | Cindy Binder
Board of Director 2 | Linda Kolko
Board of Director 3 | Vacant
Board of Director 4 | Tim Johnson

We look forward to a strong and impactful term ahead.

Featured Speaker: Jose Javier Rodriguez for Attorney General

Our first guest speaker of the evening was Jose Javier Rodriguez, candidate for Attorney General of Florida.

A 20-year litigator and former Biden Administration official, Jose Javier Rodriguez (JJR) has dedicated his career to fighting for working families. As a legal aid attorney and during his more than eight years in the Florida Legislature, he successfully flipped both a State House and State Senate seat from red to blue—proving that strong, values-based leadership resonates with voters.

JJR also spoke about his narrow 32-vote reelection loss in a now-proven ghost candidate scheme backed by Florida Power & Light. After taking on the utility giant on behalf of consumers and the environment, he became the target of a scheme that has since resulted in criminal convictions and multiple plea deals.

In his remarks, JJR emphasized the Attorney General's critical role as a watchdog for the people. He spoke candidly about Florida’s need for integrity and independence in that office and vowed to restore both. His focus remains on nonpartisan issues that matter most to Floridians: crime, costs, and corruption.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Belinda Leon

We were also honored to hear from Dr. Belinda Leon, National Executive Director of the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program.

For nearly 30 years, Dr. Leon has worked alongside professional educators, students, and parents across higher education. After almost two decades of service as a mentor with Women of Tomorrow, she recently stepped into the role of National Executive Director of the organization.

Women of Tomorrow boasts a remarkable 99% high school graduation rate among its mentees, with 94% pursuing higher education. Over the past 28 years, thousands of young women have gone on to build successful and rewarding lives through this powerful mentorship and scholarship program.

Dr. Leon’s remarks reminded us that civic engagement and community empowerment begin with investing in the next generation. Her leadership and the work of Women of Tomorrow are making a measurable, lasting impact.

Moving Forward Together

Our March 2nd meeting was a powerful reflection of what makes our Club strong: dedicated leadership, courageous candidates, and community partners committed to opportunity and justice.

We are also excited to launch four organizing campaigns that will guide much of our work in the months ahead:

1. Vote-by-Mail Re-Enrollment Campaign

Florida voters must regularly renew their Vote-by-Mail requests, and many have not yet re-enrolled since the 2024 election cycle. Our Club has identified more than 2,500 Democrats in our area who still need to renew their Vote-by-Mail status, and we will be reaching out to help ensure they remain able to vote conveniently and securely.

2. New Democrat Outreach Campaign

Building community among new Democratic voters is essential to long-term organizing. Through greeting cards, text messages, and emails, we will be welcoming new Democrats to the neighborhood and inviting them to become involved with the Club.

3. Inactive Voter Reactivation Campaign

Supervisors of Elections often mark voters as inactive if election mail is returned as undeliverable. Our team will be contacting Democrats who voted in 2022 and 2024 but have since been marked inactive, helping them understand their status and providing clear instructions on how to reactivate their voter registration.

4. Unregistered Voter Outreach Campaign

The Florida Democratic Party has purchased new data identifying individuals believed to be left-leaning but not currently registered to vote. Our volunteers will reach out to these potential voters and assist them with the voter registration process.

As we move toward the next election cycle, these campaigns will allow us to expand participation, protect voter access, and strengthen the Democratic community across Miami Beach.

Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and continues to show up for democracy. The work continues—and together, we will meet the moment.