Weekly Report🎖
Coalition descends upon the Florida Capitol to oppose HB 1467
Earlier this week, members of the Coalition came together to oppose harmful legislation, HB1467, being considered at the Florida Capitol. Special thanks to everyone from all VSO’s who attended the hearing. Click the pictures to watch the hearing.
My name is Edward Hood, and I’m here representing the American Legion, Department of Florida where we proudly serve veterans through community programs funded by small-scale fundraising efforts like raffles. At our post, we hold raffles—selling $5 or $10 tickets for a chance to win a donated prize—to raise money for veterans in need: emergency aid, scholarships, or even a meal for someone who served our country. These aren’t gambling schemes; they’re acts of charity, rooted in our mission.
HB 1467 threatens to make us criminals for this. By repealing Section 849.142 of the Florida Statutes—our current shield for nonprofit activities—the bill strips away explicit protections for raffles run by organizations like ours. Without that exemption, our raffles could be labeled a ‘gambling house’ under Section 849.01, now a third-degree felony with up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Or they might fall under Section 849.11 as a ‘game of chance,’ another felony if we handle the ticket money. Even renting our post for these events could trigger Section 849.03, risking 15 years in prison for a second offense. This bill doesn’t just regulate gambling—it turns our volunteer efforts into a criminal enterprise.
We’re not running casinos or slot machines. We’re veterans and supporters scraping together a few hundred dollars to help our own. Last year, our raffles raised much needed funds to support Veterans. HB 1467’s harsh penalties—felonies instead of misdemeanors—could scare us into stopping these events altogether. Who can afford legal battles or felony records over a raffle? The revenue we’d lose could mean turning away a veteran in crisis.
I urge you to oppose this bill so we can protect veteran service organizations. Thank you for your time.
Update regarding SB 1404. Please see below
Calling all that can attend - Gaming is back on the calendar in the Senate. This is the 2nd stop for this bill and it is amended. However, we need our presence there. This will be a show of Veterans.
Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government, 04/15/25, 12:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
With the possibility of this becoming law, it could make a felon out of the Post Commander, Finance Officer, Canteen Manager, and even those who are playing any of the games. Any instrument used to track any of the monies could be confiscated as evidence. That includes computers, cash registers, cell phones, etc. (This trickles all the way down to our Department 50/50 possibly)
We ask that anyone who attends this committee meeting to fill out a waive in opposition form as soon as you arrive at the committee room. For some, they may feel that traveling to Tallahassee is for not, but I assure you that with our presence there, they take notice. Therefore the more the better.
Stuart Scott
Legislative Chair
American Legion
Department of Florida
Dear VSO’s,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you to inquire about your recommendations for potential grant recipients in the Florida area. Each veteran organization will be asked to fill out the attached grant application.
I would like to kindly request your assistance once again in identifying any veterans organizations based in Florida that you believe would benefit from our support. Your insights and recommendations would greatly inform our decision-making process and help us make a meaningful impact within the veteran community.
Please feel free to share the application with any organizations that you are familiar with or have had positive experiences with in the past. Whether it's through personal connections, community involvement, or previous philanthropic efforts, your input will be invaluable in guiding our selection process.
Thank you in advance for your time and assistance in this matter. Your collective expertise and insights will play a crucial role in shaping our philanthropic efforts toward supporting veterans in Florida. Should you have any questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Respectfully,
Brooke Dennison
Outreach Coordinator
Florida Veterans Foundation
2601 S. Blairstone Road C300,
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Wk Ph: 850-782-4305
Fax: 850-782-4318
Email: Brooke.Dennison@FDVA.FL.GOV
APPLICATION IS TOO LARGE TO ATTACH TO THIS EMAIL. Please email Brooke.Dennison@FDVA.FL.GOV to request the PDF application
American Legion Family Day – April 26, 2025
At yesterday’s Legal Clinic at Lk Ella (Thursday), our volunteer team totaled 15 (including 3 attorneys), assisting 11 Veterans in person, including 3 Veterans in phone responses who couldn’t come to the in-person clinic! Cases again included several county and state jurisdictions outside Leon, and requests included for probation issues, real estate, consumer fraud, wills… More Vets asked for Driver’s license assistance with appointments pending for reissuance this next week. Medical appointments decimated our ranks today, but new volunteers and support agencies helped make up the difference.
Khalid Shafi, Tomeka Colon, Dexter White, and Margaret Deciano have a working truck and will be doing the Food distribution Friday from Quincy Farmshare to the various Leon County apartment complexes. We keep getting calls and comments showing how grateful people are for this extra effort. And thank you for the consistent volunteer administrative work at the front door and computer/files tables, Khalid, Kathy Glasson, Margaret, and Valerie Colson, with Susie throughout our Clinic sessions.
KUDOs to the dozen Veterans from 3 American Legion Posts and Veterans of Foreign Wars who trekked to the Capitol this week to testify against an overbroad anti-gambling bill, which could result in possible criminal and other liability for volunteer officers of Florida VSO’s for electronic raffles, etc.(Ed Hood and others can fill you in). If you want to know more about the dozens of Veterans-friendly bills in this year’s legislative session, we can help you track any of them these final few weeks. Bill Eichoefer and Doug Ingram hosted TVLC on “the Greg Tish Show” Monday morning (April 7) on Real Talk Radio 93.3 FM; google it if you want to hear my mid-session legislative summary. Both the Fl House and Senate have voted to continue funding for Veterans Courts and other specialty court treatment costs as in previous years. Final budget allocations for Veterans Projects will of course be negotiated up until the final week of session, which is scheduled to end May 2.
Veterans Treatment Court again docketed more than fifteen Veterans smiling amid progress in their recovery plans, though most still do not get to work with Veteran Mentors; Several still are testing positive for alcohol or other substances. Several were promoted to advanced status, and only one was given jail sanctions. If you can come observe on Monday, April 21, 3pm in Leon Courthouse, you may decide to become a volunteer Veteran Mentor for one or more of the Vets in the program.
Reprise: Call your friends who work for the federal VA to let them know they’re appreciated and give them your contact info in case they lose their VA cell number amidst the funding cuts, layoffs and firings that are including probationary employees, as well as former military Veterans in a variety of specialties (and the latest projections target some 84,000 VA jobs and programs to be cut!) And be sure to let us know about part-time job opportunities for Veterans on subsistence, as well as any emergency housing, shared rentals, etc. since housing is still scarce and services are delayed via waiting lists. A FLORIDA SENATOR SUMMARIZED VA’S NEEDS THIS WEEK: more than 952,000 claims have been pending longer than 125 days, including 23,900 in Florida; the backlog is still more than 241,000 including claims that go back DECADES.
Leon County Veteran Service Organization Grant Assistance Program
