In 2022, when the Pew Research Center asked Americans what they thought the biggest problems facing our country are, the answers were polarizing and revealing. Climate change, gun violence, racism, and the affordability of health care topped the list for those on the political left. Inflation, violent crime, the quality of public education, the federal budget deficit, and illegal immigration were identified by the right as America’s biggest problems.
Where do you fall on this spectrum?
As an organization whose mission is to educate, empower, and equip American citizens to stand for and preserve freedom for themselves and future generations, Citizens Defending Freedom has had to deeply examine the problems plaguing our Nation and identify those that are truly causing the decay of our society. Schools have become indoctrination centers for radical idealogical agendas, governments and the officials who run them have no accountability for their out-of-control behavior and overreach, and God has been removed from far too many aspects of our society. We have lost faith in our elections, our leadership, and our educational institutions.
We also recognize that we cannot count on the government to save our Nation. The problems we face cannot, and will not, be corrected from the top down. We must start at the foundation, in our local communities, in the heart of our country, if we truly want to preserve our land.
Miami-Dade County Citizens Defending Freedom (Miami-Dade CDF) is a shining example of those very things. Over the last few months they have been working alongside local leaders and like-minded organizations to usher in positive changes for their community. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of the many amazing achievements they accomplished in the last few months.
The Miami-Dade County Public School (M-DCPS) Board voted to observe the National Day of Prayer on May 4th, 2023. This controversial agenda item, passed by an unanimous vote, is the second year in a row the Board voted to recognize the annual observance. While National Day of Prayer was established in 1952, it has never been officially recognized by any school board in the United States until M-DCPS voted in favor of observing it in 2022. Miami-Dade CDF worked with community members as well as with several organizations including Christian Family Coalition, Turning Point USA, Liberty Counsel, and Pacific Justice Institute to get this agenda item passed.
Monica Colucci, a newly elected conservative school board member for Miami-Dade County, is ensuring the M-DCPS district’s policies and curriculum are in compliance with Florida statutes. She proffered an agenda item that directs the district to conduct a comprehensive review of a new Social Emotional Learning (SEL) based supplemental curriculum. Miami-Dade County Citizens Defending Freedom has brought attention to several SEL based curriculums used by the district over the last two years. If the curriculum, which contains elements of gender ideology and critical race theory, is found to be in violation of state law, it will be removed from the hands of Miami-Dade students.
In 1966, after a grand jury investigation found the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Department to be steeped in “widespread corruption and systematic bribery", the office was completely abolished and the role of “County Police Chief” became an appointed position. Since that time, the County Mayor operates as the de facto sheriff and oversees the county’s police force, answering only to their local superiors, whereas an elected Sheriff would answer to their constituents: the citizens of Miami-Dade County. However in 2018, Florida voters (including 58% of Miami-Dade voters) approved a ballot initiative, Amendment 10, that mandates every county in the state must elect five constitutional officers: Supervisor of Elections, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Clerk of Courts, and a Sheriff. In an effort to prevent the amendment from being placed on ballots in 2018, Miami-Dade County filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the initiative, as well as appealed several court decisions, all of which were not successful. Miami-Dade will be holding its first election for County Sheriff in over 50 years in next year’s November election.
Miami-Dade County Citizens Defending Freedom, in an effort to educate local citizens and those interested in running to become the Sheriff, has been working with constitutional expert KrisAnne Hall to spearhead a Sheriff Task Force Initiative which offers comprehensive training on the history, importance, authority, and duty of the Sheriff. Additionally, they are monitoring their local county leadership’s ongoing opposition to the reinstatement of the County Sheriff’s Office and are prepared to take action to hold those leaders accountable should they attempt to violate Florida law.
Miami-Dade County Citizens Defending Freedom is just one of many counties we are in that are truly making a local impact and changing the course of their future. If you are interested in helping support our work, there are several areas in which you can contribute:
SHARE! Share our mission with like-minded friends, family, and neighbors. Everyone needs hope, and Citizens Defending Freedom is a way that every single citizen can engage.
PRAYER! We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities and our most powerful and effective tool is prayer. Pray for our Nation, pray for our mission, and pray for the men and women whom God has called to carry out that mission.
GIVE! Freedom is not free, and the road ahead is long and uncertain. Consider supporting our mission through a one-time donation, or through a recurring monthly gift. Every donation, whether big or small, will help us continue to fight for our Nation.
It is an honor and privilege to be an American. We are called to do everything in our power to preserve and protect this Land that we love so dearly. Join us in our fight to save our Nation.
