Our Top Moments of 2020: A Year In Review 🔨
Our top moments are just that: ours. We are so honored to have spent this year with you! As we wrap up December — and a decade — we want to reflect on the special moments we shared together. In no particular order, here are just a handful of highlights that made this year so memorable. Thank you for being a part of it and a member of Team Anna!Â
No. 1: Winning Our Re-Election
Through incredible resilience and grassroots devotion, we won our re-election by a landslide of 18,000 votes — including two precincts that went to President Trump! With our coalition of dedicated interns, volunteers, donors, and supporters like you, we adapted and amplified our impact from the heart of Orlando. At one point, we even paused campaign operations entirely to distribute resources to constituents in crisis. Our community said Anna’s gotta go back to the Florida House and we are prepared to make you proud.Â
No. 2: Championing Constituent Services
The Florida benefits system was designed to fail — and it still is. Our team has been constantly pushing cases to the DEO and helping claimants receive their entitled benefits in a historic casework process since March. To date, we have served residents within 64 of Florida’s 67 counties, facilitating over 30,000 inquiries from 39 states and Puerto Rico. In a few months, we will carry this crisis into the 2021 session, supporting efforts to get folks back to work and leading a major overhaul of the Florida unemployment system. Our work in supporting constituents through COVID-19 led to an Orlando Weekly Readers’ Choice Award as Best Local Politician in 2020, and a title from Orlando Magazine as one of 18 local leaders during the COVID-19 crisis.
No. 3: Floridians Helping Floridians
Throughout 2020, Florida families have been wracked with struggle — often beyond their control. We wholeheartedly believe in collective power and giving folks a hand-up out of adversity. Where I could, I have been donating my state salary to those in need helping to pay for rent and food, but it was never enough and we often asked for help from the Annaverse, soliciting donations online. Through the generosity of kind Floridians, we were able to give away more than $35,000 in direct cash payments to keep countless families sheltered and fed. Even before the pandemic, we were able to work with organizations like Best Buddies and The Able Trust to get relief towards adults who live with disabilities, too. We could never thank you enough.
No. 4: Putting People First, Not Corporations
When Floridians were pleading for resources and programs to keep their small businesses open and nonprofits afloat, Governor DeSantis instead approved a $543 million refund to the state’s biggest corporations like Publix and Disney. As Big Business got a break, everyday people drowned in doubt and mounting bills. We spent months pushing back, requesting relief for small businesses, especially supporting those that were forced to close like our bars and breweries. Corporate giveaways have no place in Florida, especially in times of crisis. We commit to people before profits and small businesses over big corporations.Â
No. 5: Growing Civic Awareness
While working with Floridians, we noticed a growing hunger for insight into the political process. In response, we started producing live civic education workshops called #EskaSessions, unpacking timely topics like the census, voting rights, and even campaign finance. These have already reached over 7,800 homes! We also hosted five workshops with guest speakers to inform Floridians on issues from housing to healthcare. Moving the needle on policy issues requires all of us to play a role, but we have to empower one another to get there. Missed a few? They are all on our Facebook page with many more queued up for the new year too!
No. 6: Staying Distanced, But Connected
Floridians need timely access to their lawmakers! Our team found creative ways to remain connected while staying safe this year including the debut of our Central Florida Coronavirus Guide and the launch of our weekly town halls on Facebook and Instagram — now approaching 40 weeks with over 1300 submitted questions! These #EskaHours focus on your priorities and mirror virtual office hours so you can readily access a state lawmaker each week. You set the agenda and we share feedback and resources. Thanks for trusting to us *digitally* serve!Â
No. 7: Cultivating New Leaders
Our movement has added 85 new leaders to our intern family this year and brought with them so much joy! High school and college students from around the state (and world) have been building collective power here on Team Anna in virtual arenas and throughout our community. We are honored to help cultivate authentic and effective leaders for years to come — many who aspire to run one day! These resilient and passionate young people keep us motivated to work harder and push higher to pave a better future for all.Â
No. 8: Calling For Equality
Black Lives Matter. This summer, we marched with masks on with thousands of protestors and advocates to demand accountability and changes in policing. We recognize historic systems of injustice against the BIPOC folks. However, we understand that justice is an ongoing process which requires compassion and diligence. We remain vocal in our opposition to the Governor’s anti-protesting legislation and have taken pride in filing legislation to end the school-to-prison pipeline and repeal mandatory minimums. You can count on us to continue centering our work on directly-impacted communities for years to come.
No. 9: Keeping Our Community Safe
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made it our top priority to keep our community safe and model responsible public health behavior, while issuing continuous requests for Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a statewide mask mandate. We even helped launch a testing site out of UCF earlier this year. Just hitting 1 million COVID-19 cases in Florida, we know how important it is that we all look out for one another in these difficult times. That means proudly advocating for the wearing of masks and recognizing social distancing — while always showing love to the incredible small businesses along the way who have shifted gears with us!Â
No. 10: Shaking Up Tallahassee
Our advocacy does not end on party lines and it goes far beyond Orlando. When we convened in Tallahassee for the 2020 Legislative Session, we brought your values with us because Floridians demand good governance and bold politics — not more of the same. That meant filing legislation on prioritizing attainable housing, climate change, condemning white supremacy, criminal legal system reform, and more. We maxed out our six bill slots and filed multiple local appropriation requests, working across the aisle to protect our recent advances in arts and culture funding, secure affordable housing dollars, and funding for local nonprofits like The LGBTQ Center, OAUC, Adult Literacy League, and IDEAS for US.Â
No. 11: Courageous Conversations & Protecting Survivors
Team Anna always stands with survivors. Back in 2019, we sponsored Donna’s Law, a bill that would make it easier to prosecute sexual abusers. This year, we co-sponsored it again, ultimately passing the bill with bipartisan support. We have since celebrated the opening of a new Lifeboat Project transitional home and marked the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage too. We also took the lead in holding the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence accountable to wasting millions of dollars in taxpayer money on executive salaries, pushing the Speaker of the House to take our concerns seriously, leading to a FL House investigation and the elimination of FCADV from state statute, ensuring critical dollars would go straight towards supporting our domestic violence survivors versus anywhere else. I was also humbled to deliver the 1st ever virtual keynote at the Florida Coalition Against Sexual Violence conference. Nothing slows down our efforts for systematic change and equity.    Â
No. 12: Preserving The Beauty of Our State
Florida is a beautiful state which we have to actively preserve for future generations, not simply sell to the highest bidder. Here in Orange County, we were vocal supporters of a county charter amendment to protect Split Oak Forest, which passed by an overwhelming 86%. This year we also refiled legislation that would push Florida towards 100% renewable energy by 2050, repeal current statewide bans on regulating the use of plastics, and joined advocates in protecting Ginnie Springs from a major increase in plastic water bottle pumping. We challenged the Public Service Commission, fossil fuel companies, and are proud to support causes for renewable energy and a brighter, cleaner future for Floridians.Â
No. 13: The Force is Strong With Us
We teamed up with Mark Hamill — Luke Skywalker! — to defeat the Dark Side with a virtual phone banking event in support of the Biden campaign. With more than 400 people in attendance, this event helped us get the word out on the importance of getting out the vote in our campaigns. When we work together as a community we can enact change. The Force is strong with us!Â
No. 14: Celebrating Orlando Pride Safely
We attended Come Out With Pride 2020 to show our support for the central Florida LGBTQ+ community! The event looked a little different this year but even socially distant we were able to celebrate Pride! We also fought for the rights of our LGBTQ+ constituents throughout the year, sponsoring legislation to ban discrimination within any private school that accepts public money and co-sponsoring legislation like the Competitive Workforce Act. We spoke out against homophobic/transphobic rhetoric with the intention of making sure everyone feels welcome in HD47 and raised money for our local LGBTQ+ mutual aid fund too. Especially living so close to Pulse Nightclub we know how important the LGBTQ+ voices in our community are, which is why I was also honored to receive two honors this year focused on LGBTQ+ solidarity: Equality Florida’s 2020 Voice for Equality Honoree and The LGBT+ Center Orlando’s Champion of Equality Award.Â
No. 15: Taking Back the White House & Building Power For The Future
We joined the crowd of happy Floridians as they gathered in Downtown Orlando to celebrate the victory of President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris. Although the fight is far from over and there is a lot of work ahead of us — it is important that we take in the moments of joy and celebrate our victories. Following the 2020 Elections in Florida, we also hosted our biggest Zoom call yet, with over 500 attendees. We discussed the future of the Florida Democratic Party with fellow lawmakers and community leaders. This is the first step as we continue to push for change going forward.
No. 16: Fighting For Florida Workers
We joined picket lines at the Orlando International Airport to stand alongside union workers and protest against mass layoffs and union-busting tactics by mega-corporation HMS Host. We stood in solidarity with Valencia adjunct professors as they fought to unionize. We advocated for improved treatment and access to PPE for our immigrant communities and farmworkers. Our team strongly and vocally supported Amendment 2, which would gradually raise the minimum wage here in Florida to $15 an hour. The amendment passed in the 2020 election with over 60% support! From our caregivers to our essential workers, we have been outspoken this year about the importance of directing resources to our most vulnerable and to our small businesses too. Â
No. 17: Finding Joy With You
Whether celebrating my 30th birthday virtually with 100s on Facebook Live or hosting literature drops weekend after weekend here in HD47, our community found continuous reasons to find hope in dark times. In moments of struggle, we found power and resilience in creating a government for all. We worked to eliminate barriers to information and empowerment, and this year, we facilitated community outreach programs in multiple languages, offering live translation services in Spanish and Haitian Creole for many of our virtual events along with closed captioning, because we know that we can only move forward together.
No. 18: Charging On Through 2020
I was incredibly humbled and honored to be nominated and awarded as the 2020 Distinguished Alumnus, earning the highest annual honor UCF Alumni bestows upon a graduate! From a fledgling undergraduate to now pushing through the finish line to my Doctorate, the UCF community has shaped me into the woman I am today. Forever grateful to give back to my alma mater, and was proud to help open up a COVID-19 testing site at UCF early on when the pandemic first hit our state.Â
No. 19: Honoring Our Veterans & Service Members
This year and every year we honor the service of our veterans and service members. We worked closely with the Florida National Guard to better understand their legislative priorities, touring our local armory and training centers. In recognition of our work with the National Guard, we were awarded The 2020 Mr. Charles Maddox Patriotism Award. We also helped to unveil a new mural in the Milk District in honor of Vanessa Guillen, a young U.S. Army soldier who was a victim of sexual assault and murder. We are fighting towards a future where we can prevent sexual assault and advocate for all of our Veterans’ rights to mental health care, housing, and employment. Serving on the veteran committee in the Florida House has been an honor and a privilege that I do not take for granted.
No. 20: Solidarity Around Our Movement
I am humbled every day by this role, but even more by those like you who support our vision. Over the summer, we got wind that a few kind folks had jumpstarted a Draft Anna Eskamani for FL Governor Facebook Group, which has since ballooned with 1000s of grassroots supporters. Meanwhile, small businesses like Swan City designed custom made swag for us, and members of the music scene helped to design punk-inspired logos and t-shirts too! It’s incredible to know that we are building power together and I am honored to be your happy warrior!Â