I was intrigued by an opinion piece in the Florida Times-Union titled “Why Judicial Retention Votes Matter for Floridians.”
Having spent time working on issues involving our probate courts and judges, this was a subject that interested me.
Besides, every election season, Eye on Jacksonville readers ask me the same question: “Who should I vote for when it comes to judges?”
It’s a good question. Most voters know very little about the judges on their ballots, and finding reliable information about them isn’t easy. So I was hopeful this opinion piece might help.
Well, it certainly opened my eyes. Just not quite the way I expected.
The article promoted a campaign by an organization called Florida Rising to vote NO on all 23 Florida judicial retention seats in November. They’re calling it “Sweep the Bench.”
All 23? Really?
What caught my attention was how Florida Rising evaluates judges. The organization lists five criteria:
- Diversity
- Qualifications
- Fairness
- Independence from political influence
- Alignment with its commitment to social, racial and economic justice
Pardon me, Florida Rising, but I have a few questions.
Diversity? What does a judge’s demographic background have to do with interpreting the law fairly?
Qualifications? Absolutely! We agree on that one. But…I wonder what qualifications Florida Rising thinks a judge must have. I think they should be a seasoned attorney with a deep background in Constitutional law.
Fairness? Of course. But fairness in a courtroom should mean applying the law equally, not deciding cases based on what someone believes the outcome ought to be. Life isn’t always fair, but the law should be applied fairly.
Independence from political influence? Another big YES from me!
But then comes the last one.
Alignment with your commitment to social, racial and economic justice?
Wait a minute.
Didn’t we just agree judges should be independent from political influence?
I believe a judge’s job is to interpret and apply the laws on the books, respect the Constitution, and leave personal political preferences outside the courtroom.
So why should a judge have to align with any organization’s social or political agenda to receive its approval?
That sounds an awful lot like the very ideological influence Florida Rising claims to oppose.
And recommending that voters reject every single judge on the ballot? Shouldn’t each judge be evaluated individually on qualifications, judicial conduct, legal reasoning, and record?
That opinion piece left me with more questions than answers because I believe judges should apply the law independently, not pass an ideological test.
So who is Florida Rising?
Naturally, I started digging.
Florida Rising is a statewide progressive political advocacy organization involved in elections, voter mobilization, and public policy. Its stated mission focuses on building political power and advancing social, economic, and racial justice. And it has some serious financial backing.
According to publicly available IRS records, Florida Rising operates through affiliated organizations, including:
Florida Rising Inc., a 501(c)(4), reported approximately $4.1 million in revenue in 2024.
Florida Rising Together, a 501(c)(3), reported approximately $14.5 million in revenue that same year.
That’s more than $18 million in combined reported revenue before accounting for any transactions between the two organizations.
And where does the money come from?
Public grant records identify organizations including Way to Win Action Fund, Open Society Policy Center, Sixteen Thirty Fund, and Tides Foundation among Florida Rising Inc.’s financial supporters.
Many of these are national organizations involved in progressive political advocacy and policy initiatives.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
And there’s a Jacksonville connection!
Remember the recent Jacksonville City Council special election?
Moné Holder, who won the August election for the At-Large Group 1 seat, is also the Chief Advocacy and Political Officer of Florida Rising.
That’s not speculation. Her official City Council biography identifies her continuing role with the organization.
So we have a Jacksonville City Council member who also holds a senior leadership position in a statewide political advocacy organization supported by national donors.
That certainly caught my Eye!
To be clear, there’s nothing inherently improper about working for an advocacy organization or receiving donations from outside Florida. And we have not established that Florida Rising’s national grants funded Holder’s election.
But I do believe Jacksonville residents deserve to know who is influencing local elections, where the money comes from, and what political agendas are being advanced.
As General Michael Flynn has reminded Americans, “Local Action = National Impact.”
He’s right about the importance of local government. What happens in our City Hall matters far beyond Jacksonville.
We’re going to keep digging
What began as a simple attempt to learn more about judicial retention has opened another interesting door.
Who is financing Florida Rising? How involved is the organization in Jacksonville politics? What role do national donors play in our local elections? And what connections exist between its political activities and our local government?
Those are questions worth answering.
Eye on Jacksonville will be taking a closer look at Florida Rising, its funding, its leadership, and its activities in Northeast Florida. And we’d love your help.
If you have information about Florida Rising, its political activities, or its involvement in Jacksonville, please share it with us.
We need as many EYES on this investigation as possible because Florida Rising is certainly making a local impact already. I’m just not sure it’s the impact we want. What do you think?
