Florida Dems hire Johanna Cervone as Deputy Communications Director to focus on Hispanic outreach

Cervone, johanna

The Florida Democratic Party has hired Johanna Cervone to serve as its Deputy Communications Director and Hispanic Press Secretary.

As the Deputy Communications Director and Hispanic Press Secretary, Cervone will expand the party’s press outreach, with a special focus on Hispanic media and issues.

Cervone will also serve as the main point of contact for the media throughout the state.

Cervone most recently served as the South Florida Regional Press Secretary for the Hillary for Florida campaign. Prior to her role on the campaign, she served as the Communications Director for Miami-Dade Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava.

“Florida families deserve a spokesperson who will hold our failed Republican Governor and legislature accountable to their harmful policies. Today, I am pleased to announce that the Florida Democratic Party has hired Johanna Cervone as our Deputy Communications Director and Hispanic Press Secretary. As Chair of the Party, I am more committed than ever to make sure that every Florida family has a voice in our democracy and a fair shot in our economy. Johanna brings a wealth of communications and outreach experience to the team and she will help us amplify our message of Democratic Party,” said FDP Chair Stephen Bittel.

“I am very excited to join the FDP team. I look forward to working with stakeholders across Florida to spread the party’s message in English and Spanish and build on FDP’s strong digital and communications program,” said Cervone.

Cervone’s career in politics and government began with President Barack Obama‘s re-election in 2012 and she has since been involved with several local, national and international campaigns. A native of Argentina, Johanna was raised in Miami.

In 2015, a group of Spanish-language journalists and community leaders sent a letter to the respective chairs of the Florida Republican and Democratic parties, calling on them to hire a bilingual spokesperson to “successfully relay your message to the Latino media.” Leading the effort was Evelyn Perez-Verdia, a Fort Lauderdale Latina activist who has argued that, with a growing Latino community that thirsts for information about the political climate, both state parties should hire bilingual communication directors.

The RPOF fulfilled that demand when Chairman Blaise Ingoglia hired Wadi Gaitan (Gaitan stepped down last year after Donald Trump became the GOP presidential nomineee). That didn’t happen under Allison Tant’s tenure with the FDP, however.

Now it has under Bittel.

“After years of fighting for this cause, it is a wonderful feeling to see it come to pass, and see both parties reaching out to the Latino/Hispanic community,” Perez-Verdia told FloridaPolitics.
“The Democrats have a big win with a person like Johanna Cervone,” she continued. “From what I have read, she seems to be the perfect person for this position and I am sure we will hear more and more from her in years to come.  I thank Stephen Bittel and Mayra Macias within the FDP for the vision.  I also would like to thank Vivian Rodriguez from the Florida Hispanic Democratic Caucus for always advocating for this issue that was so important for many Hispanic leaders in the State of Florida.”

 

Peter Schorsch

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including Florida Politics and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Schorsch is also the publisher of INFLUENCE Magazine. For several years, Peter's blog was ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.


2 comments

  • Elsa Roberts

    March 21, 2017 at 10:24 am

    Johanna Cervone’s last name is misspelled as “Corvine” as the beginning of the article.

  • Victor

    March 26, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    It’s great to see the party get serious about recruiting capable, professional staff. She will truly be an asset, as the Democrats have a lot of work to do. They need to really rework their strategies for success. Our democracy really requires more people involved and less hollow parties at work. The more hollow the party, the more controlled it becomes of special interests on both sides…

Comments are closed.


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