Florida Future Leaders PAC reports $325K raised, new Advisory Board with 3 Dem Senators

Florida Future Leaders, a Generation Z-led political action committee dedicated to flipping elected Sunshine State seats blue, has empaneled a new Advisory Board featuring three sitting Senators.

The group says it’s also now raised $325,000 since forming in January, thanks to more than 2,600 individual donors. More than half that haul came in July and August.

According to Chair Jayden D’Onofrio, the fundraising makes Florida Future Leaders the most well-financed student effort in Florida history.

“After raising more than a quarter of a million dollars in just seven months and giving students opportunities to organize their peers, Florida youth are energized to an extent we have never seen before,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

The new Advisory Board, which will help guide the PAC that funds the Florida College Democrats and Florida High School Democrats, includes Democratic Sens. Lori Berman of Boynton Beach, Tina Polsky of Boca Raton and Marie Woodson of Hollywood.

Former Miami Democratic Sen. Annette Taddeo, Democratic National Committee member Samantha Hope-Herring, Progress for Florida founder and CEO Millie Raphael and activist-donor Laurie Schecter will also serve as the Board’s inaugural members.

Polsky said in a statement that she is proud of the work Florida Future Leaders has done so far. Among other things, the organization recently expanded its operations statewide, announced dozens of planned student hires and a large digital ad campaign to reach youths on social media.

“Our youth vote is an untapped resource that can change election outcomes — outcomes which will benefit our young people for years to come,” Polsky said.

D’Onofrio said Florida Future Leaders’ goal is to mobilize young voters in this election and in future cycles. To do so this year, the group has been running awareness campaigns on hot-button issues like legalizing recreational marijuana and guaranteed abortion access — both of which are on the ballot this year.

“Now with the huge expansion to our operations,” he said, “(Florida Future Leaders) is thrilled to engage a statewide youth movement that will impact races up and down the ballot.”