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Florida youth programs seek funding in legislative session

Florida state capitol building
Patrick Sternad
/
WFSU News
Florida state capitol building

The appropriation will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Florida youth programs are seeking funding in this year’s legislative session.

Representatives from the all-girls organization, Ladies Learning to Lead, met at the state capital building Tuesday to ensure their request is at top of mind for lawmakers as they convene the 60-day session.

“We have six sites throughout the state, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale; so we are a statewide organization," said Fadriena Sutton, the organization's executive director.

The non-profit prepares middle and high school girls around the state for college and sets them up for post graduate success. The funds come from donations, fundraisers, local, and state grants.

Sutton says this year, the group is putting a request in to the legislature for $750,000. Democratic Representative Bruce Antone of Orange County and Leon County’s Republican State Senator Corey Simon will be leading the charge.

“We use those funds to continue the work we do. We’re here to drop in and make sure we’re top of mind while they are advocating for us through the halls.”

Lawmakers will go over the request during an appropriations committee. If approved, the appropriation can be sent up to the House and Senate floor for a full vote.

Adrian Andrews is a multimedia journalist with WFSU Public Media. He is a Gadsden County native and a first-generation college graduate from Florida A&M University. Adrian is also a military veteran, ending his career as a Florida Army National Guard Non-Comissioned Officer.

Adrian has experience in print writing, digital content creation, documentary, and film production. He has spent the last four years on the staff of several award-winning publications such as The Famuan, Gadsden County News Corp, and Cumulus Media before joining the WFSU news team.