[NFBF-Tampa] Tampa Bay Chapter Meeting minutes April 2026

Sat May 23 00:37:48 UTC 2026

Tampa Bay Chapter 

National Federation of the Blind of Florida

Chapter Meeting Minutes

April 25, 2026

Beef O'Brady's

8810 North Himes Avenue

Tampa Florida

The meeting was called to order by President Debby Malone at 12:05pM.

Adriane said our NFB pledge.

There were  14 persons in attendance, three of whom participated via Zoom.

We welcomed guest Jorge Lugo. 

Through our icebreaker, the topic of which Debby is assigning to a
particular member at each meeting, we introduce ourselves and  get to know
one another better. Often these topics have to do with some aspect of living
with blindness. Today's topic was to give one or two words that mean
independence to us. 

Secretary and Treasurer Reports

A motion was made by  Barbara, seconded by Louise, to approve the  March
meeting minutes as emailed. The motion passed. 

Dan gave the treasurer's report. Our current balance is $5,537.03.

A motion was made by Sherrill, seconded by Shanti, to accept the treasurer's
report as read. The motion passed.

President's Report

Debby said she believes we have now fixed the chapter email issue, so our
communication should be much improved. She mentioned that there are two NFB
portals for membership information, one strictly giving info, the other
where you are able to change your contact info. Debby will send out the link
for this. We are still working on the Google Voice exclusive phone number
for Debby as it relates to the chapter presidency. She mentioned that she
and Yvonne gave a presentation at the Lighthouse about the NFB and our
chapter. As a result of their visit, Jorge Lugo made the decision to attend
our meeting.

Publicity

Debby asked for ideas about publicizing our chapter.

Tom: have an information booth at various events, including festivals

Adriane: print and hand out business cards with the Google Voice phone
number and a QR code; Sherrill suggested putting Braille on them. Debby will
look into this since she knows someone who sells brailled business cards.

Greg: car shows

Dan: Access On, NFB podcast hosted by Jonathan Mosen  where you can have
your chapter mentioned

Legislation:

Local:

make sure to call the Supervisor of Elections Office to get information
about what steps need to be taken for registering or  reregistering to vote

State:

Contact the Florida office of the Governor or Attorney General to demand
that the state withdraw from the Texas vs. Kennedy lawsuit which could strip
away protections of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Social Activities

Yvonne spoke about audio described events at the Straz in May and June. She
said the Florida Orchestra gives away tickets through the library. Contact
Yvonne for details.

Adriane is continuing to work with Parks and Rec to bring awareness of the
importance of including accessible activities for blind people.

Fund Raising

pancake Breakfast

Debby hopes we will have a good turnout of members at our Carrollwood Publix
event on july 18 prior to our Pancake Breakfast on July 25. publicity and
education are the goals for this.

We will hand out fliers which will be written in both English and Spanish.

Important breakfast checklist:

Debby will check with owner TJ about the price of the breakfast

will Josh or the chef at Beef O'Brady's do the cooking

Barbara will be in charge of the mimosas

Will  Christine ask Starbucks for coffee donation again this year

will Luis and Ana pick up the coffee

get donations for and work on baskets to be raffled

State and National Conventions

Debby explained a bit about NFB conventions for those not familiar with
them. She said State Wide Chapter member Jose Bohorquez won the state
convention theme contest with his submission of "Defending our rights,
defining our future."

Yvonne will look into the ride service Hitch as another alternative for
transportation to Jacksonville for the convention.

Debby asked what we thought our chapter should cover for those attending
state convention. After discussion, we did not decide on a definite amount,
but thought that it would be good if the chapter would pay for our members'
registration and banquet tickets. Debby said the state has formed a
committee which is providing sponsorships for those in need of financial
assistance, especially for those attending their first convention. 

Debby will look into ordering new chapter T-shirts.

Sherrill made a motion, seconded by Yvonne, that we accept Jorge Lugo as a
Tampa Bay Chapter member. The motion passed  unanimously.

At the May meeting, Sherrill will say the NFB pledge and Tom will do the
icebreaker.

Our 50/50 fundraiser drawing was won by Greg Farley, who received $40.

Our next meeting will be held on May 23.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:45PM.

Respectfully submitted

Sherrill O'Brien, Secretary

Tampa Bay Chapter

National Federation of the Blind of Florida

Phone 813-935-0474, cell 813-767-1890

email Sherrill.obrien at verizon.net <mailto:Sherrill.obrien at verizon.net> 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind people
and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds
you back.

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