FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR

Legislators are busy people with demanding schedules and thousands of constituents, so learning how to best communicate with them will make you more effective.

Listed below are tips for making effective contact with state lawmakers, and more tips, from legislators themselves, are available here for the Florida House and here for the Florida Senate.

Find Your Elected Officials 

Find your State House, State Senate, State Cabinet, U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate representatives:

Find your Florida House Member

Find your Florida Senator

FIND YOUR FLORIDA CABINET MEMBERS

FIND YOUR U.S. SENATORS 

FIND YOUR U.S. CONGRESS MEMBER 

EMAIL OR REGULAR MAIL CONTACT TIPS

• Emailing your Representative and Senator about issues important to the YMCA is easy for those who have registered to be a Y Advocate.
• Otherwise, information on each legislator, including their office addresses, is available through Online Sunshine, the official website of the Florida Legislature.
• Let the legislator you are contacting know you are a constituent and an YMCA supporter.
• Tell them why the issue you're addressing is important to you and the legislator's hometown district.
• Stick to one issue per email or letter.
• Keep your correspondence brief and concise to better ensure it gets read.
• You are welcome to use the language provided by the Florida YMCA exactly as it's been written, but it is more effective if your message is done in your own words or includes personal comments.
• Keep a positive tone and thank the legislator for considering your position.
• Let the Florida Alliance of YMCAs office know about your communication by contacting Scott Fahrney, scott@floridaymcas.org.

MEETING WITH LEGISLATORS TIPS

• Information on each legislator, including their office addresses, is available through Online Sunshine, the official website of the Florida Legislature.
• State lawmakers are often easier to reach and less hurried when they are in their hometown offices, as opposed to their Tallahassee offices.
• If you should meet with a legislator in Tallahassee, especially during the legislative session, expect to only see them for a few minutes. Also, legislators are often delayed by circumstances beyond their control. Patience is important!
• Instead of meeting with a particular legislator, you may meet with an aide. Legislative aides are knowledgeable and influential assistants who will deliver your message to the legislator, so please do not consider a meeting with an aide to be a waste of time.
• Let the legislator or aide you meet with know you are a constituent and an YMCA Advocate.
• It is generally more effective when meetings pertain to a single issue and the key point of that issue is gotten to quickly.
• Should the legislator or aide you meet with ask a question you cannot answer, please let them know you will get back to them and contact the Florida Alliance of YMCAs office for an answer.
• You are welcome to use the language provided by the Florida YMCA exactly as it's been written, but it is more effective if your message is done in your own words or includes personal comments.
• Keep a positive tone and thank the legislator for considering your position.
• Let the Florida Alliance of YMCAs office know about your communication by contacting Scott Fahrney, scott@floridaymcas.org.