Running to Be Your New Voice and Advocate for House District 14

Duval County

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Meet & See Therese

Meet Therese V. Wakefield-Gamble

Therese Wakefield-Gamble is a Jacksonville native, granddaughter of a Black farmer, a daughter of a union ​International Longshore Association (ILA) Local #1408, 3rd generation preacher’s daughter, a wife of 34 years, a ​mother of two married sons & grandmother of three, Brain Anersym Survivor, Dual Doctoral Student of National ​University, Dual Mastered MBA, M.Ed. BBA, Serial Entrepreneur of multi-state consultancy in Executive ​Administrative Management the Chief Administrative Officer Expert, K-20 Educator and Advocate, Self-Care is ​Healthcare & Community Advocate.

Featured extensively in global media publications and prestigious events, showcasing expertise and ​leadership across diverse platforms. Notable appearances include international interviews such as:

• Scaleink Equality Ambassador in the United Kingdom and Baku and Pakistan Tech Summit.
• Served as a guest speaker and presenter at events like the Virtual Pre-Juneteenth Town Hall, Let’s Talk ​about It Tuesdays, and the My Message Matters Conference.
• Featured on esteemed radio shows and online platforms, including Florida Star Impact Radio
• Publications in Clay Today online, Voyage Magazine in Atlanta, Miami, and Dallas, Resilient Magazine
  

A dedicated and result-driven professional with a proven track record of orchestrating successful ​initiatives across various organizations. Leveraging multifaceted skill sets to raise $2 million in funds and ​secure in-kind donations valued at $110,000 with faith-based and nonprofit organizations with a total ​volunteer labor value of $319,000.

As our next Florida House District Rep, Therese will prioritize tackling the affordable housing and homeowners ​insurance crisis, advancing fiscal responsibility, education reform, economic growth, healthcare access, public ​safety.

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Ways to Connect ​with Therese

• Email: ​mrstheresewgamble@gmail.com
• 904-419-9585 (call/text)
  
• Follow on social media platforms
• Virtual events schedule launching ​soon on social media platforms
• Write Us: P.O. Box 17575, ​Jacksonville, FL 32245
• In-Person - Register for Love Thy ​Neighbor Tour to get notifications
  

Candidate Therese V. Wakefield-Gamble and team members want to connect with ​community members in District 14.

Given the summer heat conditions in Jacksonville, indoor venues are crucial to ensure ​participant safety and comfort. Door-to-door canvassing will take place around ​extreme heat days. If you can’t attend, you can email, text, attend online, send video ​clips, or write us a letter.

So we are holding events throughout the district where you, Therese, can be accessible ​not just to talk but to introduce yourself and give each community member 5 minutes ​to tell their stories, struggles, dreams, and goals of what they envision for District 14.

Where Therese will be armed and equipped with your voices to advocate and propose ​legislations and funding to recycle your tax dollars back into District 14 for inclusive ​growth in affordable housing, healthcare access, education reform, and public safety.

Affordable Housing

Therese will prioritize tackling housing affordability by exploring a range of ​solutions to ensure housing affordability and accessibility for all residents. ​Limit corporate ownership in defined areas, implement rental caps, and prevent ​the monopolization of the rental market. I will advocate for incentives for ​community land trusts, providing rent control options where appropriate, and ​increasing funding for housing assistance programs. Regulatory reform and ​consumer protections for stricter regulations on insurance companies to ​prevent unjustified rate hikes and ensure transparency in premium calculations ​to residents.

Healthcare Access

Therese will work to expand Medicaid and Medicare for all with multiple paths to ​achieving universal coverage, improving our healthcare system . and ensuring ​affordable, accessible, and high-quality healthcare for all residents in our state. ​Early Prevention and Screening programs for chronic and invisible illnesses that ​go undiagnosed by healthcare professionals. Accessibility to high-quality ​healthcare providers sooner than later during complex healthcare treatments.

Education Reform

Therese will work to end the school-to-prison pipeline by increasing funding for K-20 ​Teachers to become credentials as Intellectual Critical Trauma Mental Health First ​Responders to provide mental health services. Implementation of restorative justice ​programs, revised zero-tolerance policies, providing implicit bias training, increasing ​investment in early childhood education, strengthening community and parental ​involvement, developing culturally relevant curriculum, redefining school resource ​officers for safety and emergency and not disciplinary action roles, supporting ​alternative discipline methods.

Public Safety

Therese is committed to promoting legislation to enhance ​public safety and reduce gun violence in our communities by ​implementing universal background checks, gun sales ​loopholes, red flag laws, assault weapons bans, and safe ​storage laws. These policies are not about infringing on Second ​Amendment rights but instead about enhancing public safety ​and protecting communities. Therese will support gun violence ​prevention, firearm licensing and registration, a public health ​approach to gun violence, and enhanced training and ​education.

Key Issues

Health Care as a Human Right - Medicare For All & Expanding Medicaid

Today, more than 30 million Americans still don’t have health insurance and even more are ​underinsured. Even for those with insurance, costs are so high that medical bills are the number ​one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Incredibly, we spend significantly more of our ​national GDP on this inadequate health care system—far more per person than any other major ​country. And despite doing so, Americans have worse health outcomes and a higher infant ​mortality rate than countries that spend much less on health care. Our people deserve better.

• Create a Medicare for All, single-payer, national health insurance program to provide ​everyone in America with comprehensive health care coverage, free at the point of ​service.
• No networks, no premiums, no deductibles, no copays, no surprise bills.
• Medicare coverage will be expanded and improved to include: include dental, ​hearing, vision, and home- and community-based long-term care, in-patient and out-​patient services, mental health and substance abuse treatment, reproductive and ​maternity care, prescription drugs, and more.
• Stop the pharmaceutical industry from ripping off the American people by making ​sure that no one in America pays over $200 a year for the medicine they need by ​capping what Americans pay for prescription drugs under Medicare for All.

Key Issue: Protection of Women's Health & Reproductive Rights for their Bodies

I firmly support access to safe and legal abortion as a fundamental right. Women should have ​the autonomy to make decisions about their bodies without government interference.

I advocate for:

• Protecting Roe v. Wade: Upholding the legal precedent that guarantees the right to ​choose.
• Increasing Access: Ensuring affordable and accessible reproductive healthcare services ​for all women, including those in underserved areas.
• Supporting Providers: Protecting healthcare professionals from criminal prosecution for ​providing quality reproductive care.
• Comprehensive Sex Education: Promoting education to reduce unwanted pregnancies ​and support informed choices.

These measures are essential to safeguarding women's health and reproductive rights.

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STATE ABORTION BANS THREATEN NEARLY 7 MILLION BLACK WOMEN, EXACERBATE THE EXISTING BLACK MATERNAL ​MORTALITY CRISIS

Black Women Content with Recent Abortion Restrictions

In Our Own Voice states that National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda polling documents the ​negative impacts for Black women aged 18 to 44 living in states with abortion restrictions.

Black women in these states report that recent bans and restrictions have made them think about

not having any or any additional children (46 percent),

• the risk of maternal mortality to them or a partner (43 percent),

• their reduced safety (41 percent),

• moving to a less restrictive state (34 percent), and

• the risk of being arrested in relation to a pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion care (34 percent).

Nearly two-thirds of Black women in these states reported having at least one of these thoughts as a result ​of recent bans and restrictions.

Key Issue: Legalization of Cannabis for Both Medical and Recreational Use

I support the legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational use. ​It's crucial to extend protections within state law to ensure that individuals ​using cannabis:

• whether for medical purposes or recreationally where legal,
• are not unfairly discriminated against as employees or job applicants.

This includes safeguards against discrimination in hiring, firing, or other ​employment decisions solely based on cannabis use within the bounds of ​state law.

Additionally, cannabis can serve as an alternative to addictive prescription ​medications for treating chronic pain disorders and autoimmune diseases, ​contributing positively to public health outcomes and potentially mitigating ​the environmental impacts associated with pharmaceutical production and ​waste.

Providing legal protections and treating cannabis like any other legal ​substance promotes fairness and ensures that individuals have access to ​viable treatment options while addressing community health concerns.

Key Issue: Climate Change - Green New Deal

Climate change is a global emergency. The Amazon rainforest is burning, Greenland’s ice shelf is melting, ​and the Arctic is on fire. People across the country and the world are already experiencing the deadly ​consequences of our climate crisis, as extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, droughts, floods, ​and hurricanes upend entire communities, ecosystems, economies, and ways of life, as well as endanger ​millions of lives. Communities of color, working class people, and the global poor have borne and will bear ​this burden disproportionately.

• Transform our energy system to 100 percent renewable energy and create 20 million ​jobs needed to solve the climate crisis.
  

• Ensure a just transition for communities and workers, including fossil fuel workers.

• Ensure justice for frontline communities, especially under-resourced groups, ​communities of color, Native Americans, people with disabilities, children, and the ​elderly.

• Save American families money with investments in weatherization, public ​transportation, modern infrastructure, and high-speed broadband.

• Commit to reducing emissions throughout the world, including providing $200 billion ​to the Green Climate Fund, rejoining the Paris Agreement, and reasserting the United ​States’ leadership in the global fight against climate change.

• Invest in conservation and public lands to heal our soils, forests, and prairie lands.

• End the greed of the fossil fuel industry and hold them accountable.

A Welcoming and Safe America for All

Our community thrives on the values of inclusion, respect, and ​safety. As your candidate for the Florida House of Representatives ​District 14, I am committed to creating a welcoming and secure ​environment for everyone. Our district is a tapestry of diverse ​cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, and it is this diversity that ​makes us strong and resilient.

• Institute a moratorium on deportations until a ​thorough audit of past practices and policies is ​complete.

• Reinstate and expand DACA and develop a ​humane policy for those seeking asylum.

• Completely reshape and reform our immigration ​enforcement system, including breaking up ICE ​and CBP and redistributing their functions to ​their proper authorities.

• Dismantle cruel and inhumane deportation ​programs and detention centers and reunite ​families who have been separated.

• Live up to our ideals as a nation and welcome ​refugees and those seeking asylum, including ​those displaced by climate change.

Key Issue: Respecting and Empowering Florida Teachers

Our teachers are the backbone of our educational system and play a ​critical role in shaping the future of our children. They dedicate their ​lives to nurturing young minds, often going above and beyond their ​duties to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. It is ​time we show our respect and support for these invaluable ​professionals by addressing three critical areas: fair compensation, ​diversity in recruitment, and enhanced training in mental health and ​safety.

Raising Teacher Wages:

Florida teachers deserve to be fairly compensated for their hard work and dedication. Currently, many teachers are ​struggling to make ends meet, which is unacceptable given their vital role in our society.

Promoting Teacher Diversity:

A diverse teaching workforce benefits all students by providing a broader range of perspectives and role models.

Enhancing Mental Health Training and Safety:

Teachers should not be forced to carry guns; their primary focus should be on education and student well-being. Mental ​Health Credentials: Equip teachers with training in mental health awareness and early detection skills. By becoming ​"Intellectual First Responders," teachers can identify early signs of bullying, fighting, and potential threats such as school ​gun violence. This proactive approach can save lives and create a safer school environment.

Current Issues Facing Florida Veterans and Families Impacted by Incarceration

Therese is dedicated to addressing these critical issues facing ​Florida veterans and families impacted by incarceration. By ​advocating for comprehensive healthcare, affordable housing, ​employment opportunities, streamlined benefits, and robust ​mental health and reintegration support, we aim to create a ​stronger, more inclusive community for all.

Issues Facing Florida Veterans:

Access to Healthcare,

Homelessness,

Employment,

Benefits Navigation,

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,

Social Stigma and Isolation

Issues Facing Families Impacted by Incarceration:

Housing Instability,

Educational Disruption,

Lack of Access to Benefits,

Economic Hardship,

Reintegration Support

The Backbone of Our Economy: Supporting Small Businesses in District 14 with AI Literacy

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving innovation, ​creating jobs, and fostering a sense of community. In Florida, and ​particularly in District 14, the impact of small businesses is profound. ​According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses ​make up 99.8% of all businesses in Florida and employ 3.5 million ​people, accounting for 41.1% of the state's workforce.

Challenges and Opportunities:

Despite their significant contributions, small businesses face numerous ​challenges, particularly in accessing business lending and securing ​local, state, and government contracts. Addressing these challenges is ​crucial for the continued growth and success of small businesses in ​District 14.

Embracing AI Literacy to Compete in a Tech-Driven Economy:

As we move further into the 21st century, leveraging technology, ​particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), is essential for staying competitive

Supporting small businesses in District 14 is not just an economic imperative; it is a community imperative. By ensuring better access ​to business lending, increasing opportunities for local, state, and government contracts, and promoting AI literacy, we can empower ​our small businesses to thrive. This, in turn, will create jobs, stimulate local economies, and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

• I promise to fight every day to make sure taxpayers dollars are recycled back into district 14 for economic growth and sustainability.
• I promise to fight every day to protect residents from displacement and support community stability through affordable housing and land trusts.
• I will propose a policy to allocate a higher percentage of Florida Lottery funds to increase K-12 teachers’ salaries and initiate diversity teacher recruitment programs that reflect the student populations and address the racial gap in the Florida educational system.
• I will propose legislation to expand Medicaid and Medicare along with building more healthcare facilities in underserved areas to provide healthcare for all.
• I will advocate for public safety for restorative justice approaches to reduce recidivism and support rehabilitation.
• I will advocate for renewable energy projects to reduce the district’s carbon footprint and promote sustainability. Creating green spaces and wellness initiatives to promote healthy living environments. Proposing green and climate employers to make District 14 their headquarters for employment opportunities in our backyard.
  
• I will propose and launch AI-information literacy camps and professional training at our public libraries to prepare residents and local businesses to support tech startups and connect local talent with opportunities in the tech industry for a livable wage to combat homelessness.
  
• I will propose legislation for a Statewide Youth Saving Account Program ages (0-25) to close the wealth gap from savings to trust funds.
  

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Join Therese V. Wakefield-Gamble Campaign Today!

mrstheresewgamble@gmail.com

(904) 419-9585 | P.O. Box 17575, Jacksonville, FL 32245

FL State House District 14 - Duval County

RSVP for “Love Thy ​Neighbor” Listening and ​Learning Tour -

Meet & See Therese

2024 - Political advertisement paid for and approved by the Therese V. Wakefield-Gamble Campaign for Duval County Florida State House District 14