In December 2023, The Florida Bar Foundation changed its name to FFLA. Posts prior to this date contain our former name.
The Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors met in Lakeland, Fla., on March 10, 2023, at Florida Southern College. The Foundation is grateful to Florida Southern College for hosting and especially grateful to former Foundation President Stephen Senn and his law firm Peterson & Myers for facilitating the visit with the college and for sponsoring a reception at the Polk Museum of Art. This hospitality and generosity allowed the Foundation to save considerable money and expenses associated with its committee and board meetings. The major actions of the board and reports received included:
Election of Foundation Board of Directors
The board ratified the Nominating Committee’s selection of Ayana Barrow and Joseph Kadow to fill two seats for three-year terms beginning July 1, 2023. Ms. Barrow is a lawyer actively involved in the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar, and Mr. Kadow is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Bloomin’ Brands, Inc.
It was also reported that Sara Courtney Baigorri and Brian Currie were appointed by The Florida Bar to each serve a second, three-year term on the board. The Foundation also notified the Bar of two more open seats left vacant by Craig Waters’ resignation and Maria Gonzalez’s selection as the Foundation’s Second Vice President. It is expected that the Bar will fill these two seats at its May meeting.
Report of the Medal of Honor Awards Committee
The board ratified the selection of David B. Rothman as the Foundation’s 2023 recipient of its Medal of Honor Award for a Lawyer. The committee did not recommend a non-lawyer recipient.
The board also ratified the selection of Kimberly Rodgers, Executive Director, Community Law Program, Inc., as this year’s recipient of the Jane Elizabeth Curran Distinguished Service Award.
The Foundation is planning to host an awards ceremony and breakfast in conjunction with The Florida Bar annual convention. All major sponsorships have been filled, but other sponsorships and tickets are available. More details will follow regarding the event as they become available.
Administration of Justice Grants Awarded
The Improvements in the Administration of Justice (AOJ) grant program is designed to assist in the improvement in the administration of justice in areas within the broader framework of the justice system, with emphasis on the process of operating the courts in an effective and expeditious manner. It has historically been used to fund programs that are not otherwise or regularly funded in the Foundation’s other grant programs.
The Board approved an allocation of $900,000 to fund AOJ projects this fiscal year, which represents a $100,000 increase over last year’s allocation. The Foundation received 13 applications requesting a total of $2,209,073.
Last year, the Foundation received nine applications requesting a total of $991,042. As such, a $191,042 shortfall between the Foundation’s allocation of $800,000 and the “ask” existed last year (23% delta). This year’s shortfall increased to $1,309,703 between the Foundation’s $900,000 allocation and the total “ask” from all applicants (145% delta). Put another way, while applications increased by 44% (9 vs. 13), the amount requested increased by 222%. These differences and disparities presented more challenges to the review team.
Directors Brian Currie, Maria Gonzalez, Mike Tein and Hon. Stefanie Moon, along with staff, independently reviewed and scored the applications and thereafter conferenced to review the results and make recommendations for funding. The scoring group recommended, and the board approved, six awards totaling $900,000. The six projects receiving AOJ awards this year are:
| Applicant | Project Name | Award Amount |
| Cuban American Bar Association Pro Bono Project | CABA Attorney Ad Litem Project | $70,000 |
| Dade Legal Aid | DLA AOJ Project 2.0 | $70,000 |
| Florida’s Children First | 2023 Improving Justice for Children by Focusing on Enforcement and Implementation | $300,000 |
| Florida Health Justice Project | Pro Se Guide to Medicaid Eligibility Appeals | $60,000 |
| Innocence Project of Florida | 2023 Vindicate the Wrongfully Convicted Project | $300,000 |
| Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association | 2023 Akse and Accesso for All | $100,000 |
| Total: | $900,000 |
Report on Loan Repayment Assistance Program
Pursuant to the terms of the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) and individual loan agreements between the Foundation and eligible participants, the board took up the matter of its 2022 LRAP loans. In 2022, the board approved LRAP loans to 205 qualified attorneys totaling $1,024,663. Upon fulfilment of the terms and conditions of their promissory notes, participants are eligible for consideration for forgiveness of those loans.
The board adopted and approved the Grants Committee’s recommendation (based on staff’s detailed report) which provides for:
• Forgiveness of LRAP loans to 159 participants totaling $770,160;
• Recission of $175,999 in unused LRAP awards by 49 participants that fully or partially declined their LRAP loans or defaulted prior to second disbursement; and
• Acceptance of repayment from 26 participants that defaulted on their 2021 LRAP loans totaling $78,504.
Foundation selects Paul Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award Recipients
The Paul Doyle Children’s Advocacy Award honors Paul C. Doyle, Founding Director of the Foundation’s Legal Assistance for the Poor and Law Student Assistance Grant Programs (1991 to 2013) in recognition of his commitment to high-quality legal representation of Florida’s low-income children; for encouraging grantee programs to collaborate across geographic regions in order to bring the benefit of legal advocacy to low-income children regardless of their county of residence; for his strong and consistent support of Florida Bar Foundation Legal Assistance for the Poor and Law Student Assistance grantees; and for a career dedicated to promoting high-quality legal representation of the poor. The purpose of the award is to recognize and encourage systemic legal advocacy on behalf of low-income children by any non-profit, philanthropic organization whose mission is similar to the Foundation’s, who is currently involved in projects directly affecting children’s issues, and who meet the award’s qualitative and other criteria.
A committee, chaired by former Foundation President Juliette Lippman, selected:
| Applicant | Project Name | Award Placement |
| Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society | Foster Youth Disability Advocacy Project | Winner |
| Florida Health Justice Project | Ensuring Continuity of Care for Medically Fragile Children Aging out of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (the “Medicaid Aging Out Project”) | First Runner-up |
| Americans for Immigrant Justice | Lucha Program | Second Runner-up |
In addition, pursuant to recent amendments to the selection criteria for this award, the Selection Committee noted that Florida Health Justice Project is a first-time applicant/nominee for this award (“newcomer”) and is therefore entitled to a $1,000 “newcomer’s” award. The Selection Committee requested approval of a newcomer’s award to FHJP in addition to its First Runner-Up award.
The board ratified the selection of award recipients who will be recognized at the Foundation’s annual awards ceremony in June. Along with Ms. Lippman, the Foundation thanks Directors Brian Currie, Kevin McCoy, Maria Gonzalez, Sara Courtney Baigorri, Honorable Stefanie Moon, and Retired Justice Peggy Quince who also served as members of the Selection Committee.
Report of the Overall Review Ad Hoc Committee
Immediate Past President Connie Bookman reported on the work of the committee, which was created to study, review and make recommendations to the board regarding the Foundation’s brand, name, mission, mission statement and messaging. This committee has met 10 times since its creation. The group initially studied its purpose and charge, set out to identify and articulate the Foundation’s current challenges and aspirations for meeting those challenges, and then recommended:
1. The Foundation’s mission does not need and should not be changed;
2. The Foundation’s mission statement should be changed and clarified;
3. The Foundation should adopt and use a fictitious name that better reflects its mission and purpose;
4. The Foundation should endeavor to change and refine its messaging; and
5. The Foundation should create, develop or refine its brand to reflect the changes above.
These recommendations were approved by the board on June 23, 2022. Thereafter, the group broke into two subgroups, with one focused on the Foundation’s mission statement and the other focused on the possible adoption of a fictitious name and tagline. It was decided that the mission statement group would proceed first because it was decided the name and tagline would be influenced by the mission statement.
The mission statement subgroup met several times afterwards and considered multiple proposed mission statements. Ultimately, the committee’s vice-chair, Gary Yordon, spent considerable time researching and drafting mission statements that would best describe the work that the Foundation sets out to do. On February 20, 2023, the committee met, discussed Gary’s recommendations, and voted to recommend to the Foundation board that the Foundation’s mission statement be changed to:
“To increase access to the justice system for people of limited means, The Florida Bar Foundation funds legal services, develops innovative tools and programs, and supports legal aid providers and the courts.”
The Board adopted the Committee’s recommendation. The Committee will continue with its work regarding the possible adoption of a fictitious name and report back at the board’s next meeting.
Next Meeting
The Board’s next scheduled meeting will be in conjunction with The Florida Bar’s Annual Convention in Boca Raton, Fla., in June. The specific date and time will be shared as soon as they are established by the convention’s event coordinator.
