Service Employees International Union Local 1991 is a chapter of the SEIU representing roughly 5,000 nurses, doctors, and other health care workers employed by the Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida. 1 In 2024, the South Florida Business Journal ranked the health system as the region’s third-largest employer. 2
SEIU Local 1991 is largely supportive of Democratic Party candidates and left-of-center social causes, as well as Democratic-aligned candidates in Miami-Dade County’s nominally nonpartisan elections. 3
Support for Abortion
In 2023, SEIU 1991 donated $27,000 to the left-of-center abortion activist group Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition and $25,000 to Floridians Protecting Freedom, which advanced the unsuccessful pro-abortion “Right to Abortion Initiative” Florida Amendment 4 in 2024. 4 The ballot measure would have amended the Florida constitution to prohibit laws restricting abortion “before viability” or “when necessary to protect the patient’s health” at any time. 5 It received 57.2 percent “yes” votes, short of the 60 percent needed to pass. 5
In 2021, SEIU 1991 donated $20,000 to Florida Decides Healthcare, a Democratic Party-aligned advocacy group supporting Medicaid expansion in the state. 6 4
Candidate Contributions
Donations to Republican Officials
While largely aligned with the Democratic Party on policy and social issues, SEIU 1991 regularly donates to Republican legislators who have influence over union priority issues. In recent years, SEIU 1991 has made donations in the $3,000 to $5,000 range to political committees controlled by Republican state legislators including state Speaker of the House Daniel Anthony Perez (R-Miami), Sen. Bryan Avila (R-Hialeah Gardens), Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami), Sen. Ileana Garcia (R-Miami), Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), and Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Miami). 7 4 8 9 10
In 2022, SEIU gave $5,000 to the “Democracy and Freedom” PAC of Democratic state senate candidate Janelle Perez, who lost to Republican Alexis Calatayud. 4 11 The next year, the union gave $3,000 to Calatayud’s leadership PAC. 4
2020 Election
In 2020, SEIU Local 1991 leveraged broad public support for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic to drive support for the union’s favored candidates for local offices in Miami-Dade County. 12 It operated a “Health Care Heroes” campaign that featured players from the Miami Dolphins NFL and Miami Marlins MLB teams, as well as videos of SEIU 1991-endorsed candidates. 12 After the election, South Florida political reporter and blogger Elaine de Valle said that SEIU 1991 “got a mayor who they feel is a friend” in Democratic-aligned candidate Daniella Levine Cava and “got every single one of the Miami-Dade commissioners they wanted.” 12
References
- “About Us.” SEIU 1991. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://seiu1991.org/about/.
- “Largest Employers in South Florida.” South Florida Business Journal, September 27, 2024. https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/subscriber-only/2024/09/27/largest-employers-in-south-florida.html.
- “Take Action.” SEIU 1991. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://seiu1991.org/political-action/.
- “Service Employees International Union Local 1991.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/650322642.
- “Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative (2024).” Ballotpedia. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_4,_Right_to_Abortion_Initiative_(2024).
- “Home.” Florida Decides Healthcare. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://floridadecideshealthcare.org/.
- “Ethics and Honesty in Government.” Ethics and Honesty in Government. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://ethicsandhonestyingovernmentpac.com/.
- Schafer, Alissa Jean. “Florida’s Investor-Owned Utilities Spent Heavily on Republican Interest Groups in 2020 Elections.” Energy and Policy Institute, May 2, 2025. https://energyandpolicy.org/floridas-investor-owned-utilities-spent-heavily-on-republican-interest-groups-in-2020-elections/.
- “Mission Statement.” Fighting for Floridas Families PC. Accessed August 18, 2025. http://www.fightingforfloridasfamiliespc.org/home.php.
- “Working Together for Florida Political Committee.” Working Together For Florida Political Committee. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://workingtogether4florida.com/.
- Scheckner, Jesse. “Ileana Garcia Nears $300K for SD 37 Defense, Challenger Janelle Perez Opens with $178K.” Florida Politics, October 15, 2021. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/465269-ileana-garcia-nears-300k-for-sd-37-defense-challenger-janelle-perez-opens-with-178k/.
- De Valle, Elaine. “COVID-19 Heroes Campaign Helps Get Locals Elected.” Politicalcortadito.com, November 26, 2020. https://www.politicalcortadito.com/2020/11/26/healthcare-workers-miami-dade-2020-political-gains-seiu/.