The Farmworker Association of Florida is an advocacy group that organizes agricultural workers in the state of Florida. The group has waded into several political issues, including immigration and environmentalism.

History

The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) is a membership organization of farmworkers with five offices across Florida. The organization started after Central Florida was hit with several severe freezes in the 1980s harming the industry of growing oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and other citrus fruits. Unemployed farmworkers came together in Mascotte, Florida to organize for disaster unemployment assistance. From this meeting, the Farmworker Association of Central Florida was established in 1983. It formally incorporated as a nonprofit in 1986, establishing its headquarters in Apoka, Florida. ¹

It opened another office in Pierson, Florida in 1987, where agriculture workers focus on growing ferns. After Hurricane Andrew badly damaged South Florida in 1992, harming the agriculture industry in the town of Homestead, it provided assistance. There is opened a third office in Florida City, Florida, a city in Miami-Dade County. It was at this point the organization changed its name to the Farm Worker Association of Florida—dropping “Central” from the name. ²

More expansion came in 1995 after severe flooding hit the Southwest Florida town of Bonita Springs. It opened up an office of nearby Immokalee in 1996. After hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 hit Florida’s east coast, the organization provided assistance and opened up a fifth office in Fellsmere, Florida. ³

Advocacy

Farmworker Association of Florida teamed up with Naderite liberal group Public Citizen to produce the 2018 report titled “Unworkable: Dangerous Heat Puts Florida Workers at Risk.” The report claims that climate change puts outdoor workers, such as farm workers and construction workers, at increased risk of severe health effects. ⁴

The organization backed federal legislation supported by the United Farm Workers labor union and introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) in 2019 called the “Blue Card” bill. The legislation would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrant agriculture workers in the United States. ⁵

The FWAF also spoke out about the Trump administration’s plans to deport illegal immigrants in the United States that have removal orders. “When Trump became president, many communities started to feel more racism than before,” griped Antonio Tovar, interim director of the organization. “Kids are being bullied in schools, with other students telling them immigration is going to take them.” ⁶ In 2019, the Florida legislature also passed a law prohibiting local jurisdictions from refusing to assist federal immigration law enforcement officials; Tovar and FWAF also opposed that legislation. ⁷

The organization also opposes H-2A visa program, which brings in seasonal agriculture workers. The FWAF claims such a visa program would displace existing illegal immigrant workers who have worked in the region. ⁸

Funding

A number of left-wing foundations, including the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, provide funding to the Farmworker Association of Florida. ⁹

Leadership

Tirso Moreno is the co-founder and general coordinator of the FWAF.

Elvira Zamora is the administrator. Sonya Young is the financial officer. David Crump is the grant writer for the organization. Mireya Ledesma is the community service coordinator. ¹⁰

Antonio Tovar is quoted in several media accounts as the interim director of the organization as of summer 2019, though he is not listed on the organization’s website as of 2019.

1. About. Farm Workers Association of Florida. https://floridafarmworkers.org/about/
2. About. Farm Workers Association of Florida. https://floridafarmworkers.org/about/
3. About. Farm Workers Association of Florida. https://floridafarmworkers.org/about/
4. Kinane, Sean. “Climate Change is Making Florida’s Heat Dangerous for Farmworkers: Report.” 88.5 WMNF. October 30, 2018. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.wmnf.org/climate-change-florida-heat-dangerous-farmworkers/ 
5. Press Release. “Support UFW’s Farmworker Immigration Bill.” FWAF. February 25, 2019. Accessed July 2, 2019. https://floridafarmworkers.org/support-ufws-new-farm-worker-immigration-bill-just-introduced-in-congress/
6. Cordeiro, Monivette. “Central Florida Immigration Groups Prepare as ICE Deportation Raids Delayed.” Orlando Sentinel. June 26, 2019. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orange-county/os-ne-central-florida-immigrant-groups-prepare-for-raids-20190626-tvyg2k5u2bcbnbitkywvcp2mgm-story.html
7. Tovar, Antonio. “Sadness Over Sanctuary Bill.” Orlando Sentinel. May 5, 2019. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/letters/os-op-florida-farmwokers-respond-sanctuary-city-bill-20190505-story.html
8. Comas, Martin E. “Booming Economy Forces Farmers to Rely More on Visa Program to Fill Labor Shortage.” Orlando Sentinel. May 10, 2019. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-farm-laborers-h2a-visa-program-20190510-lxdkwg73jfbknf2qomdlhiqvm4-story.html
9. Data compiled by FoundationSearch.com subscription service, a project of Metasoft Systems, Inc., from forms filed with the IRS. Queries conducted July 11, 2019.
10. Team. FWAF. Accessed July 5, 2019. https://floridafarmworkers.org/team/