The Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN) was a consumer advocacy organization in Florida that focused on environmentalist and consumer issues, ostensibly supporting lower income and minority residents in the Tampa Bay area. ¹ It was established in 1984 and dissolved in 2024. ²

It was affiliated with USAction and the Consumer Federation of America, ³ and partnered with several left-of-center groups including the Frontier Group, ⁴ the Florida chapter of the League of Conservation Voters, the Florida AFL-CIO, and the Florida chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans. ⁵

Background

The Florida Consumer Action Network was an advocacy organization that focused on environmental and consumer issues. It ostensibly supported its local area residents with educational programs and opportunities for organizing to influence policies. ⁶

FCAN was established in 1984. In June 2024, FCAN filed for dissolution. ² The Florida Consumer Action Network Foundation, also located in St. Petersburg, Florida, was a related company. ⁷ It filed for dissolution in June 2024 as well. ⁸

FCAN was an independent affiliate of USAction and the Consumer Federation of America. ³ It was a State Voices Florida partner. State Voices Florida is a network of over 100 Florida advocacy groups and an affiliate of left-of-center advocacy group State Voices. ⁹

Projects

The Florida Consumer Action Network focused on working with lower income and minority residents in the Tampa Bay region. It existed to educate them on consumer issues and trained them in community organizing. ¹

Tampa Bay transportation was one of the organization’s focus areas. FCAN and the Frontier Group organized the “Complete Streets” program to create streets that can be used by drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, the disabled, and the elderly. ⁶ Project leaders hoped to improve public health and reducing air pollution through street redesign. ⁴ The Frontier Group is a project of the Public Interest Network, a coalition of left-of-center organizations such as the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Fund for the Public Interest, and Environment America. ¹⁰

The FCAN Save the Bees project was an education program to encourage people to oppose pesticide use to save bees. ⁶

FCAN educated Tampa-area residents on insurance products and issues including home, auto, life, medical, and others. ⁶ It advocated for reforms to auto insurance to eliminate perceived discrimination and worked to extend health insurance to those not eligible. ¹¹

FCAN was involved in several Florida cases as a petitioner or amicus in consumer and civil justice matters, often involving constitutional challenges, appellate practice, and administrative oversight. ^{12  5} It frequently joined with other organizations in its litigation practices including the Florida chapter of the League of Conservation Voters, the Florida AFL-CIO, and the Florida chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans. ⁵

Funding

The Florida Consumer Action Network’s last filing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was a Form 990-EZ for the 2022 tax year. It reported $19,358 in revenues and $84,991 in expenses, including $81,538 for salaries, compensation, and employee benefits. ¹³

Donors to the FCAN included the advocacy group Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. ¹ The Sixteen Thirty Fund donated to FCAN to support its environmental programs. Other donors included the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Fair Share. ¹⁴

Leadership

Tom Walker was the president of the Florida Consumer Action Network. Walker was born in Durham, North Carolina and graduated from Duke University. Between 1965 and 1970, he was a programmer analyst. In 1970, he became part-owner of Dialcom, Inc., a timesharing company in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1988, he co-founded Watson Walker, a mainframe performance consulting company, with his wife Cheryl. ¹⁵

As of 2025, Tom Walker was a board member of Suncoast Waterkeeper, an environmental advocacy group focused on protecting the Florida Suncoast waters, and of WSLR Fogartyville, a local radio station that “amplifies the voices of our diverse community, and promotes peace, sustainability, democracy, and economic and social justice.” ^{16  17}

Bill Newton was the executive director of FCAN from 1987 until 2014. In 2014, he became executive director of the FCAN Foundation and continued with FCAN as its deputy director. As of 2025, he was a board member of the Consumer Federation of America and an executive committee member of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington, D.C. ¹⁸

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4. “Complete Streets for St. Pete.” Public Interest Network Group. May 2017. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://publicinterestnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Frontier-Group-Complete-Streets-St.-Pete-May-2017-web.pdf
5. “Boca Burger Inc v. Forum (2005).” FindLaw. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1440200.html
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8. “Florida Consumer Action Network Foundation, Inc.” Florida Reg. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://www.floridareg.com/company/N08315/florida-consumer-action-network-foundation-inc
9. “Florida Consumer Action Network.” State Voices Florida. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://statevoicesfl.org/partners/florida-consumer-action-network/
10. “About.” The Public Interest Network. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://publicinterestnetwork.org/about/
11. Florida Consumer Action Network. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990EZ – Part III). 2022.
12. “State v. Florida Connsumre Action Network.” Court Listener. October 9, 2002. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1110213/state-v-florida-connsumre-action-network/
13. Florida Consumer Action Network. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990EZ – Part I). 2022.
14. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer search. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/full_text_search?sort=best&form%5B%5D=IRS990ScheduleI&q=59-2475292&submit=Apply
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18. LinkedIn – Bill Newton. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-newton-598b703/