'Milk Party Tour' comes to town in support of Florida's children

The state's "Milk Party Tour" rolled into Orlando Tuesday night to rally support for Florida's children and pressure lawmakers to reverse what its leaders call a dismal record on funding for child-welfare and education programs.

"We are failing our children, most particularly our youngest children," said David Lawrence Jr., president of the Children's Movement of Florida, a statewide coalition seeking to make children the top priority in Tallahassee. "Our state — the fourth largest in the nation — shows up on list after list as either mediocre or miserable in all the rankings that tell us how we invest in our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

"I think it's sinful."

The message fell on enthusiastic ears as about 500 child-welfare workers, activists, local politicians, parents and children turned out for the rally at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. It was the latest in a 17-stop tour for the Milk Party — a wordplay on the conservative Tea Party, from which Children's Movement strategist Sergio Bendixen said the crowd could take a lesson.

"Whether you agree with them or not, they have achieved political influence and power," Bendixen said. He and others called on supporters of the Milk Party to go one better, making children's programs first in line for funding.

Although some who attended were disappointed by the turnout in Orlando, other rallies in Tallahassee and Gainesville have drawn 1,000 or more. Between the kickoff in Pensacola on Labor Day and a planned rally in Key West Sept. 30, Lawrence plans to reach more than 10,000 people.

"This is no small effort," he said. "What we seek to do in this movement has actually never before been done in America. … This summer, I raised $1 million in private funding — not one penny of it public — to make this happen."

What drew most of those who attended was a simple message:

"We need help for our children," said Melinda Lis, who works for a child-welfare agency and brought her 5-year-old daughter. We're behind in every measure."

Lawrence is careful to emphasize that the Children's Movement is calling not for new taxes but rather for a redistribution of existing tax money. Even given the state's dismal budget outlook, he said, the effort can change things.

For years, critics argue, big-money lobbyists for developers and other industries have taken priority in Tallahassee. But Lawrence has a track record on children's issues. The former publisher of The Miami Herald, he retired from the news business in 1999 to work in early childhood development and school readiness. Among other things, he ran a campaign that persuaded Miami-Dade County voters to raise their own property taxes in 2002, creating a dedicated funding source for children's programs.

In 2008, as the economy was tumbling and gas was $4 a gallon, the tax passed again with 85 percent of the votes.

Lawrence said the current campaign is even more crucial, and supporters cite a litany of statistics: Florida ranks 49th in the nation in the number of children without health insurance. It has high rates of underweight babies and infant mortality, and it ranks 47th in the percentage of women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. The child-abuse rate is twice the national average, and Florida is the only state in the nation to decrease funding for pre-kindergarten programs two years in a row.

Organizers also are planning the first-ever gubernatorial debate on children's issues, scheduled for Oct. 16. Democratic candidate Alex Sink, the state's current chief financial officer, has agreed to participate. Republican candidate Rick Scott has yet to commit, though Bendixen urged everyone in attendance Tuesday to call his campaign office.

Scott did not immediately return calls asking for his response.

Kate Santich can be reached at 407-420-5503 or ksantich@orlandosentinel.com.

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