History

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy created the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW). Now, over 60 years later, The Florida Commission on the Status of Women continues to study laws and regulations pertaining to women in Florida and make recommendations to the legislature based on their findings.

1961

President John F. Kennedy created the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW).

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1964

Florida Governor Farris Bryant created the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) to study laws and regulations pertaining to women in Florida and make recommendations to the legislature based on their findings. Click here to read the first Annual Report of the Governnor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Farris Bryant Courtesy of the State of Florida

1966

The Commission presented its first report to Governor Farris Bryant.

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1967

Florida Governor Claude Kirk announced the appointment of 14 new members to the COSW, bringing the total number of commissioners to 24.

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1971

Governor Reubin Askew re-established the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women by executive order.

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1974

Governor Reubin Askew appointed an executive director to help coordinate the Commission’s activities.

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1977

The Commission’s budget is cut and its fate between 1977 and 1978 is not known.

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1979

Governor Bob Graham reactivated the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women (still referred to as the COSW) by means of Executive Order 79-60.

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1982

The first Florida Women’s Hall of Fame ceremony and reception was held by the Commission at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee in May of 1982.

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1991

Governor Lawton Chiles lobbied the Florida Legislature to statutorily create the Florida Commission on the Status of Women after he took office in 1991. The leading sponsor in the House of Representatives for CS/CS/HB 109 was Representative Elaine Gordon, while Senator Carrie Meek sponsored the companion bill, SB 1324. The Commission’s legislative authority now exists in Section 14.24, Florida Statutes. Since 1991, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women has been fully supported by the Governor, the Cabinet and the Florida Legislature.

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*Rowe, A. (1962) President John F. Kennedy Greets Peace Corps Volunteers, White House, South Lawn. Washington District of Columbia United States of America, 1962. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, -08-09] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669738/.

Voices of Florida Women Survey

The goal of this study is to identify key issues facing women, understand critical needs women and their communities perceive as important, build trust with constituents, and highlight the diverse viewpoints of all segments of the population from across the state.

Read The Report