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Leon County commission hears annual status report from Commission on the Status of Women & Girls
Summary
The Commission on the Status of Women & Girls reported on a busy 2023–24 year — including a summit with more than 220 attendees, an 81% increase in community committee membership, plans for a wellbeing dashboard and continued work on childcare, perinatal health and civic engagement. Commissioners pressed the commission to address infant mortality disparities in zip code 32304.
The Leon County Board of County Commissioners received the annual report from the Commission on the Status of Women & Girls (CSWG) at its Dec. 10 meeting and applauded the advisory body’s outreach and program work over the past year.
CSWG Vice Chair Stephanie Shumate introduced the report and said the commission’s empowerment summit drew "over 220 attendees," included five program tracks and offered free childcare to improve participation. "With this summit, we provided free childcare," Dr. Jasmine Bryant told the board, saying that logistical supports helped broaden participation from working parents.
The CSWG described six standing committees and their priorities for 2024–25: economic security (affordable housing and financial literacy), education (chronic absenteeism and trade-certification pilots), employment and earnings (high-quality childcare and a potential 24-hour childcare facility), health and development (perinatal health and period-poverty initiatives), political equity (voter engagement and rights restoration) and violence and safety (bystander intervention and human trafficking awareness training).
Commissioners praised the report but pressed for targeted data. Commissioner Proctor asked whether the CSWG was addressing "the contributing factors to the disparities we see in 32304" and cited high Black infant mortality rates. Dr. Bryant said the health and development committee is prioritizing perinatal mental health and working with community members and the Leon County Health Department to better understand local disparities.
Shumate said the CSWG is relaunching its website and hopes to debut a digital "well-being of women and girls" dashboard in early 2025 to track progress across the commission’s six focus areas.
The board did not take a separate vote on the report; commissioners thanked the CSWG for its work and invited additional collaboration on policy recommendations that are data-driven.
Looking ahead, leaders said the CSWG will continue work on childcare access, parental-leave coordination with partner employers, and programs to encourage more women and girls to run for office.
