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Florida Senate
-
2026
(NP) SR 1804
By
Senator Rouson
16-02683-26 20261804__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the legacy of the Juvenile
3 Welfare Board of Pinellas County.
4
5 WHEREAS, in the early 1940s, there were few alternative
6 paths for troubled or delinquent children in Pinellas County
7 other than incarceration, which was an issue recognized by
8 juvenile court Judge Lincoln Bogue, and
9 WHEREAS, in 1944, Judge Lincoln Bogue sought out solutions
10 to the problem of at-risk children by working with a community
11 advisory group to pursue funding from the Pinellas County
12 Commission, and
13 WHEREAS, Attorney Leonard Cooperman drafted legislation
14 supported by the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation to
15 create an independent special taxing district governed by an
16 autonomous board to guard the rights and needs of children, and
17 WHEREAS, Senator Henry Baynard sponsored Senate Bill 618,
18 which passed on May 21, 1945, and its House companion was
19 sponsored by Representative S. Henry Harris and passed the House
20 of Representatives on May 24, 1945, and
21 WHEREAS, on November 5, 1946, Pinellas County citizens
22 ratified the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) Act, creating the
23 nation’s first independent board dedicated to improving the
24 lives and futures of children, and
25 WHEREAS, in 1947, the JWB, chaired by Mailande Holland
26 Barton, adopted its first budget and distributed funds to three
27 agencies that served approximately 1,500 children, and
28 WHEREAS, in 2025, the JWB served a total of 83,622 children
29 through investments in 98 quality programs with 51 nonprofit
30 agencies, providing prevention and early intervention services
31 to assist children at all stages of life, from cradle to career,
32 and
33 WHEREAS, the JWB also serves as a convener, forging
34 partnerships and leading initiatives to prevent needless
35 childhood deaths, nurture early childhood development, champion
36 children’s mental health, promote grade-level reading, and fight
37 childhood hunger, NOW, THEREFORE,
38
39 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
40
41 That the Juvenile Welfare Board is recognized for its 80
42 year legacy of prioritizing children and for its commendable
43 service to the citizens of Pinellas County and Florida.
44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
45 the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the Juvenile
46 Welfare Board of Pinellas County as a tangible token of the
47 sentiments of the Florida Senate.