Florida PIRG's Mark Ferrulo

Who’s there?

It’s a Florida PIRG summer citizen outreach staffer at your door.

Throughout the year, from the early darkness and crisp air of the winter months to the steam room heat of the Florida summer, our citizen outreach staff cover territory from Tampa, Miami and Tallahassee to smaller towns and suburbs around the state.

Renewing current members, signing up new members, collecting petitions and postcards to elected officials, educating citizens in their communities about pressing environmental issues, and distributing scorecards and other literature, our staff continue to be the foundation of Florida PIRG’s efforts to keep the public up to speed on the important issues of the day.

I started as a canvasser myself, fresh out of college in 1991. I remember those days vividly, from the banyan tree-shaded neighborhoods of south Miami-Dade county to the red bricked streets of south St. Petersburg. It was the hardest work I’ve ever done, but in some ways, the most satisfying. I enjoyed listening to the people I met and engaging in the kind of two-way political interaction that has become nearly extinct in today’s modern world of 30-second commercials (often negative attack ads) and pre-recorded incoming phone messages.

This summer, we are launching our largest citizen outreach effort ever. Our political goal is to reunite our currently fractured congressional delegation in opposition to offshore drilling.

While going door-to-door in this age of blogs, listservs and auto-dial telemarketing may seem anachronistic, canvassing is still one of the most contagious, inspiring and effective ways to overcome monied, entrenched, powerful interests to protect consumers and our environment.

Knock, knock . . .

Who’s there?

An organization and its members striving together to improve quality of life and democracy in Florida.