Lawanna Gelzer: A Proven Leader for Orlando's District 5

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For over four decades, Lawanna Gelzer has been a tireless advocate and visionary leader dedicated to improving the lives of Orlando residents. With deep roots in the community as the co-owner of the Peabo Childcare Center in Parramore for 45 years, she has consistently demonstrated a profound commitment to service, equity, and justice. Her extensive experience, spanning leadership roles in more than 30 community organizations, has prepared her to represent the interests of District 5 on the Orlando City Commission.

A Champion for Environmental Justice and Public Health Lawanna Gelzer has been at the forefront of tackling our most pressing environmental and health challenges.

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• Statewide Strategic Planning: She founded the One Florida Coalition, an organization dedicated to building a robust environmental justice infrastructure across the state. The coalition is developing a "Living Strategic Plan" to serve as a roadmap for addressing systemic inequities through actionable goals in resilience, restoration, sustainability, equity, and empowerment. This initiative convenes an annual Environmental Justice Summit, bringing together stakeholders like the EPA, universities, and grassroots leaders to identify statewide priorities and foster collaboration.

 

• Climate Resilience: As the current chairperson of Florida Resilience Alliance, she oversees a significant budget and has allocated $2.5 million in the last three years to fund vital climate justice programs. Under her leadership, the Community Equity Project (CEP) is actively addressing the dangers of extreme heat and has launched the Ms. Betty Resilience Hub and Learning Center featuring a community garden and an emergency food distribution center. In partnership with Smile Trust, she distributes thousands of pounds of food along with extreme heat and hurricane kits to District 5 residents. 

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• Air Quality: Recognizing the impact of pollution on underserved neighborhoods, Lawanna secured over 750,000 dollars in funding from the EPA and other philanthropic organizations for a groundbreaking air quality study that utilizes local community scientists.

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• Public Health: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawanna was on the front lines, securing around $2 million for relief efforts. Through the Coalition of 100 Black Women - Central Florida, Inc.  she led the "VAX Up! Boost UP!" initiative, which held 226 events, administered 8,547 vaccinations, and reached over 450,000 individuals, in over 10 counties across Central Florida. Her public health advocacy began decades earlier when she spearheaded efforts in 1998 to fund HIV outreach services through the Open Center, which serviced 3 counties with over 1,500 hundred clients. Currently, she works with the Central Florida Black Nurses Association to help educate the community via health disparity studies and health worker training clinics.

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Advocating for Justice, Youth, and Empowerment Lawanna's work is centered on dismantling systemic inequities and empowering the most vulnerable members of our community.

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• Social Justice: Through the CEP, she provides comprehensive support to victims of police violence, including grief counseling and legal assistance, and has partnered with the Coalition of 100 Black Women to create the "Hall of Injustice" memorial to educate the community and honor lives lost.

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• Youth Development: In 1989, she founded the Express Youth Foundation for at-risk teenage girls, creating programs so successful that not a single participant became a teen mother. She is currently partnering with local youth on the air monitoring grant to train them as the next generation of leaders in climate justice.

 

• Women's Empowerment: As president of the Coalition of 100 Black Women - Central Florida, Lawanna hosts an annual Women's, Women’s History, and Purple and Pink Luncheons that tackle critical issues such as breast cancer awareness, domestic violence, and the teen-pregnancy-to-prison pipeline, creating a vital platform for education and change.

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• Senior Support: She partnered with the Senior Resource Alliance to help distribute $3.5 million for initiatives aiding seniors, providing critical support to our community's elders.

 

Experienced Fiscal Management & A Platform for Progress

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Lawanna Gelzer’s professional background, with over 40 years of experience providing fiscal management services with LG Services 2 Solutions LLC and LRG Consulting Solutions LLC, ensures she has the expertise to be a responsible steward of city resources. She has a proven record of managing budgets and securing grants for numerous community-based agencies.

Select Organizations and Affiliations

 

APEX Urban News (TV Host)
Ben Crump Law PLLC (Partner)
Central Florida Black Nurses (Partner)
Christ the King Episcopalian Church (Partner)
Coalition of 100 Black Women of Central Florida (President)
Communities Rise (Partner)
Community Equity Project, Inc. (CEP)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Office (Partner)
Express Youth Foundation (Founder)
Fight Back Coalition (Community Organizer)
Florida A&M University School of the Environment (Partner)
Florida Black Aids Network (FBAN) (Former Vice President of Finance)
Florida Resilience Alliance (Chairperson)
Health Initiatives Foundation, Inc. (Partner)
Historical Black College & Universities Scholarship Foundation (Board Member)
League of Women Voters of Orange County (Member)
Mayor's Dr. Martin Luther King Commission
Migrant Clinicians Network (Partner)
National Action Network Central FL Chapter (President)
National Council of Aging (Partner)
National Minority AIDS Council (Member)
One Florida Coalition (Founder)
Orlando's Community Development Neighborhood Improvement Corporation
Orlando Growth Management Planning Task Force
Pasco Community Equity Network
Project S.W.A.N. (Partner)
Rollins College (Partner)
Senior Resource Alliance (Partner)
Smile Trust (Partner)
Southeast Region Environmental Justice Network (Advisory Board)
Southwest Orlando Jaycees (Formal Vice President)
Tangelo Park YMCA (Formal Board Member)
Teen Age Pregnancy Prevention (TAPP) (Task Force Member)
The Green Obsidian (Partner)
University of Miami School of Law Environmental Justice Clinic (Partner)
University of South Florida School of Environmental Science and Policy (Partner)
University of Central Florida Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering (Partner)
Weed & Seed (Advisory Board Member)
Women of Color Leadership Coalition (President)

Her platform for District 5 is a direct reflection of her life's work and includes:

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• Climate and Environmental Resilience

• Safe and Attainable/Affordable Housing

• Addressing the Crisis of Homelessness 

• Enhanced Public Safety and Improve Police Relations 

•  Robust Youth, Veteran, & Senior Programs

• A Livable Wage Initiative

• Improved Transportation and Infrastructure

 

With an unwavering commitment to fighting corruption and a long record of tangible results, Lawanna Gelzer is prepared to represent and carry out the agenda for District 5.

 

 

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