Competitive debate instills in Florida's students a love of country, a sense of community service, and a deep appreciation for our government systems. The Florida Debate Initiative (FDI) is dedicated to fostering a new generation of leaders by providing access to exceptional civics education resources, debate programs, and expertly trained teachers.
OUR
VISION
Our vision is a Florida where every student, regardless of their socioeconomic background, has the opportunity to thrive through access to speech and debate initiatives and where competitive debate equips all students with the transformative skills of communication, leadership, and critical thinking, fostering a future where every young person can confidently lead and succeed in our interconnected society.
OUR
MISSION
At the heart of the Florida Debate Initiative (FDI) lies a passionate mission: to open doors wide for students through the power of speech, debate, and civics education. We envision a Florida where every student, regardless of background, has the chance to excel as active citizens and effective leaders in our interconnected society. By championing increased participation in local speech and debate teams, FDI enhances educational achievement and fosters a culture of excellence within Florida’s Education System..
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OUR GOAL
IS CLEAR
To empower students with the skills and confidence they need to succeed, offering them invaluable educational, leadership, and professional opportunities that transcend the traditional classroom experience.
GOALS TO
IGNITE CHANGE
1,000 BRIGHT FUTURES DAYS
Transform the hours high school students dedicate to debate and speech programs into valuable service work for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program (HB 807 2019). By recognizing these efforts, we can enhance the opportunities for students to secure scholarships that have already benefited over 950,000 Florida students, including the prestigious Florida Academic Scholars Award (FAS), Florida Medallion Scholars Award (FMS), Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars Award (GSC), and more.
OFFICIAL SPORT RECOGNITION
Let's get speech and debate recognized as an official sport in the State of Florida! By achieving this status, we can elevate the profile of these programs, attract more participants, and provide the recognition our talented students deserve for their hard work and dedication.
CIVICS, SPEECH & DEBATE WEEK
Our vision includes passing a law to officially commemorate Civics, Speech & Debate Week (or Day) in Florida. This celebration would spotlight the importance of these disciplines, encourage broader participation, and highlight the critical role they play in developing informed, articulate, and engaged citizens.
OUR
STORY
IN THE BEGINNING
In February 2019, Florida’s then Commissioner of Education, Richard Corcoran, walked into Apopka High School, ready to check out what was happening on a Saturday morning. What he found was nothing short of an all-star game for the mind. The Central Florida Debate Initiative, led by co-founders Tara Tedrow and Beth Eskin, had turned this Orlando-area school into a powerhouse of intellectual action. The place was buzzing with hundreds of local students, mostly from public schools, all suited up like they were heading into the big leagues. Instead of playing sports, though, these students were going head-to-head in debates, tackling tough topics like foreign policy with the same intensity as a playoff game.
Commissioner Corcoran, half-joking, asked if the students were here willingly, maybe wondering if this was some kind of academic boot camp. But as he watched them quoting heavyweights like Locke and Kant, it became crystal clear—these students weren’t just showing up: they were in the zone, crushing it in debate just like athletes on game day.
The backstory was just as gripping as the showdown on the debate floor. Central Florida used to be a major contender in the speech and debate circuit, regularly bringing home national trophies from the early ’90s to the mid-2000s. Tara Tedrow was a star from that golden era, winning three national championships for Celebration High School. After earning a Presidential Debate scholarship at Wake Forest University and later graduating from the University of Florida Law School, she came back to her hometown, now a land-use lawyer. But instead of finding a thriving debate scene, she discovered that Celebration High’s once-dominant team had disappeared.
Not willing to accept defeat, Tedrow teamed up with Beth Eskin, a coach with over 20 years of experience leading nationally ranked public school teams. Together, they launched the Central Florida Debate Initiative with one clear goal: to bring debate back as a major league option for public school students.
From 2014 to 2019, Tedrow and Eskin worked tirelessly to rebuild a championship team. They added 22 debate programs in Orange, Lake, and Osceola Counties, digging into their own pockets and scoring a few community grants to make it happen. But they knew they were playing for something bigger. They convinced Commissioner Corcoran that with the right backing, their initiative could go statewide.
The Commissioner, seeing the game-changing potential, set up a crucial meeting between Tedrow, Eskin, and the Marcus Foundation’s reps at Tampa Airport. The outcome of that meeting would forever change Florida’s educational playing field.
The Birth of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative: With a game-changing $5 million grant from the Marcus Foundation and $1.425 million in state funding for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons, the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative hit the ground running. This powerhouse partnership—bringing together the Florida
Education Foundation with Tedrow and Eskin’s Florida Debate Initiative—was ready to put debate back on the map across the state.
In FDI’s rookie year, the initiative didn’t just make a dent—it transformed the landscape, expanding debate programs from a mere 10 of Florida’s 74 school districts to an impressive 47. They didn’t just create a few new teams; they launched 161 new programs, setting up students statewide for success. The stats were impressive, but the real victory was the doors this initiative opened for students from all walks of life.
The mission was as bold: to ensure a debate program in all 67 Florida counties, so every student, regardless of where they came from, had a shot at top-notch competitive speech and debate training. The vision? Within five years, Florida would be a debate powerhouse, with competitive networks in place statewide, leveling the playing field for every student to experience the life-changing power of debate.
By November 2021, the initiative had scored a major win with the inaugural National Civics and Debate Championship in Orlando. For the first time, the best of the best in both high school and middle school were crowned national champions.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
But they didn’t stop there. Today FDI hosts regional summer camps for competitors, and coaches to raise the bar even higher, ensuring that Florida’s debate scene remains top-tier. FDI has also made serious investments in recruiting and training quality judges because just like in sports, having great players means you need great refs to keep the game fair.
GENERATION OF
SUPPORTING A NEW
LEADERS
PROMOTING
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
Your support ensures that students receive a comprehensive civics education, encouraging them to become informed, active citizens who understand the democratic process, promoting a more vibrant civic engagement.
BRIDGING
EDUCATIONAL
GAPS
With your help, FDI can reach underserved communities, ensuring that every student, regardless of their socioeconomic background, has equal access to quality speech and debate education, leveling the playing field and providing pathways to success.
EMPOWERING
EMERGING
LEADERS
By supporting FDI, you help provide students across Florida with the tools and opportunities to develop their public speaking and debate skills, fostering a generation of confident, articulate leaders who are ready to make a difference in their communities.
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