On Thursday, March 21, LiveFree! and WEDU (in partnership with St. Petersburg College, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Pinellas County Schools, Pinellas Park Police Department, Operation PAR and others) hosted the 9^th Annual 2013 Florida’s Kids & Alcohol Partnerships for Success: The Power and Promise of Community at the Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College. The panel discussion was recorded and aired at 9 p.m. April 25 on WEDU-TV. It will also be rebroadcast on Sunday, May 5 at 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 5 p.m. 

The Florida’s Kids and Alcohol series is the longest running televised town hall meetings in the country and is proving successful in terms of continuing community interest in underage drinking prevention.

Moderated by Laura McElroy, an experienced journalist and media professional who currently works for the Tampa Police Department, the event covered topics including:

• positive outcomes of community
• underage alcohol use
• synthetic marijuana use
• prescription drug misuse and abuse
• peer pressures youth face

Panelists included high school students, LiveFree! Coalition Executive Director Jackie Griffin, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Health Educators and more.

Dunedin High Step Team prepares for its performance.

Pinellas Park High School’s LiveFree! Club shows support.

The Town Hall panelists prepare for the discussion

The Town Hall audience.

Photos courtesy of WEDU.

Watch the Town Hall Webcast here:

Click the following link to learn more about our panelists and for more information about what was discussed: http://pinellascoalition.com/floridas-kids-and-alcohol-town-meeting-more-information/