{"id":142598,"date":"2026-02-03T23:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142598\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T23:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:19:15","slug":"deloitte-device-day-returns-to-the-capitol-to-support-floridas-military-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/142598\/","title":{"rendered":"Deloitte Device Day returns to the Capitol to support Florida\u2019s military families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deloitte Device Day returned to the Capitol Rotunda this week. Lawmakers, state employees and community members came together to donate used electronic devices in support of active-duty service members and veterans.<\/p>\n

Hosted in collaboration with Cell Phones for Soldiers<\/a> and the Florida Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs (FDVA), the annual event encourages participants to donate cellphones, tablets and accessories, whether they are working or broken. The organization then refurbishes or responsibly recycles the devices. Proceeds from those devices help fund free phones and up to a year of talk and text for service members and veterans.<\/p>\n

Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded in 2004 to address the high cost of communication faced by deployed service members. Today, the organization has provided more than 450 million minutes of free talk time and recycled millions of devices nationwide, using the proceeds to keep military families connected during deployments and as veterans transition back to civilian life.<\/p>\n

Throughout the day, legislators, staffers, agency employees and visitors to the Capitol stopped by the collection site, dropping devices into bins while learning more about how donated electronics are repurposed. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who has worn the uniform and served overseas, I know firsthand how vital a simple phone call or text can be for a service member\u2019s morale and for a family waiting at home,\u201d said Rep. John Snyder, a Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. \u201cEvents like Deloitte Device Day help make that connection possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Organizers said the event\u2019s visibility in the rotunda helped spark conversations about service, sacrifice and the often-overlooked challenges veterans face once they return home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about taking something we have kept in a drawer and instead turning it into something meaningful for someone else,\u201d said David Friedman, a principal with Deloitte Consulting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact is simple but powerful. We\u2019re proud to do our part to help people stay connected to the voices that matter most, in the moments that matter most. This year, I am donating my dad\u2019s old iPhone. He was a Holocaust survivor who loved our troops and told stories of how our soldiers nurtured him back to health after the war. I hope his phone brings someone joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

For FDVA officials, the event supports ongoing efforts to help veterans beyond traditional benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is fitting during Military and Veterans Days at the Capitol to highlight a successful initiative that connects our transitioning military members and Veterans with needed services and support,\u201d said Florida Department of Veterans\u2019 Affairs Executive Director James S. Hartsell.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cDeloitte Device Day supports a path to provide cell phones and associated services to keep our Veterans connected to family, friends and employment opportunities, and help improve their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the second annual Device Day ended, partners expressed interest in continuing and expanding the initiative in future years.<\/p>\n

For Cell Phones for Soldiers, the return to Tallahassee is a reminder that small acts of generosity can scale into meaningful support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen communities come together like this, it reinforces why our mission still matters,\u201d said Rob Bergquist, the organization\u2019s founder. \u201cEvery device donated helps ensure that service members don\u2019t have to choose between serving their country and staying connected to the people they love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deloitte Device Day returned to the Capitol Rotunda this week. Lawmakers, state employees and community members came together…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":142599,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[69122,69123,69124,49245,69125,69126,28,69127,30,29,69128,69129,25130,69130],"class_list":["post-142598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-capitol-rotunda","tag-cell-phones-for-soldiers","tag-david-friedman","tag-deloitte","tag-deloitte-device-day","tag-fdva","tag-florida","tag-florida-department-of-veterans-affairs","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-james-hartsell","tag-james-s-hartsell","tag-john-snyder","tag-rob-bergquist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}