Florida Division of Emergency Management Announces 2012 Severe Weather Awareness Week Poster and Video PSA Contest Winners

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – As part of the annual Severe Weather Awareness Week public preparedness campaign, Florida emergency management officials today announce the winners of the annual poster and video public service announcement contests at a kickoff event at Downtown Disney in Lake Buena Vista.

“The annual Severe Weather Awareness Week is one of the Division’s best opportunities to educate our residents and visitors about the potential weather hazards that affect the Sunshine State,” said Bryan W. Koon, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “We are grateful to our partners in this event and we congratulate this year’s poster and public service announcement contest winners. Their creativity will assist the Division in providing potentially lifesaving disaster preparedness information about these natural weather hazards to their fellow Floridians.”
… Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott’s Weekly Radio Address

MEMORANDUM

DATE: January 27, 2012

TO: Interested Media

FROM: Brian Burgess, Communications Director
Executive Office of the Governor

RE: Governor Rick Scott’s Weekly Radio Address

Attached please find Governor Rick Scott’s weekly radio address. Learn more about Governor Scott’s work to bring jobs to Florida by eliminating job-killing regulation, holding government accountable and making sure Florida has the best educated workforce.

Click here for the video version of the Weekly Radio Address.

… Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott Reappoints Two to Board of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the reappointments of Jean W. Anderson and Powell E. Helm to the Board of Funeral, Cemetery and Consumer Services.

Anderson, 78, of Tallahassee, is retired. She is reappointed for a term beginning January 27, 2012, and ending September 30, 2015.

… Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott Proclaims January 30 – February 3, 2012 as Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week

TALLAHASSEE— Governor Rick Scott has proclaimed January 30 – February 3, 2012 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Florida. The Week is dedicated to educating Florida’s residents and visitors about the potential weather hazards that affect the state, including lightning, tropical storm systems, tornadoes, floods and rip currents. Each day, the Division will feature a severe weather hazard and important preparedness tips.

“Florida is unique in that it experiences numerous types of severe weather every year. Our residents and visitors need to be aware and ready for these hazards,” said Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan W. Koon. “We urge all Floridians to take time to consider the information highlighted this week and take action by building or renewing their family and business disaster plans.”

… Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott Appoints Two to Florida State Boxing Commission

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the appointments of Antonius M. DeSisto and Dr. Wayne W. Kearney to the Florida State Boxing Commission.

DeSisto, 27, of Tampa, is a self-employed attorney. He succeeds Dr. Melody Jurado and is appointed for a term beginning January 27, 2012, and ending September 30, 2015.

<--more-->

Kearney, 64, of Indian Harbour Beach, is a self-employed endodontist. He is succeeding Dr. James V. Stelnicki and is appointed for a term beginning January 27, 2012, and ending September 20, 2015.

The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

# # #

CONTACT: LANE WRIGHT
(850) 717-9282

FDLE Delivers Arrest Summons for Osceola County Clerk of Court

KISSIMMEE – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement delivered an arrest summons to Osceola County Clerk of Court Malcom Thompson, 62, of Kissimmee, for one count of misdemeanor battery and assault. Thompson has been the clerk of court since 2009.

FDLE began investigating Thompson after receiving complaints from employees who worked for him at the courthouse. The investigation alleges he shoved an employee on Dec. 29, 2011 and assaulted another employee on Jan. 10, 2012.

… Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott Appoints Two to Board of Directors, Workforce Florida Inc.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Governor Rick Scott announced today the appointments of Kevin S. Doyle and Matthew J. Falconer to the Board of Directors, Workforce Florida Inc.

Doyle, 40, of Jacksonville, is the founder and president of the Wexford Strategies Group. He previously worked for U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, first as regional director and later as state director, from 2004 to 2009. Doyle graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Florida. He succeeds Timothy Lyons and is appointed for a term beginning January 27, 2012, and ending March 21, 2015.

… Continue Reading

MEMORANDUM: Executive Order 12-24

MEMORANDUM

DATE: January 27, 2012

TO: To All Florida Media

FROM: Brian Burgess, Communications Director
Executive Office of the Governor

RE: Executive Order 12-24

Please see the attached Executive Order 12-24, suspending Jose Angel Rodriguez, Mayor of the City of Boynton Beach.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call Governor Scott’s press office at (850) 717-9282.

# # #

… Continue Reading

House Redistricting Committee Approves Redistricting Maps with Unprecedented Level of Input from Floridians

Maps headed to the House Floor

Tallahassee, Fla. – After receiving several thousand suggestions from Floridians at public town hall meetings in 26 Florida cities and through social media, phone, email and U.S. mail, the House Redistricting Committee today approved House, Senate and Congressional maps to serve as Florida’s political boundaries for the next decade. … Continue Reading

Nestlé Waters North America Madison Employees Present Lee Elementary School with Check for New Playground Equipment

Lee, Fla. — Leaders from the Madison County School District, teachers, staff and students from Lee Elementary School joined employees from the Nestlé Waters’ Madison Plant to present its principal, Robin Hill, with a donation of $17,000 to support school improvements including an upgrade to the school’s playground.

“Nestlé Waters is proud to support our local schools, which help the children of many of our plant employees to learn and succeed in the classroom,” said Rob Fisher, plant manager of the Nestlé Waters, N.A. Madison Bottling Plant. “We thank the teachers and staff of Lee Elementary School for providing our children with a foundation for success.” … Continue Reading

House Appropriations Committee Releases 2012-13 General Appropriations Act

Tallahassee, Fla. – The House Appropriations Committee today released the House version of the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2012-13. The bill will be taken up by the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, February 1, 2012.

“As Florida’s economy begins to stabilize, it is incumbent upon state government to continue controlling costs without increasing the tax burden placed on Floridians,” said Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park). “Passing a balanced budget on time and without raising taxes will send a positive message to Florida’s businesses community and help to instill the confidence in our economy that will lead to further increases in private sector job creation.”

The House’s recommended $69.2 billion budget for the Fiscal Year 2012-13 consists of general revenue funds totaling $24.3 billion, state trust funds totaling $20.4 billion and federal funds totaling $24.5 billion. The budget increases PreK-12 education funding by over $1 billion and includes more than $2.46 billion in reserves.

“In drafting this proposed legislation, our subcommittees listened to input from various constituencies, considered recommendations of the Governor and state agencies and incorporated those ideas wherever possible,” said House Appropriations Chairman Denise Grimsley (R-Sebring). “The work product appropriately prioritizes the delivery of services to people over the purchase of things.”

… Continue Reading

Statement From Governor Scott Regarding Executive Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity Doug Darling’s Resignation

Tallahassee, Fla. – Governor Scott today issued the following statement regarding executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Doug Darling’s resignation. Darling will continue to serve as executive director until January 31, 2012. Cynthia Lorenzo will serve as interim executive director beginning February 1, 2012. … Continue Reading

Bad Bet for Florida Coalition Unveils New “History Lesson” Television Ad Highlighting Problems in Gambling-Dependent Las Vegas and Atlantic City

Tallahassee (1/29/2012) – The Coalition to Stop the Bad Bet for Florida today unveiled a new ad educating Floridians on the significant problems faced by gambling-dependent Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The Bad Bet for Florida “History Lesson” ad is the latest in an aggressive effort by the coalition to inform Floridians about mega-casino legislation that would dramatically expand gambling in Florida.

“Florida cannot ignore the problems related to large scale gambling that we have seen in Las Vegas and Atlantic City,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson. “What happens in Vegas indeed should stay in Vegas. If we choose to go down this road of mega-casinos and more gambling, there is no turning back. That’s why we must learn from the lessons of these two mega-casino reliant economies.”

You can watch the new Bad Bet for Florida “History Lesson” television ad on YouTube at http://youtu.be/gFcTlRdm9hg or view it at: http://www.badbetfl.com/badbetfl.com/Home.html.

… Continue Reading

Rep. Mark Pafford Letter to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding Florida’s Voter Suppression Law

Rep. Mark Pafford Letter to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Regarding Florida’s Voter Suppression Law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In preparation for today’s congressional hearing in Tampa concerning Florida’s new voting law, state Rep. Mark Pafford (D-West Palm Beach) provided a letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to express concerns about voter suppression and to state his advocacy for House Bill 1189, a measure for the 2012 Florida Legislative Session.

The text of the letter is below.

… Continue Reading

Autonomous Vehicles Arrive at the Florida Capitol

HB 1207 by Representative Brandes to pave the way for self-driving vehicle testing in Florida

Tallahassee, Fla. – Yesterday State Representative Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad held a press conference to discuss HB 1207 Autonomous Vehicle Technology and provide a demonstration of a self-driving vehicle.

HB 1207, which passed unanimously out of the House Transportation & Highway Safety Subcommittee on Tuesday, provides the mechanism to regulate autonomous vehicle technology, seeking to put Florida law ahead of the technology curve and allowing for the safe testing and operation of self-driving vehicles in Florida.    … Continue Reading

Governor Rick Scott Welcomes America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses to Florida

Miami – Governor Rick Scott officially welcomed America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses to Florida during the company’s debut in Miami-Dade County today in Kendall. America’s Best plans to open 20 stores in Florida in 2012 and create more than 200 jobs this year statewide, with similar growth over the next three years with the creation of 200 jobs per year. … Continue Reading

Senate Passes Bill Expanding Veterans Preference

On Tuesday, January 24th, the Florida Senate passed legislation introduced by Senator Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) that will give men and women returning from the recent wars an advantage in owning their own businesses. The language introduced by Senator Latvala as Senate Bill 152, the Florida Veteran Business Enterprise Opportunity Act, passed as part of Senate Bill 922. It will help veterans by promoting their business through the MyFloridaMarketPlace on-line purchasing system, by getting referrals to state agencies, and with accessing networking activities and technical assistance training. Florida is home to more than 1.6 million United States military veterans, one of the highest concentrations in the nation. … Continue Reading

UF Astronomers Contribute to NASA’s Planet Discoveries

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — NASA announced today the discovery of 11 new “solar systems” hosting at least 26 planets found with data from NASA’s Kepler Mission.

The discovery nearly doubles the number of verified Kepler planets so far. It also triples the number of stars known to have more than one planet that transits – or passes in front of — its host star. Such systems are particularly valuable for the clues they provide about how planets form.

Eric B. Ford, associate professor of the astronomy department at the University of Florida, is part of the Kepler Mission science team. Ford’s research group at UF, including graduate student Robert Morehead and postdoctoral associate Althea Moorhead, has contributed to several previous Kepler discoveries. Ford is lead author of the paper describing Kepler-23 and Kepler-24, two of the 11 systems announced today.

… Continue Reading

Attorney General Pam Bondi Sues Delray Beach Company for Defrauding Consumers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–Attorney General Pam Bondi has sued Scammer Guard, LLC,
and its principal, Frank Esposito, for falsely advertising scam protection
services. The lawsuit alleges that Scammer Guard told consumers they were
affiliated with the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the Federal Trade
Commission, and other government agencies to obtain consumer refunds, and
claimed to have access to “special” information regarding obtaining these
funds. The company also allegedly claimed to be conducting the
investigations on behalf of these government agencies.

According to the complaint, Scammer Guard charged consumers up-front fees
of $250 to $750 for these services, which is illegal for
foreclosure-related rescue and certain recovery services. Attorney General
Bondi requested a temporary injunction to stop these deceptive practices,
and the Broward County Circuit Court granted the request on Wednesday.

… Continue Reading

State Park Celebrates Lu the Hippo’s 52nd Birthday

~State park and local children host birthday parties for Florida’s only resident hippo~

HOMOSASSA—The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park celebrated Lu the hippopotamus’ 52nd birthday with two special birthday parties today.

“Lu has been a longtime resident of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and has many fans, locally and from around the world,” said Park Manager Art Yerian. “There is an international club for people who love hippos called the Hippo-Lot-of-Us Club and members attend Lu’s birthday celebration every year.”

… Continue Reading