Florida News Straight From the Source
GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT’S SCHEDULE
FOR
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
9:30am MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING FIGHT AGAINST OPIOID ABUSE
Location: Bradenton Police Department
Address: 100 10th Street West
Bradenton, FL 34205
3:00pm MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING FIGHT AGAINST OPIOID ABUSE
Location: Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Address: 3228 Gun Club Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
LT. GOVERNOR LOPEZ-CANTERA’S SCHEDULE
FOR
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
11:00am STAFF AND CALL TIME
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott made the following statement regarding the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, where 11 people lost their lives in the wake of Hurricane Irma due to the facility’s inaction to call 911 or evacuate their patients to one of Florida’s largest hospitals located directly across the street.
Governor Scott said, “It’s an absolute shame that this facility continues to not take any responsibility for the deaths of 11 people. This nursing home is directly across the street from a hospital, making their failure to evacuate or call 911 in a timely manner completely inexplicable and inexcusable.
“Any health care professional that thinks calling an elected official’s cell phone instead of 911 when people are in need should not be allowed to have any access to patients. Because of their inexplicable failure, I have taken aggressive action to suspend their license and remove them from the state’s Medicaid program. Every child knows that when there is imminent danger, 911 is the number to call. Yet, trained health staff at this facility didn’t even do that. No one has offered an explanation for why the nursing home allowed these patients to perish, why they failed to call 911 until it was too late or why they failed to evacuate patients in danger to the hospital directly across the street.
“Thus far, the owners and operators of this facility have offered no explanation or defense for the deaths of these patients in their care, other than to say they left messages on my personal cell phone. The nursing home administrators placed four separate calls to my cell phone, like hundreds of others did during the storm. In each instance, the calls were promptly returned by state officials, and the voicemails were immediately deleted so the voicemail box had room for more incoming messages. In none of these calls did the staff indicate that any of their patients were in danger. I gave my cell phone number out as a courtesy to any group during the hurricane that needed access to state resources. It’s a ridiculous and irrational suggestion that my personal cell phone is somehow a substitute for 911.
“There were over 100 nursing homes that reportedly lost power during Hurricane Irma, but this is the only facility that allowed patients to die. I fully expect that those responsible for these senseless deaths will be brought to justice, and a criminal investigation is well underway by the Hollywood Police Department with the help of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Nothing can hide the fact that this health care facility failed to do their basic duty to protect life and the state will aggressively continue to hold this facility accountable.”
As the Governor’s Office has said, the voicemails were immediately deleted once the information was collected by staff and transmitted to the appropriate agency for handling, which is in accordance with Florida’s public record law and record retention policy. Each call was quickly returned. The information collected from the voicemails was released to the public last week along with more than 150 pages of documentation, including emails, notes, call log information and other relevant records (available HERE).
WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Brian Mast’s (FL-18) bipartisan legislation to avoid the expiration of critical veterans programs today passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously. Without action from Congress, the authority for the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out numerous programs that help veterans will expire at the end of the week.
“The heroic men and women that I fought alongside in our Armed Forces have earned the very best care our country has to offer, but without this immediate action from Congress, veterans could have lost access to benefits, health care, support for the homeless and more,” Rep. Mast said. “The Senate must now do its part and get this commonsense, bipartisan bill to the President’s desk!”
The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2017 extends a number of expiring authorities impacting veterans’ benefits, health care, and homeless programs, including nursing home care, support services for caregivers, transportation, child care assistance, adaptive sports programs and housing and home loan services.
“The men and women who have served our nation, along with their caregivers, dependents and survivors, rely on key programs at VA for support,” Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe (TN-1) said. “I thank Rep. Mast for his leadership on this essential legislation to extend the authorities of many VA programs and aid in the administration’s implementation of the Forever GI Bill.”
Read the bill here.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) Rules and Administration Committee recommended Friday, October 6 as the filing deadline for public proposals to be considered by the CRC. The recommended deadline extended the previously recommended deadline of September 22 due to the impact of Hurricane Irma on Florida.
CRC Chairman Carlos Beruff, said, “The CRC has already received a historic amount of public input and we want to ensure that all Floridians interested in the CRC process have every opportunity to submit their proposals. The Rules and Administration Committee has recommended October 6 as the public proposal deadline to ensure that all proposals are given the consideration and review they deserve. Commissioners are actively reviewing the nearly 1,400 public proposals that have been received by the CRC to date.”
The recommended October 6 deadline is subject to approval by a vote of the full commission. The next full commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 2 from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM in Tallahassee. All public proposals received by the CRC are available online atflcrc.gov/Proposals/Public.
The official CRC website (flcrc.gov) allows Floridians to create and submit proposed changes to the Florida Constitution by following these simple steps:
How to Submit a Proposed Constitutional Amendment
NOTE: Proposals must be typed within the application. Users cannot upload attachments. Public proposals may also be submitted to the CRC by other means, including mail and email. Visit flcrc.gov for contact information.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION (CRC)
Once every 20 years, Florida’s Constitution provides for the creation of a 37-member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida’s Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research and possibly recommending changes to the Constitution. Any amendments proposed by the CRC would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. For additional information, visit flcrc.gov. Follow the CRC on social media @FloridaCRC (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube).
MIAMI, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) to expedite the delivery of more than 10,000 tarps to communities across the state so that homeowners can patch roofs damaged by Hurricane Irma. To date, more than 100,000 tarps have been distributed throughout Florida. Following destructive storms like Hurricane Irma, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) activate Operation Blue Roof which provides a temporary covering of blue plastic sheeting at no cost to homeowners in eligible counties until permanent repairs can be made. The action ordered by Governor Scott today aims to mitigate and prevent additional water and rain damage to homes impacted by Hurricane Irma until the federal Operation Blue Roof program is fully operational.
Governor Scott said, “Throughout our state, many families are still displaced from their homes due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma. As we all work to help Florida recover, we must do everything possible to protect families and help them return to their homes. Today, I have directed the Florida Division of Emergency Management to take every action to expedite the delivery of tarps to impacted communities so homeowners can patch their roofs, preventing further damage to their property and allowing them to return home. Across the state, more than 100,000 tarps have already been distributed and today, an additional 6,000 tarps will be arriving in the Keys. Florida is expediting the delivery of these tarps until the federal Blue Roof program is operational.”
MIAMI, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott visited the Miami Police Department to thank first responders and law enforcement for their commitment to Florida families. Last week, Governor Scott announced that Florida’s law enforcement officers, first responders and utility workers will be able to enjoy license-free freshwater and saltwater fishing through June 30, 2018 and offered a free day-pass to all Florida State Parks through October 2018 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
WHO: Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board (FHIAB)
WHAT: The FHIAB will hold a public meeting via conference call to finalize its 2018 legislative recommendations. A copy of the agenda is available for review.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: This conference call is open to the public. To call-in, dial 1-866-200-9760 and provide code 4288083#. For more information, visit the FHIAB website page.
About the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board
The Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board is a legislatively established entity whose responsibilities include an advisory role on health insurance issues to the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Financial Services, other executive departments, and to the Legislature. The current legislation governing this Board is found in Section 627.6699(11), Florida Statute.
About the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has primary responsibility for regulation, compliance and enforcement of statutes related to the business of insurance and the monitoring of industry markets. For more information about the Office, please visit www.floir.com or follow us on Twitter @FLOIR_comm and Facebook.
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will host information sessions on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, in Sarasota County for residents to learn about the Lifeline Assistance (Lifeline) discounted telephone service program.
These events highlight National Lifeline Awareness Week 2017, September 11-17, which aims to raise awareness and increase participation in the Lifeline program. Representatives will be available to help qualified residents apply.
Due to Hurricane Irma the events have been rescheduled to the following times and locations:
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
9 a.m.
Senior Friendship Center Inc.
1888 Brother Greenen Way
Sarasota, FL 34236
and
11 a.m.
Senior Friendship Center Inc.
2350 Scenic Drive
Venice, FL 34236
The Federal Communications Commission, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates support National Lifeline Awareness Week. For more information, visit,www.lifeline.gov and www.naruc.org.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
TAMPA — For the 21st consecutive year, The University of Tampa has set another enrollment record. This year’s total enrollment, including graduates and undergraduates, is 8,913 — up 7 percent from last year’s total of 8,310. This year’s total enrollment is about quadruple the University’s enrollment of two decades ago.
The enrollment continues to be strong as new student enrollment goals were attained, plus the University posted a 78 percent freshman-to-sophomore retention rate. This rate is a record for UT.
All U.S. states and approximately 140 countries are in the mix of students. About 16 percent of UT students are international, and 20 percent of UT students declare themselves as Hispanic, African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian.
Almost 97 percent of UT undergraduate students are full time, and the majority of them live on campus. Students are housed in 12 different residence halls all built or renovated since 1998.
The University continues to be more selective, receiving more than 163,000 inquiries and 23,000 applications for this fall’s new class of 2,684 full-time undergraduate students.
Entering students’ SAT scores were also elevated with 22 percent of the new first-year students being eligible for the University’s distinguished Honors Program.
The graduate school student population increased to 939 students, many from all over the world.
Vice President of Enrollment Dennis Nostrand said the University’s record enrollment shows UT’s increasing appeal amongst prospective students, as well as the degree to which students enjoy their rich and meaningful UT experience.
“Interest in UT set an all-time record this past year, due in large part to our expanding reputation for delivering a rich, high-quality educational experience,” Nostrand said. “Plus, once undergraduates decide to attend UT, we do an excellent job of graduating them in four years or less.”
UT President Ronald L. Vaughn added that the University is successfully maintaining its personal attention and community feel, which have been characteristics of UT throughout its 86-year history. Also, UT added 28 new full-time faculty positions for this fall, as well as additional staff support.
“We remain committed to pursuing quality and educational excellence,” Vaughn said. “The fact that we met our enrollment goals, plus we set new retention records, shows our success in providing an outstanding academic and co-curricular experience to students.”
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. UT is known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
ORLANDO – UCF faculty brought in $136 million in research funding in 2017, a year that was also marked by national recognition for the number of patents issued to UCF, tech transfer excellence and overall innovation.
Of all the research funding collected, $73.9 million came from federal sources, $41.1 million from private industry and $21 million from state and local government agencies.
The College of Engineering and Computer Science garnered the largest proportion of the total with $33 million, followed by the College of Sciences with $16 million and the Institute for Simulation and Training $14 million.
“We’re off to a good start with funding,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “But where we truly see the impact is in what our researchers are doing to help our communities — from finding new ways to make solar energy systems more efficient and affordable, to improving forecasting methods for sea level rise, to exploring vaccines that have the potential to eradicate disease. It is in this broad array of areas where you can see UCF making a big difference. As we continue to grow our funding, we’ll have more opportunities to have an impact in our Central Florida community and beyond.”
UCF’s research is already getting national attention.
Earlier this year the National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association announced the University of Central Florida ranks 41st in the world for the number of U.S. patents issued in 2016. From this report, UCF ranks 21st among public universities in the nation.
The recognition is an important one because patents often lead to industrial innovations that impact daily life.
UCF was ranked in the top 25 in the nation in technology transfer, the process of disseminating technology developed as a result of research, along with Columbia University, MIT and Carnegie Mellon University in a report from The Milken Institute, a nonprofit think tank.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best College guide this month (September) also named UCF one of the most innovative universities in the nation, alongside Harvard, Stanford and Duke. UCF was No. 25 out of nearly 1,400 universities and colleges in the nation. UCF also was ranked No. 91 in engineering doctorate programs. Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of 2018 also recognized 22 UCF programs in the top 100 in their respective fields.
Professors are working on projects that could potentially revolutionize industries and save lives.
For example, Engineering Professor Shawn Putnam is working to change the way electronic devices use and dissipate heat. His work is designed to help keep up with the global demand for faster, more powerful and smaller devices such as computers, radars and lasers. He was awarded a $510,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support this work.
The Department of Energy this past year supported UCF researchers at the Florida Solar Energy Center and the College of Engineering and Computer Science with almost $4 million of funding to expand their work in solar energy, energy efficiency and improving air quality in homes.
UCF researchers from the College of Medicine, the NanoScience Technology Center, the College of Science and the College of Engineering & Computer Science received more than $1.3 million from the state to come up with ways to combat the Zika virus.
And an assistant professor of philosophy conducted fieldwork at the Dunhuang Mogao Caves along the Silk Road in China this summer. Lanlan Kuang is one of a select group of international scholars with access to the caves which house the largest and most complete repository of Buddhist art, murals and painted sculptures in the world. She will share her findings at conferences around the world including the International Symposium on Cultural and Art Exchanges and Cooperation in Dunhuang, China, in October and at the national conference of Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory in November.
All this research and the funding that comes with it is also important for one other reason.
“Research is fundamental to our mission of educating our students,” Klonoff said. “Hands-on research is essential to preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers, so they can help us with tomorrow’s challenges.”
