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Mast testifies before VA Committee on legislation encouraging congressional offices at VA facilities

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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today testified before the Veterans Affairs Committee to advocate for passage of the Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act.  His bipartisan legislation will streamline the opening of Congressional offices inside Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the nation.  The introduction of the bill followed Rep. Mast’s opening of the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA this past January.

BACKGROUND 

Rep. Mast opened the first-ever Congressional office inside a VA facility in January.  Through this office, veterans from around the area have improved access for assistance with any VA-related issues.  The office is located in room 1A-366 of the West Palm Beach VA. 

Since the opening of the VA office in January, many other Members of Congress have asked Rep. Mast about the process to open his office so that they can replicate the service for veterans at their local VA facilities.  Unfortunately, opening the office took more than a year of navigating bureaucratic red tape.

The Improving Veterans Access to Congressional Services Act would cut down on this bureaucracy by requiring the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to permit a Member of Congress to use a facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the purpose of meeting with constituents of the Member.  Moreover, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop regulations regarding the use of VA office space by Members of Congress, mandating that the space be made available during normal business hours and in a location that is easily accessible to the Member’s constituents.

Public Hearing for State Road 60 from County Road 630 in Polk County

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Public Hearing for State Road 60 from County Road 630 in Polk
County to east of the Kissimmee River Bridge in Osceola County

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is holding a public hearing for the State Road (SR) 60 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study from County Road (CR) 630 in Polk County to east of the Kissimmee River Bridge in Osceola County. All members of the public are invited to attend.

The hearing will be held on Thursday, May 24, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Westgate River Ranch, Main Hall at 3200 River Ranch Boulevard, River Ranch, FL 33867.

There will be an open house at 5 p.m. during which staff will be available to discuss the project and answer questions, followed by a formal hearing presentation at 6 p.m., after which participants may provide their verbal comments to all present. People attending the hearing can review project displays and speak one-on-one with project team members about the proposed project improvements. Written statements or exhibits submitted at the hearing, emailed, or mailed and postmarked by Monday, June 4, 2018 will become part of the official hearing transcript.

FDOT selected a recommended widening alternative that will construct two new travel lanes separated from the existing travel lanes by a 40-foot-wide grassed median. The median will improve safety by creating a buffer between eastbound and westbound traffic. The proposed improvements will require FDOT to acquire right-of-way, or property, for road widening and stormwater management areas. Existing access to properties along SR 60 will change due to the addition of a median, a result of widening the road. The no-build alternative, where no improvements other than routine maintenance are made to SR 60 through 2040, will remain viable throughout the remainder of this study. Project staff will display plans and answer questions about the proposed widening alternative for SR 60.  Project information and graphics showing the project’s location and proposed improvements will be available for public viewing from May 2, 2018 to June 11, 2018 at two locations. One is the Lake Wales Public Library, 290 Cypress Garden Lane, Lake Wales, Florida. Please call the library at (863) 678-4004 for hours of operation. The other location is the FDOT District One Headquarters, 801 North Broadway Avenue, Bartow, Florida. Please contact FDOT project manager, Patrick Bateman, E.I., by phone at (863) 519-2792 or by email at [email protected] to make an appointment to review the materials. You can find additional information on the project website.

FDOT solicits public participation without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) pursuant to 23 U.S.C. §327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016, and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or people who require translation services (free of charge) should contact FDOT project manager Patrick Bateman, E.I., at (863) 519-2792 or [email protected] at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation Hosts Golf Classic in Fort Myers

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The Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) Foundation is proud to announce the inaugural 2018 Golf Classic, which will be held May 17th-18th, 2018, at the Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club located at 10420 Washingtonia Palm Way, Fort Myers, FL 33966. The event will be chaired by FCS Physician, Dr. Michael Raymond.

The event will include a Golf Clinic on May 17th at 6:00 p.m. with 3-Time US Open Winner, Hale Irwin and proceeding will be a dinner, auction and program. On May 18th from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. guests will enjoy breakfast, driving range, shotgun start and a luncheon to conclude the day. The tickets are $350 per golfer and $1200 for a foursome with all event proceeds providing financial support to cancer patients for non-medical living expenses.

FCS CEO, Bradley Prechtl, MBA, said, “I am always grateful for the continued support of our local community and FCS physicians in Fort Myers. We have received tremendous support for our inaugural Golf Classic this year and I look forward to many more ahead!”

Honorary Chair, FCS Physician, Dr. Michael Raymond, shared, “I am honored to be named honorary chair of the first Golf Classic hosted in Fort Myers. This is a great event for the local community to have fun while raising money for patients in need.”

FCS Foundation Board Member, Tom Uhler, stated, “The FCS Foundation would not be able to provide grants to cancer patients in need without fundraisers like the Golf Classic. This is a great way to get the community involved, while making a difference in the lives of others.”

FCS Foundation Executive Director, Lynn Rasys added, “The FCS Foundation would like to thank all our sponsors, as well as 3-Time US Open Winner, Hale Irwin, for attending our inaugural Golf Classic.”

About Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation
The Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) Foundation provides financial support to qualified cancer patients in the state of Florida for expenses such as rent or mortgage, car payments and utility bills. By giving patients peace of mind in knowing that their bills are being paid while they are undergoing treatment, the FCS Foundation allows them to concentrate on what really matters – fighting cancer.

Due to the generosity of the Florida Cancer Specialists partner physicians in covering all overhead expenses for the Foundation, 100% of donations received go directly towards paying the essential non-medical living expenses of an adult battling cancer.

The Foundation is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization and located at 5204 Paylor Lane in Sarasota, Florida. Learn more about the FCS Foundation at: Foundation.FLCancer.com or call 941.677.7181.

The Washington Economics Group: Amendment 4 to Result in Positive Economic Impacts For Florida

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Washington Economics Group will announce the findings of an economic study, which affirms that restoring the eligibility to vote for Floridians who have made past mistakes would result in positive economic impacts to Florida taxpayers.  Dr. J. Antonio Villamil of The Washington Economics Group, who authored the study, will be available to media to announce the major impacts:

WHO: Dr. J. Antonio Villamil, Senior Advisor, The Washington Economics Group
Jackie Lee, Campaign Manager, Second Chances Campaign

WHEN: Thursday, May 17th at 10:00AM

WHERE: RSVP to [email protected] to receive the call-in information

Amendment 4 restores the eligibility to vote of Floridians with felony convictions only after they complete all terms of their sentence and pay their full debt to society – including parole, probation, and restitution, if imposed by a judge. Those convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses will not be eligible under Amendment 4.

To learn more about the Second Chances Campaign, please visit SecondChancesFL.org.

Pd. pol. adv. paid for by Floridians for a Fair Democracy, Inc.

New Integrity Florida Report Documents How Energy Industry Exerts Outsized Political Influence in Florida

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Integrity Florida today releases a new research report, Power Play Redux: Political Influence of Florida’s Top Energy Corporations, examining the influence of Florida’s largest investor-owned utilities on Florida lawmakers and utility regulators.
The new report updates a 2014 report by Integrity Florida which examined the political influence of the state’s four largest electric utility companies: Florida Power & Light (FPL), Duke Energy (formerly Progress Energy), TECO Energy and Gulf Power.
In this new report, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has asked Integrity Florida to examine political spending by utilities in the election cycles that have occurred since the last report (2014 and 2016) while also looking at ways the utilities attempt to influence energy policy and regulators through lobbying expenditures.
The report examines how the Florida Legislature often sets its agenda and arrives at policies based on the desires of large political donors rather than the public interest.
Integrity Florida found that Florida’s four largest electric utility monopolies gave state-level candidates, political parties and committees more than $43 million during the 2014 and 2016 election cycles. This means the utilities spent more than twice as much on political contributions during a four-year period than they spent during the prior ten-year period covered in the 2014 Power Play report.
This jump in contributions included over $20 million in contributions to advance a constitutional amendment during the 2016 cycles that critics said would limit rooftop solar expansion.
Utilities also continue to have an outsized lobbying presence in the Florida Capitol, employing more than one lobbyist for every two legislators. From 2014 through 2017, the four largest investor owned utilities spent more than $6 million on lobbyists to represent them before the Florida Legislature.
This report builds on a recent Integrity Florida research report, Florida’s “Public Service” Commission? A Captured Regulatory Agency, which documented the influence investor-owned utilities have over their main regulator, the PSC.
In response to the report’s findings, Integrity Florida offers a list of policy options for lawmakers to consider:
  • Prohibit campaign contributions by regulated utilities to state candidates and political committees supporting or opposing state candidates.
  • Customer expenses versus shareholder profits. Require disclosure when customers cover costs for political spending and lobbying through trade groups and associations.
  • Political Committee reporting. Require more transparency by prohibiting transfers of money between political committees and clearly identifying in an easily searchable database those with ties to the committee.
  • Lobby compensation reporting. Require legislative and executive branch lobbyists and firms to report the actual amount of compensation rather than a range as is currently required.
  • Greater independence for the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). Because the Florida Public Service Commission is, by definition, a legislative agency and the Florida legislature sets budgets for the PSC and a committee selected by legislative leaders sends the governor a list of potential nominees to serve as Commissioners, greater independence is needed.
Read the full report here.
Integrity Florida is a nonpartisan research institute and government watchdog whose mission is to promote integrity in government and expose public corruption.  More information at integrityflorida.org.

New Report Highlights How Florida’s Big Power Companies Maintain Their Grip on State Capitol

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Political Contribution and Lobbying Dollars
Result in Policies Harmful to Consumers

A week after a 2018 electoral filing deadline, the nonpartisan government watchdog group Integrity Florida released a new report examining the influence that contributions from big power companies have on Sunshine State politics.

In 2018 Power Play Redux: Political Influence of Florida’s Top Energy Corporations, Integrity Florida reveals how Florida’s four largest investor owned utilities’ political spending to state level candidates, political parties, and political committees grew to more than $43 million in the 2014 and 2016 political cycles.  The report is posted HERE.

2018 Power Play Redux concludes that the Florida State Legislature increasingly set its agenda and policy outcomes based on the directives of large political donors rather than the public interest.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s Florida Director, Susan Glickman, issued this statement about today’s report and its findings:

“Campaign and other political contributions from monopoly power companies have greatly increased in the last two election cycles while policy to advance clean energy solutions in Florida, like solar and energy efficiency, continues to lag behind. The updated Power Play report tracks this and will be a helpful reference as the upcoming primary and general election season heats up.”

A few of the key findings of this report include:

  • Major campaign donations.  Florida’s four largest energy companies contributed more than $43 million to state level candidates, political parties and political committees in the 2014 and 2016 election cycles.
  • Political spending increasing.  The energy companies spent more than twice as much in the most recent four-year period than in the previous eight-year period documented in the original 2014 Power Play report.
  • Funding for Political Committee.  The state’s four largest energy companies spent more than $20 million to advance a constitutional amendment that critics said would limit rooftop solar expansion.
  • Lobby expenditures trending upward. Utilities continue to have an outsized lobbying presence in the Florida Capitol, employing more than one lobbyist for every two legislators.
  • Trade associations used to lobby.  While the energy companies are not supposed to use customer profits to lobby, its alleged regulators are allowing them to bypass the ban by paying dues to trade associations that lobby on their behalf.

The entire report can be accessed HERE.

Additional information presented on today’s telepresser call includes these charts detailing Florida Utility Political Contributions to date in the 2018 Cycle:

About Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that work to address the impacts of global climate change and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at cleanenergy.org.

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab’s Annual Sharks & Chablis Event Aims to Raise Funds for Marine Life Research and Education

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Live music, seafood dinner, silent auction among highlights

The best way to learn about the Gulf is to get out on it, and the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory’s annual Sharks & Chablis fundraiser will be held on Saturday, May 19, to raise money for a new research boat. This year’s much-anticipated event will generate funds to go specifically toward the C-Hawk Turtle Rescue & Offshore Specimen Research boat, dedicated to the discovery, research, and preservation of marine life.

“We’re thrilled to host our annual Sharks & Chablis event to benefit a new research boat,” says Cypress Rudloe, executive director of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, located in Panacea. “It’s such a pleasure every year to bring together local businesses, community leaders, and residents alike to enjoy themselves while raising funds for the lab’s many important research programs.”

[Read more…] about Gulf Specimen Marine Lab’s Annual Sharks & Chablis Event Aims to Raise Funds for Marine Life Research and Education

WeatherSTEM Introduces OrangeSTEM at Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference

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WeatherSTEM, an innovative platform used to track intense weather conditions, introduced its latest new service, OrangeSTEM, at the Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference in West Palm Beach. The resource will provide forecasters and emergency managers in Florida with an effective new tool to prepare for and respond to hurricanes and other weather-related emergencies.

As meteorologists point to another above-average hurricane season, WeatherSTEM introduced OrangeSTEM, a service to provide reliable, hyper-local information on weather conditions to better prepare Florida’s universities, state and county governments, and disaster response teams to monitor, plan, and respond.

“It is impossible to know when a hurricane will hit Florida, but we know it will happen – and reliable advance warnings can make a lifesaving difference,” said Ed Mansouri, founder and CEO of WeatherSTEM. “Our emergency managers need every tool available to help protect our families, friends, and neighbors. That’s why it’s comforting to know that tools like OrangeSTEM can make a real difference.”

WeatherSTEM provides a highly customizable alert platform that responds to a wide variety of current and forecasted conditions. The provider has been working to install weather systems across the state to help officials track weather conditions year-round. With the implementation of OrangeSTEM, the new service will provide a statewide network of units to monitoring weather conditions specific to Florida.

By instantaneously compiling data from units across the state to track storms, OrangeSTEM can notify residents and state officials via web, mobile, and social media platforms where a storm’s greatest impact may occur and when conditions become safe. This will get first responders onto the streets of impacted communities even sooner.

“One thing is certain: Advance warning saves lives and protects property,” said Mansouri. “I’m proud that my company has been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of Floridians, not only in hurricane season, but year-round.”

The most recent hurricane season featured 17 named storms with $316 billion in damages, making 2017 the costliest hurricane season on record. Mindful of that impact, WeatherSTEM developed OrangeSTEM to provide Floridians time to secure their valuable assets, protect their homes and businesses, and relocate to a safer place.

As governmental entities and businesses continue to install more WeatherSTEM units along Florida’s coastlines and in interior regions, OrangeSTEM will be able to utilize the additional data to produce even more detailed forecast information, which will further enhance the system’s alerting capabilities.

WeatherSTEM was a key player at the 32nd Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference, held May 13-18. The conference is dedicated to connecting Florida communities’ expertise and resources to ensure that our state is ready to withstand hurricane events, and tools like OrangeSTEM will make sure the state is fully prepared for the upcoming hurricane season.

Gov. Scott: Action Plan Submitted for $616 Million for Housing, Economic Development Following Hurricane Irma

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Governor Rick Scott today announced the state’s action plan for the $616 million allocated to Florida’s long-term recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The funding comes to the state through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and will be used to replace and repair damaged homes, build new affordable housing and provide grants to severely impacted businesses. HUD now has 45 days to provide feedback or to approve the plan. CDBG-DR funding is provided to a state after all other resources have already been exhausted, including federal assistance through FEMA and the Small Business Administration as well as private insurance.

Governor Scott said, “Even before Hurricane Irma made landfall, we began working with the federal government to express the diverse needs our state would face following a storm of this magnitude and how best to address those needs. Since the storm, we have worked tirelessly along-side community and business leaders to build stronger communities that are better prepared for future disasters. I’m glad that DEO submitted this plan to help families in our state.”

This federal grant program requires that at least 80 percent of funding be used to address needs in the hardest-hit counties and ZIP codes as determined by HUD. These areas include Brevard, Broward, Collier, Duval, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Polk and Volusia counties, as well as ZIP codes 32136, 32091, 32068 and 34266.

Over the past few months, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) visited with each of the 14 hardest-hit communities to hear directly from community leaders about their remaining needs following Hurricane Irma. Additionally, surveys were sent to each community, seeking input on how to best support local long-term recovery.

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of DEO, “We are thankful to these communities for their commitment and partnership to determine the best way to use this funding to make a difference across the state. We are committed to helping Floridians recover, particularly families who do not have the resources to rebound as quickly after a disaster.”

Together, with Florida’s hardest-hit communities, the state has proposed to allocate the majority of CDBG-DR funding to address housing needs through programs that:

  • Repair and replace damaged homes;
  • Construct hundreds of new affordable rental housing units;
  • Purchase land for the development of affordable housing; and
  • Provide assistance through grants to support impacted businesses.

Additionally, the state action plan includes opportunities to address critical economic and infrastructure needs in our urban centers and rural communities, specifically those of the Florida Keys which experienced the brunt of this devastating storm. Also, this plan helps to support the needs of new Floridians who moved to our state from Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.

For more information about the CDBG-DR program or to view the state action plan, click here.