Florida News Straight From the Source
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Tomorrow, May 16th, Governor Rick Scott will visit the Torah Academy of Boca Raton and Chabad Naples Jewish Community Center to highlight the $2 million in security funding for Jewish Day Schools in his Securing Florida’s Future budget.
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: 10:45 AM
WHERE: Torah Academy of Boca Raton
3881 NW 3rd Ave.
Boca Raton, FL 33431
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: 4:00 PM
WHERE: Chabad Naples Jewish Community Center
1789 Mandarin Rd.
Naples, FL 34102
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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today released the following statement regarding the death of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Police Officer Lance C. Whitaker. Officer Whitaker died in the line of duty.
“Officer Lance C. Whitaker died selflessly in the line of duty responding to a crash, and my deepest condolences go out to his family, loved ones and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Florida is at a 46-year low crime rate, and it’s due to our courageous law enforcement officers who sacrifice their own safety for others. Officer Whitaker will forever be remembered as a hero.”
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U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) will testify before the Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 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.
WHO:
Rep. Mast
Members of the Veterans Affairs Committee
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
334 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20003
*A live stream will be available for Florida press here.
WHAT:
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.
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Tomorrow, May 16th, Governor Rick Scott will attend the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in Palm Beach, where he will join emergency management professionals as they discuss preparations for the upcoming hurricane season.
WHAT: Governor’s Hurricane Conference
WHEN: 9:00 AM
WHERE: Palm Beach Convention Center
650 Okeechobee Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
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Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the nomination of Gina Haspel to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, met with Haspel Tuesday afternoon to discuss her nomination:
“Gina Haspel has dedicated her life to serving her country and the brave men and women who work at the CIA deserve a career professional, like her, to lead them. Gina Haspel has publicly acknowledged that the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program should not have been undertaken and has vowed to uphold our nation’s laws and values in leading the agency. She has earned the respect and backing of former intelligence chiefs from the Bush and Obama administrations. I will vote to support her nomination to be the next director of the CIA.”
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New material has been posted to the Supreme Court website in:
Follow the links at: floridasupremecourt.org.
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U.S. Representatives Brian Mast (FL-18) and Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), along with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), will hold a press conference with supporters of the Burn Pits Accountability Act (H.R. 5671) on Thursday, May 17, 2018.
WHO:
Rep. Mast
Rep. Gabbard (HI-02)
Paul Rieckhoff, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
Supporting veterans, veteran service organizations (VSOs), and military service organizations (MSOs)
WHEN:
Thursday, May 17, 2018
10:00 a.m.
WHERE:
House Triangle
United States Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20004
*Rain location: Rayburn House Office Building, Room Number 2216
**A live stream will be available for Florida press on Rep. Mast’s Facebook page.
WHAT:
The bipartisan Burn Pits Accountability Act will evaluate servicemembers’ exposure to open burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals to begin the process of understanding, assessing, and treating these service-related ailments. Over 140,000 servicemembers and veterans have reported exposure to burn pits and toxic airborne chemicals over the past three decades. Exposure can produce serious and potentially life-threatening health effects, including neurological disorders, rare forms of cancer, lung diseases, and more—triggering some to call the crisis the ‘Agent Orange’ of the post-9/11 generation.
The IAVA recently announced that they are honoring Rep. Mast with their annual “Salutes Award for Leadership in Government.” Rep. Gabbard was the 2017 honoree.
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Governor Rick Scott made the following statement this afternoon regarding today’s vehicle crash that took the life of Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Police Officer Lance C. Whitaker.
Governor Rick Scott said, “My wife, Ann, and I are heartbroken by the loss of Officer Lance C. Whitaker. I spoke with Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams this morning to express our condolences to him and everyone at the Sheriff’s Office. Everyday our brave men and women in law enforcement risk their lives to keep our communities safe and we must demonstrate our gratitude for their sacrifices. Tonight, I ask every Floridian to join us in praying for Officer Whitaker’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”
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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation today to help fight the nation’s opioid epidemic by increasing the number of doctors who treat those with an opioid addiction.
The legislation – known as the Opioid Workforce Act – would create 1,000 new Medicare-supported medical residency positions at hospitals throughout the country to train new doctors in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry or pain management.
“Too many Floridians don’t have access to critical treatments for opioid addiction,” Nelson said. “We need to make sure we have the doctors and resources necessary to help fight this public health crisis.”
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States will have a shortage of between 40,800 and 104,900 physicians by 2030.
In 2016, there were over 5,200 opioid-related deaths reported in Florida – a 35 percent increase from the year before. Florida ranks 45th for the number of available behavioral health professionals to treat Floridians with an opioid addiction, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. There are about 20 behavioral health providers available for every 1,000 Florida adults with a substance use disorder.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only about one in 10 people in the U.S. over the age of 12 who needed substance abuse treatment received treatment at a specialty facility. That same report found that 1.168 million Floridians over the age of 12 needed but did not receive treatment for substance abuse.
If approved, Nelson’s bill would allow eligible hospitals to add up to 25 full-time residency positions in their opioid-related medical residency programs, including three in Florida: the University of Florida School of Medicine in Gainesville, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and the University of Miami in Miami.
The bipartisan bill (S. 2843) now heads to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
The text of the bill can be found here.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi will present the 2017 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. in Tallahassee.
WHO: Attorney General Pam Bondi
WHAT: Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Ceremony
WHEN: Wednesday, May 16, 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Cabinet Meeting Room
The Capitol, LL-03
Tallahassee, Fla.
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