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Customer Advisory Committee Meeting May 3, 2018

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The Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission’s Customer Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 5 p.m. in the multipurpose room on the second floor at LYNX Central Station, 455 N. Garland Ave., Orlando, FL 32801.

This meeting site is conveniently located near the SunRail LYNX Central Station platforms. Please check SunRail arrival and departure times at sunrail.com.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons wishing to express their concerns relative to FDOT compliance with Title VI may do so by contacting Jennifer Smith, FDOT District Five Title VI Coordinator at [email protected].

Persons who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Roger Masten, c/o SunRail, 801 SunRail Drive, Sanford, FL 32771; or by phone at (321) 257-7161; or by email [email protected].

Questions? Please contact Steve Olson of the Florida Department of Transportation at [email protected] /386-943-5479.

Please be careful around trains, railroad crossings, and while at station platforms. Be smart. Be safe. For more information about SunRail, including fares, schedule and station locations, please visit sunrail.com.

Georgia man claims first top prize in $2,000,000 24 KARAT CASH Scratch-Off game

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The Florida Lottery announces that Douglas Edwards, 51, of Cartersville, Georgia, claimed the first $2 million top prize in the $2,000,000 24 KARAT CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,600,000.00.

Edwards said he still doesn’t know what he wants to do with his winnings, “I just know I have to be at work tomorrow morning!”

Edwards purchased his winning ticket while on vacation from 7-Eleven located at 890 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

24 KARAT CASH offers four top prizes of $2 million! This $10 game also features more than 152,500 prizes from $100 to $10,000. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.57.

Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in FY 2016-17, and comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales.

UT to Host 24-hour Event to Show the Spartan Community is All In for UT

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MEDIA ADVISORY

For 24 hours on Tuesday, April 24, The University of Tampa will host a fair-style fundraiser to raise awareness and appreciation for its generous donors.

The day’s main events, sponsored by the Office of Development and University Relations, will be held in the courtyard behind the Vaughn Center from noon to 2 p.m.

Activities include pie throwing at faculty and staff volunteers, chance drawing tickets, carnival games, photo contests, presidential golf cart chauffer and other activities to encourage campus-wide donations, education and involvement.

UT student organizations will simultaneously host activities to encourage students to get involved.

Throughout the day, donors will match UT’s fundraising efforts in hourly segmentations, such as for the nursing program, ROTC scholarships and Annual Fund.

“As a private University, UT depends on the philanthropic support of the community it serves,” said Jennifer Tyler, director of annual giving at UT, who is spearheading the event. “All gifts, regardless of size, add up to have an enormous impact and show how the Spartan family is all in for UT no matter where in the world they call home.”

For more information on the events, visit ut.edu/allinforut or contact Tyler at (813) 258-7401 or [email protected].

Florida Housing Market: Median Prices Continue to Rise in March 2018

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Not enough homes for sale continues to influence Florida’s housing market, as March’s tight inventory constrained sales and put upward pressure on median prices, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes last month was $250,800, up 8.2 percent from the previous year, while the statewide median price for townhouse-condo properties was $183,000, up 7 percent over the year-ago figure.

“As the ongoing supply of for-sale homes continues to tighten, it can create a cycle of frustration for homebuyers, especially those trying to become a first-time homeowner,” said 2018 Florida Realtors President Christine Hansen, broker-owner with Century 21 Hansen Realty in Fort Lauderdale. “If move-up buyers can’t find a home in their desired price range, then they aren’t likely to leave their current home, which in turn makes entry-level properties even more scarce. Buyer demand is high, but the shortfall of inventory – particularly around $250,000 and under – is impacting affordability in many areas.

“Having a Realtor on your side, who knows your local area, can make all the difference when it comes to dealing with today’s complex market conditions.”

March was the 75th consecutive month that the statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and townhouse-condo properties rose year-over-year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the national median sales price for existing single-family homes in February 2018 was $243,400, up 5.9 percent from the previous year; the national median existing condo price was $227,300. In California, the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in February was $522,440; in Massachusetts, it was $350,000; in Maryland, it was $268,197; and in New York, it was $260,000.

Sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 25,020 last month, down 3.5 percent compared to March 2017, while statewide closed sales in Florida’s townhouse-condo market totaled 10,997 last month, down 1.8 percent compared to a year ago. Closed sales data reflected fewer short sales and foreclosures last month: Short sales for single-family homes dropped 49.3 percent and foreclosures fell 53 percent year-to-year; short sales for townhouse-condo properties declined 51.7 percent and foreclosures fell 41.4 percent year-to-year. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.

“Single-family home sales were down 3.5 percent year-over-year in March, the largest such drop in over a year – excluding, of course, last September when Irma briefly shut down the housing market,” said Florida Realtors® Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor. “We shouldn’t ignore, however, that March of 2017 was an unusually strong month for closed sales, so from the start, the odds were already stacked against any substantial year-over-year sales growth taking place this March.

“Still, year-to-date, single-family home sales are down a little under 1 percent, so it will be important to watch the April numbers very closely when they come out next month. At that point, we’ll have a better idea if March was just a blip, or perhaps whether it was the beginning of a very gradual slowdown in sales growth that appears to become more inevitable the longer our statewide housing shortage persists.”

March’s for-sale inventory tightened even more with a 3.8-months’ supply for single-family homes and a 5.9-months’ supply for townhouse-condo properties, according to Florida Realtors.

According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.44 percent in March 2018, up from the 4.20 percent averaged during the same month a year earlier.

To see the full statewide housing activity reports, go to Florida Realtors Media Center and look under Latest Releases, or download the March 2018 data report PDFs under Market Data by clicking here.

Wekiva Parkway Section 7A Construction Ramps Up

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Construction activities will increase on State Road (S.R.) 46, west of Sanford during the week of April 22, and motorists should be alert for large construction equipment and vehicles entering and exiting multiple areas of the work zone. The work is for the expansion of the Wekiva Parkway project.

Activities include installing drainage pipe under the Florida Gas Transmission line along the north side of S.R. 46 west of Longwood-Markham Road. Other significant utility work will include Florida Power & Light installing lines underground on both sides of S.R. 46. Work also includes driving sheet pile for retaining walls along the north side of S.R. 46 across from Lake Markham Road.

The contractor has safely relocated gopher tortoises – a protected, keystone species – to a state licensed recipient site. Work is continuing and, so far, 98 of the reptiles have been excavated from 148 burrows. Once the tortoises are safely excavated, crews are clearing and grubbing these areas.

Drivers should exercise extra caution within the construction zone. FDOT asks that you pay attention to speed limit signs and all construction signs and safety devices.

Construction is scheduled to finish in 2022. Please note schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances. Updates are available on wekivaparkway.com, cflroads.com and by following the project on Facebook and Twitter (@WekivaPKWYinfo).

Media inquiries should contact Steve Olson, FDOT Communications Manager, at [email protected], or by telephone at 386-943-5479.

Snook to close in Gulf state and federal waters

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Snook will close to all harvest in Gulf state, federal and inland waters, including all of Monroe County and Everglades National Park, starting May 1. Seasonal harvest closures conserve Florida’s valuable snook populations and help sustain and improve the fishery for the future.

Snook is open to harvest in Atlantic state, federal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, through May 31, closing June 1.

Both the Atlantic and Gulf will reopen for recreational snook harvest Sept. 1.

Snook are one of the many reasons Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. While snook may be caught and released during the closed season, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages anglers to handle their catch carefully to help the fish survive upon release. Proper handling methods can help ensure the species’ abundance for anglers today and generations to come. To learn more about fish handling, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Fish Handling.”

Learn more about recreational fishing at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing” and “Recreational Regulations.”

UNF School of Engineering Professor Invents One-of-a-Kind Surf Rover Machine

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Device Will Change Way Scientists Collect Vital Coastal Data

For his first job during college, William Dally worked in what he calls the surf zone—the area from the shoreline up to an ocean depth of 25 feet—placing rods to gather scientific data. Battered by the waves, the then 20-year-old civil engineering major thought there must be a better way.

Now an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of North Florida, with a master’s degree in coastal engineering and a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics, Dally, a Southside resident, is hard at work creating what he imagined years ago: a vehicle he calls the Surf Rover.

Dally’s project is being funded by a prestigious Major Research Instrumentation grant that he was awarded from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Though the Surf Rover is a work-in-progress, a complete model scaled to one-quarter the actual size shows a creation that looks part dune buggy and part amphibious crawler, with tank tracks that will allow it to move underwater along the ocean floor.

“When it’s complete, it will be the only one of its kind. Others have tried and failed,” said Dally, who noted the biggest obstacle is the power requirement. He’ll be using a diesel engine that will breathe through a tall snorkel. He stated other engineers have tried electric cords, which are limiting, or batteries, which are heavy and have to be replaced often because they quickly lose power.

Dally and the students working with him—more than 80 students have worked on the project at some point—have designed the Surf Rover to handle the many challenges of the beach environment: soft sand, steep slopes, high waves and strong currents. They’re now wrestling with minimizing drag on the tall snorkel and keeping the engine cool until it submerges in the water.

“It’s been challenging and rewarding to apply mechanical, electrical and coastal engineering principles into one project,” said Riverside resident Patrick Cooper, a UNF engineering graduate student and Navy veteran. “Knowing how significant the Surf Rover will be in broadening the understanding of the surf zone, it’s exciting to know I played a small part in that.”

Made from aluminum and stainless steel, the vehicle will weigh more than 3,000 pounds and will measure 16 feet wide and 22 feet long, yet its folding design allows for it to be transported on a modified boat trailer.

The uniqueness of the project ensures it will stand out in the coastal engineering community, according to UNF engineering graduate student Will Fletcher, also a lieutenant in the Navy and Orange Park resident, which sent him to the University to work on the project.

“The ability to work on a NSF project like this one has been rewarding because we’re helping to create a new piece of scientific equipment that will help us better understand our coasts, oceans and environment,” he said.

Dally, who has expertise in civil, coastal/ocean and engineering mechanics, expects to have the Surf Rover ready to be tested in the water and completed next year. He foresees many uses for the metal workhorse.

“Its primary job will be near-shore surveying, determining how the beach changes during storms and what happens to the sand eroded from the beach,” he said. “But there may also be a demand in the hydrographic surveying industry, which no longer uses swimmers to go out in the water or boats to come close to shore due to recent accidents.”

For the same safety reasons, Dally said the Navy might be interested in using the Surf Rover, rather than divers, to gather information on what’s beneath the waves when it needs to build a causeway for a landing or a rescue operation.

“I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time,” he said. “It’s amazing to me that we have vehicles roving surfaces out in space, but we have nothing to help us routinely collect data and make observations in the surf zone on Earth.”

Consumer Alert: Retirement Planning Tips

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Planning for something that seems far off in the future or feels unattainable, like retirement, may seem like a daunting task. According to the National Retirement Planning Coalition, only 22 percent of baby boomers believe that they are adequately preparing financially for retirement, and 58 percent of generation x-ers haven’t even tried to calculate how much they need for retirement. The Florida Office of Financial Regulation reminds Floridians that having a comprehensive retirement plan is key to a successful and stress-free retirement. Below are tips to get you started:

Think about your retirement goals. Do you plan to travel extensively, live in a different city or plan to retire at a certain age? Thinking about what you want out of retirement will help you better understand how much money you will need. 

Make a plan. After assessing your desired retirement goals and financial situation, create a savings strategy. Aim to increase your savings regularly, and periodically re-assess and potentially re-align your strategy as your goals, financial situation, and life changes. Online retirement calculators can be very helpful. Be sure to include healthcare costs in your retirement plan.

Protect yourself from fraud. Unfortunately, retirees are targets of scams. Know the red flags of common scams ensnaring retirees, like investment scams, reverse mortgage scams and identity theft. Be wary of unsolicited offers and remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

The Florida Office of Financial Regulation offers Floridians a robust online Consumer Knowledge Center, where you can find more information on many financial topics, including tips on how to spot potential financial scams.

Commissioner Stewart Names Five 2018 School-Related Employee of the Year Finalists

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Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart announced the five 2018 School-Related Employee of the Year finalists. This award recognizes outstanding education support personnel for the significant contributions they make to students and families in their schools and districts. Each of the finalists will receive a $6,500 cash prize, and the statewide winner will receive $10,000 at the May 16 State Board of Education meeting in Pinellas County.

“It is an honor to recognize these outstanding individuals as 2018 School-Related Employee of the Year finalists,” said Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart. “School-related employees are essential to a school’s day-to-day operations. These men and women have truly gone above and beyond to ensure Florida students have the best education experience possible, and they deserve to be commended for their hard work. I look forward to announcing the winner next month.”

The five finalists for the 2018 School-Related Employee of the Year are listed below.

Bay County – Sylvester Jones, Rutherford High School
Sylvester Jones has been serving the students of Bay District Schools for 13 years. He is currently Rutherford High School’s In-School Suspension Coordinator and Head Coach of the Boys Track and Field Team, for which Jones is praised for his calm demeanor and professionalism. In addition to his assigned duties, he mentors struggling students and contributes to his community by volunteering with the Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Club and the Shaldera Panthers Track Club, an Amateur Athletic Union team. He has earned the Eva P. Jordan Award for unselfish dedication to the community and was recognized as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s 2015 Person of the Year.

Clay County – Stephanie Melton, W.E. Cherry Elementary School
Stephanie Melton is an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Behavioral Health Assistant at her alma mater, W.E. Cherry Elementary School. During the eight years she has served in the position, she has demonstrated a commitment to honing her skills to meet students’ individual needs; for instance, she learned sign language to communicate better with non-verbal students. Despite working two jobs and pursuing a postsecondary degree in Education, Melton makes time to support students and their families after school and on the weekends. She also assists local non-profit organizations in raising awareness about special needs. For eight years, she has organized the annual HEAL Zoo Walk for Autism; through her efforts, significant funds were raised and W.E. Cherry Elementary School received five iPads for ESE classrooms.

Miami-Dade County – Jermaine Green, Jose de Diego Middle School
Jermaine Green has been employed with Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 17 years and has served the students at Jose de Diego Middle School as a paraprofessional for the last two. A talented artist and photographer, Green utilizes art to help his special needs students develop fine motor skills, improve their concentration and enhance their own artistic abilities. He sponsors 5000 Role Models, a club designed to improve male students’ behavior and academic performance, and he leads beautification and restoration initiatives within local schools and his community.

Pinellas County – Debra Canning, Office of Strategic Partnerships
Debra Canning serves as a 21st Century iClass Liaison and has been with Pinellas County Schools for five years. In this role, she has helped more than 500 students at seven sites develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for literacy, math, science, technology and the arts. Through partnerships with local businesses and community organizations, Canning has arranged for students and their families to access books and educational experiences, such as museums and theaters, at little or no cost. Her supervisor applauded her for creating a culture that emphasizes high academic expectations and embraces each student’s unique attributes.

Sarasota County – Sarah Woods, Gulf Gate Elementary School
Sarah Woods currently serves as the Food and Nutrition kitchen manager for Gulf Gate Elementary School where she manages all aspects of food production and the food service staff. Although Woods’ daily responsibilities are significant, she has a reputation for seeking out students who need positive attention and taking the time to create and maintain relationships with them. She was heralded for her efforts during Hurricane Irma, when Gulf Gate Elementary School became a shelter for more than 2,000 community members. Woods and her team sprang into action and worked tirelessly to ensure all shelter guests received three meals each day.

More information about the School-Related Employee of the Year Program is available here.

For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit fldoe.org.

Florida PSC Expands Natural Gas Service in Escambia and Palm Beach Counties

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Helping expand natural gas service and grow economic development, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) today approved two projects for Peninsula Pipeline Company—a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. New natural gas pipeline projects are planned in West Palm Beach and in Escambia County, including two transfer stations.

“Providing natural gas service alternatives to Escambia County boosts economic and job growth in the important Pensacola area market,” said PSC Chairman Art Graham. “Peninsula’s construction and ownership of a new pipeline in West Palm Beach protects Florida Public Utilities Company’s (FPUC) customers, who benefit from the service but are sheltered from project costs and risks.”

Peninsula’s transportation service agreement with Central Florida Gas (CFG) –also a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities – is to construct a pipeline and two transfer stations in Escambia County. Upon completion in late 2018, CFG’s new distribution system will provide gas service to an industrial customer and to Pensacola Energy, a municipal natural gas utility. CFG’s expansion plans also include serving additional customers.

In its agreement with FPUC, Peninsula will construct and own the Belvedere Pipeline that will interconnect with the interstate Florida Gas Transmission line in the West Palm Beach area. FPUC’s growing service demand in the area drove the need for this project and for construction of additional pipeline to interconnect with its existing natural gas distribution system.

Peninsula received PSC approval in 2007 of an intrastate gas pipeline tariff that allows it to construct and operate intrastate pipeline facilities and to actively pursue agreements with natural gas customers. The company provides transportation service only and does not engage in the sale of gas.

For additional information, visit floridapsc.com.