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Nelson files bill to protect oil drilling safety rules

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Friday marks eight years since 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster

U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and others filed legislation today to codify two key offshore drilling safety rules put in place after the 2010 BP oil spill.

Specifically, the legislation would codify the “Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control Rule” and the “Arctic Drilling Rule,” both of which were finalized and put in place under the Obama administration in 2016 to address key safety recommendations made after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The move to make the regulations law comes as the Trump administration, at the behest of the oil industry, seeks to roll back many of the safety requirements put in place after the 2010 spill.

“Today, from 2010 to 2018 – eight years later – the oil industry is trying to roll back those safety requirements that were put in place in the aftermath of spilling five-million barrels of oil into the Gulf,” Nelson said on the Senate floor today. “We can’t allow the Department of Interior to take us backwards in time and expose our beautiful beaches and our tourism-based local economies,  as well as our military, to another Deepwater Horizon-type catastrophe.”

Each rule contains several safety regulations aimed at preventing another massive oil spill from occurring. For example, the “Outer Continental Shelf Blowout Preventer Systems and Well Control Rule” increased design and maintenance standards for blowout preventers, required real-time monitoring of deep-water wells and high-pressure drilling activities, and improved safety standards by requiring drillers to have a mechanism that allows the drill pipe to be properly sheared.

The “Arctic Drilling Rule” sets safety and emergency response standards for offshore drilling in arctic environments. For example, the rule requires operators to have a specialized response plan and containment equipment specifically tailored to the icy weather conditions in the arctic.

If approved, the legislation Nelson and Cantwell filed today would make the regulations law and prevent the administration from rolling them back without Congressional approval.

A copy of the legislation is available here.

Video of Nelson’s speech on the Senate floor earlier today is available here.

Following is a transcript of his remarks:

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson
Remarks on the Senate floor
April 19, 2018

Sen. Nelson: Tomorrow marks another somber occasion, as well, because eight years ago the news ticker came across our television saying that an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico was on fire. The Coast Guard was on the scene and workers were missing.

It was a Tuesday night. It was nearly midnight on April 20, 2010. By morning light we knew that 11 men would not be going home again. For 87 days oil gushed into one of the most productive marine environments in the world.

The study showed that the oil impacted the deep water corals and the fish at the bottom of the food chain, all the way from the bottom up to the dolphins and sea turtles at the top. Here is just one example, Madam President – this is in one of the bayous. You can see the marsh grasses in the distance. You can see the oil as it’s coming up, and it’s just literally covering everything.

They did studies on fish that would be in a bayou like this. A little fish that’s about as big as this, it’s called the killi fish. LSU professors did this study and they compared them to the bayous where there was not this kind of oil. Compared it to similar killi fish. What they found over time is the little fish in bayous like this, they were stunted. They didn’t reproduce. They mutated. It’s because of this, nearly five million barrels of oil gushed for three months. And a lot of it is still out there. Some of it’s down at the bottom where that well was in that well head on the sea floor below the rig. It’s a mile deep. We worked as one Gulf community, in a bipartisan way.

We passed legislation – it was called the Restore Act – to send a message that there were going to be fines and penalties. Under the Clean Water Act, so many barrels of oil, a figure and then the culpability of the oil company that allowed it to happen. A federal judge did and extended a trial over several years and came up with that fine and that penalty.

And that Restore Act said that that money that was going to be assessed against the oil company, it was going back to the Gulf of Mexico region. And it was going to aid in the economy and in the environment. And when you have this kind of impact, you can’t imagine, but there was another impact. The winds caught that oil slick and started sending it east from Louisiana. And it got over to the white sugary sands of Pensacola Beach and Destin and tar balls as far east as Panama City Beach. But the photographs of Pensacola Beach completely covered in tar and oil. And those photographs went around the world. And what was the result? Our guests, our visitors, our tourists for an entire season thought the beaches of all of the Gulf of Mexico beaches on Florida were covered like Pensacola Beach was, and they didn’t come for an entire year.

So, not only did you have an environmental effect like this, you had an economic effect like the loss of tourist revenue and the hotels and the motels and the restaurants and the dry cleaners, and the little newspapers, and all the ancillary businesses that depend upon a $60 billion a year tourism industry in Florida. And still I’m afraid that the oil industry hopes that we have all forgotten all of this.

This month, the media released documents from 2016 in which BP claims that an oil spill can be a welcome boost to local economies. Can you believe that? This oil spill was in 2010. And in 2016 we have just uncovered documents that BP claimed that an oil spill can be, quote, “a welcome boost to local economies.” End of quote. How outrageous and how arrogant a statement.

I can assure you that the coastal communities of Florida vigorously disagree, and I bet you the coastal communities that had to put up with that in their bayous would disagree vigorously as well. All that progress, and yet the industry is relentless in wanting to take us backwards. They still want to open up Florida’s beaches and offshore to drilling.

And we have to fight it every day.

One thing that we also have going for us is the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida is the largest testing and training area for the United States Military in the world.

This senator just climbed into an Air Force jet to fly part of the training profile for young pilots knowing that they have restricted airspace. That was out of Tyndall, out of Eglin Air Force Base – the testing and training designee for all of the Department of Defense. We have a range that goes from the panhandle of Florida all the way south in the Gulf of Mexico off of Key West. In one angle shot, they can shoot sophisticated long-range weapons 600 miles to do the testing.

And Big Oil is trying to roll back now some of the basic safety rules that were put in place after the disaster to prevent another tragedy. It’s happening in front of our eyes.

So, two years ago they say that an oil spill can be a welcome boost to the local economies, and today they are rolling back safety environments that were put in place in the aftermath of 11 people being killed on the Deepwater oil rig.

Today, they are rolling that back – in this administration’s agencies. That’s why I’m joining Senator Cantwell and other colleagues today in filing legislation to codify these sensible safety measures, like those designed to update the standards for blowout preventers and a requirement for a third party to certify the safety mechanisms.

Let me explain what a blowout preventer is. It didn’t work in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A mile below the surface, the wellhead where it comes out of the Earth, there is a thing called a blowout preventer. So a blowout in this Deepwater Horizon, there is a blowout that was supposed to safely cut the oil line, pinch it, and stop it from flowing. It was faulty. It did not work. And so there have been new standards for blowout preventers.

And today, from 2010 to 2018, eight years later the oil industry is trying to roll back those safety requirements that were put in place in the aftermath of spilling five million barrels of oil into the Gulf.
You see, the fight that we have almost every week. We can’t allow the Department of Interior to take us backwards in time and expose our beautiful beaches and our tourism-based local economies as well as our military to another Deepwater Horizon-type catastrophe. And if we don’t watch it and if they keep pushing back these safety rules, and that’s the purpose of filing this legislation today with Senator Cantwell.
If we don’t watch it, we’re going to be right back in the same place we were eight years ago. Eight years ago, to the day tomorrow, that we had that all of experience.

Madam president, I yield the floor.

FDLE arrests Miami man for child pornography

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Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, assisted by Homeland Security Investigation-Miami, today arrested Jonathan Fabian Fernandez, 18, of 13700 NE 1st Ave, Miami, for violations of a no-bond felony arrest warrant for exploitation of a minor.

In late 2017, an investigator with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina discovered that Fernandez was sharing child pornography images through the internet with an 11-year old girl and engaging in sexual acts online.

FDLE, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigation-Miami, conducted a search warrant today related to child pornography at his residence in Miami, Florida.

Fernandez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center pending his extradition to South Carolina. Additional Florida charges are dependent upon completion of computer forensic exams and if determined, will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit.

UT to Host U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Competition on Monday, April 23

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Eight local high school chemistry students will participate in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) competition at The University of Tampa on Monday, April 23, from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. These students were the top scorers out of more than 200 students from 20 public and private high schools in Tampa and the surrounding areas who participated in the recent local American Chemical Society (ACS) Chemathon examination.

The students selected are Joseph Flahavan, Pine View School; Sean Williams, Plant High School; Tianlin Ji, King High School; Maxwell Frankel, Plant High School; William Kirby, Newsome High School; Anuj Som, Palm Harbor University High School; Zackary Rosso, Cambridge Christian School; and Omer Amir, East Lake High School.

The students will take an exam that may qualify them to become members of the USNCO team that will compete in the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Bratislava Slovakia, and Prague, Czech Republic, July 19–29.

The IChO involves a series of theoretical exams, laboratory exercises and other activities aimed at identifying the best chemistry students from participating nations from around the world. The U.S. has participated in this event since 1984. In 2017, the U.S. team won four gold medals.

The eight local nominees are among over 1,200 nationwide that will take a national qualifying exam April 17–23 to select finalists. Twenty students will be identified and will undergo intensive training June 10–25 at the U.S. Air Force Academy, CO. The top four will be chosen to represent the U.S. in the 50th IChO competition.

The USNCO is an annual event coordinated by the UT Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics and the ACS Tampa Bay local section. They are done in partnership with the Florida Department of Education through the support of the science supervisors of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota County Schools.

For more information, contact Susan Del Valle, assistant professor of chemistry, biochemistry and physics, at [email protected]. The media is welcome to attend. The lab portion, which offers the best opportunity for photos, will be held from 1:30–3 p.m. in the Organic Chemistry Lab in the Science Annex.

Senator Annette Taddeo Hosts Town Halls with Representative Robert Asencio

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State government touches almost every aspect of Floridians’ daily lives, from our water quality to the safety of our kids in schools. To help constituents better understand what the 2018 legislative session means to them, and how current and future legislation will impact them, State Senator Annette Taddeo will be hosting an additional town hall on April 25 with State Representative Robert Asencio. This community gathering will be an opportunity for residents to share their priorities, concerns, and suggestions for the coming years.

Please join Senator Taddeo and Representative Robert Asencio on Wednesday April 25th at 6:30 pm  at the Kendall Pavilion, 8625 SW 124th Ave, Miami, FL 33183.

State Road 44 Detour at Clara Avenue in DeLand

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Drivers on State Road (S.R.) 44/New York Avenue in DeLand can expect detours this weekend at the intersection with Clara Avenue west of Woodland Boulevard. The detour will begin around 9 a.m. Friday, April 20, and last through approximately 6 a.m. Monday, April 23. The closure is needed to accommodate concrete slab replacement within the intersection.

During the detour, the routes will be as follows:

  • S.R. 44 traffic heading west will turn right on Florida Avenue, left on Rich Avenue and left on Stone Street.
  • S.R. 44 traffic heading east will turn right on Stone Street, left on Howry Avenue and left on Florida Avenue.
  • U.S. 17/92 traffic traveling north to westbound S.R. 44 will turn left on Howry Avenue, then right on Stone Street.
  • U.S. 17/92 traffic traveling south to westbound S.R. 44 will turn right on Wisconsin Avenue, left on Florida Avenue, right on Rich Avenue and left on Stone Street.

The detours are part of a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) project to repair and replace areas of concrete along S.R. 44 between Boundary Avenue and Hill Avenue.

Please note construction schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances. Electronic message boards will be used to alert motorists to lane closures and detours. Updates will be available on the FDOT’s Central Florida website.

Media inquiries should be directed to the FDOT Communications Office at 386-943-5479 or [email protected].

FDOT advises drivers to slow down and use extra caution in construction zones.

Give nesting waterbirds space to help keep them safe

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It’s nesting season for Florida’s waterbirds, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Audubon Florida are reminding beachgoers and boaters to give these birds and their young space to help keep them safe.  

“This is a critical time of year for nesting birds and their young,” said Craig Faulhaber, avian conservation coordinator for the FWC. “By taking a few simple steps, people can enjoy a day at the beach or on the water without disturbing nesting birds and their chicks, which increases the birds’ chances of survival.”

Shorebirds and seabirds build shallow nests out of sand and shells on beaches in spring and summer, and eggs and chicks are difficult to see. Wading birds, such as herons and egrets, as well as pelicans, are also nesting now on islands around the state. Both types of birds can be easily disturbed if people approach too closely. Such disturbance can cause birds to abandon their nesting sites, exposing eggs and chicks to predators, sun exposure and other harm.

Shorebird nests, eggs and chicks are well-camouflaged and can easily be missed and even stepped on unless people know to look out for them. The snowy plover, least tern, black skimmer, American oystercatcher and Wilson’s plover are several of Florida’s beach-nesting bird species facing conservation challenges. Wading birds and pelicans typically nest in mangroves and on tree islands. Reddish egrets, tricolored herons and roseate spoonbills have also experienced declines.

“Florida’s coasts took a beating from Hurricane Irma in 2017,” said Julie Wraithmell, interim executive director for Audubon Florida. “We can’t control impacts to nesting sites from weather, but we can protect them from human disturbance. This year it is more important than ever.”

The FWC has established Critical Wildlife Areas to protect congregations of one or more species of wildlife from human disturbance during critical life activities such as nesting, feeding or migration.

People can help keep nesting birds safe by keeping their distance from CWAs and other areas where birds are nesting or raising young. In addition to observing the marked-off areas around CWAs, people can also help by following a few simple steps while enjoying the beach this season:

  • Keep your distance from birds, on the beach or on the water. If birds become agitated or leave their nests, you are too close. A general rule is to stay at least 300 feet from a nest. Birds calling out loudly and dive-bombing are signals for you to back off.
  • Respect posted areas. Avoid posted nesting sites and use designated walkways when possible.
  • Never intentionally force birds to fly or run. This causes them to use energy needed for nesting, and eggs and chicks may be left vulnerable to the sun’s heat or predators. Teach children not to chase shorebirds and seabirds, and kindly ask fellow beachgoers to do the same. Shorebirds and seabirds outside of posted areas may be feeding or resting and need to do so without disturbance.
  • It is best to not take pets to the beach, but if you do, keep them leashed and avoid shorebird and seabird nesting areas. (State parks, national parks and CWAs do not allow pets.)
  • Keep the beach clean and do not feed wildlife. Food scraps attract predators, such as raccoons and crows, which can prey on shorebird eggs and chicks. Litter on beaches can entangle birds and other wildlife.
  • Spread the word. If you see people disturbing nesting birds, gently let them know how their actions may hurt the birds’ survival. If they continue to disturb nesting birds, report it to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), #FWC or *FWC on a cellphone or by texting [email protected]. You may also report nests that are not posted to our Wildlife Alert Program.

For more information, go to MyFWC.com/Shorebirds and download the “Share the Beach with Beach-Nesting Birds” brochure. Or go to the Florida Shorebird Alliance website at FLShorebirdAlliance.org to learn more about how to participate in shorebird and seabird conservation efforts.

For more information about Florida’s CWAs, visit MyFWC.com/CWA.

To learn how you can volunteer your time to protect nesting coastal birds, visit ­­ and scroll over the “Conservation” tab at the top, then click on “Coastal Conservation” and “Coastal Bird Stewardship,” or you may­­ email [email protected].

Gov. Scott: Low Tax Opportunity Zones in every county will keep Florida’s booming economy growing

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Governor Rick Scott today announced his recommendation to designate 427 communities across every Florida county as Low Tax Opportunity Zones. Low Tax Opportunity Zones, as established in the federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, encourage long-term investment and job creation in targeted communities by reducing taxes for many job creators. Low Tax Opportunity Zones enhance local communities’ ability to attract businesses, developers and financial institutions to invest in targeted areas by allowing investors to defer capital gains taxes through investments in federally established Opportunity Funds.

Governor Scott said, “Today, I am proud to put forth my recommendations for 427 communities across every county in Florida to be designated as Low Tax Opportunity Zones. These Zones will make a real and lasting difference in some of our highest-need areas by helping to bring new capital investment and more jobs to every county across the state. They will also bring additional investment to rural communities and urban areas, ensuring that every Floridian has the chance to live the American Dream in the Sunshine State.

“In the four years before I took office, Florida lost more than 800,000 jobs, taxes increased by more than $2 billion, debt was skyrocketing and the economy was in ruins. When I became Governor, I promised the families of our state that I would spend every day fighting to grow Florida’s economy, and over the past seven years, we have seen firsthand the huge success that comes with creating an environment where business can grow and create opportunities. Today, thanks to our hard work to cut taxes and reduce burdensome regulations, Florida businesses have created nearly 1.5 million private-sector jobs and unemployment has dropped in every Florida county – but our work isn’t over. Florida must continue to maximize every opportunity to keep growing our booming economy and ensure every family can succeed in our state.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “The new Opportunity Zone program will bring the chance for growth home to hundreds of communities from the Panhandle to the Keys. This program will help capitalize on economic development that is already underway and provide a new tool in the toolbox for communities that are looking to grow their economy.”

The evaluation process included statistical analysis of poverty rates, population, unemployment rates and other economic indicators, along with assessing recommendations from more than 1,200 requests. These specific requests came from municipal and county governments, regional planning councils, nonprofits, developers, investors and more.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has 30 days to certify each state’s recommendations. After the Zones are approved, the federal government will begin the rulemaking process to designate how Opportunity Funds are created and how businesses, developers and financial institutions can invest in qualified Zones.

The full list of census tracts nominated as Opportunity Zones can be found HERE. Governor Scott’s letter to U.S. Treasury requesting the designated zones can be found HERE. An FAQ on the Opportunity Zone program can be found HERE.

Fort Lauderdale woman claims top prize in $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game

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The Florida Lottery announces that Edna Mae Edwards, of Fort Lauderdale, claimed a top prize in the $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She purchased her winning ticket from Two Quik Food Store, located at 348 Southwest 13th Street in Dania.

The $5 Scratch-Off game, $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER, features more than $182.8 million in prizes, including 44 top prizes of $500,000. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.98.

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

Sign up for the 2018 Lionfish Challenge, win up to $5,000

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Attention recreational and commercial lionfish hunters: Registration for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) 2018 Lionfish Challenge is open. Register at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.

This year’s Challenge begins on Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day, May 19, and will run through Sept. 3. Join us for the Challenge kickoff at the Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day Festival and the Lionfish World Championship Tournament, May 19 and 20, at the Flora-Bama Yacht Club and Ole River Grill on the Florida/Alabama coastal border. The event will also include a benefit concert by Little Texas at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 20, presented by Coast Watch Alliance and Lionfish University.

Thanks to our sponsors, this year’s Challenge will include a new tagged-lionfish component. Catch an FWC-tagged lionfish and win up to $5,000.

Non-cash prizes, such as GoPro cameras, tumblers by Engel Coolers, puncture-resistant gloves by TurtleSkin, customized towels and more, will also be awarded to participants who remove and submit lionfish, tagged or not.

The participants who remove the most lionfish in the recreational and commercial categories will be crowned the 2018 Recreational Lionfish King/Queen and the Commercial Champion.

The goal of these programs is to encourage and track removals of nonnative invasive lionfish.

To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Lionfish or contact the FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management at [email protected] or 850-487-0554.

Thanks to the following sponsors:

  • American Sportfishing Association
  • Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
  • Boat Owners Association of the United States
  • National Marine Manufacturers Association
  • Coastal Conservation Association Florida
  • Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc.
  • Dive Rite
  • Narked Scuba
  • Lionator Pole Spears

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Railroad Crossing Closures at Landstreet Road and Pine Street

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Motorists in the Taft area of Orange County can expect upcoming weekend road closures and detours along Landstreet Road and Pine Street at the railroad crossings just west of South Orange Avenue. The closures are needed to allow SunRail to replace the crossings.

Landstreet Road is scheduled to be closed at the crossing from about 9 p.m. Friday, April 20, to approximately 6 a.m. Monday, April 23. During the closure, traffic will be detoured using South Orange Avenue, Boyce Avenue and Fourth Street.

The following weekend, Pine Street will be closed at the crossing from about 7 a.m. Friday, April 27, to approximately 6 a.m. Monday, April 30. A detour will be posted using South Orange Avenue, Boyce Avenue and Landstreet Road.

Detour signs will be placed throughout the area to direct drivers. Access to businesses will be maintained.

The crossings are being replaced as part of SunRail’s Phase II South extension project, which will add approximately 17.2 miles of new rail line between the Sand Lake Road station in Orange County and the Poinciana station in Osceola County. The project also involves double tracking most of the corridor and improving grade crossings.

Please note schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances. Construction updates are available on FDOT’s Central Florida website.

Media inquiries should be directed to the District Five Communications Office at 386-943-5479 or [email protected].

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.