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Vann Continues Strong Fundraising

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Marc Vann leads the fundraising in House District 10 by more than two
to one and has qualified for the August primary ballot by petition.

The Marc Vann Campaign today announced that it raised $17,530 during March and has enough verified signatures to qualify for the ballot by petition. That brings his fundraising total to $51,630, more than double that of his nearest rival. Vann is seeking the District 10 seat in the Florida House of Representatives.

“Our campaign’s momentum is strong and growing,” said Vann. “I really appreciate all the neighbors and friends, both old and new, who are jumping on board our team. Our conservative message resonates with the folks in this district, and I look forward to continuing to connect with more voters about our platform of more jobs and lower taxes.”

Paid by Marc Vann, Republican, for State Representative

Forbes Names University of North Florida 2018 ‘Best Value College’

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When it comes to value, the University of North Florida is among the top universities in the country, according to a new ranking from Forbes.

UNF has been named a Forbes 2018 “Best Value College” and is among an exclusive class of only 300 schools nationwide ranked to help students as well as families evaluate the likely return on their investment. The University is the only Northeast Florida higher education institution to land on the list.

“We’re pleased to be included on this list and take great pride in being nationally recognized by some very elite organizations for delivering an exceptional education at an extraordinary value,” said UNF President John Delaney.

The 2018 Forbes Best Value College ranking indexes schools that deliver the best bang for the tuition buck based on net price of tuition, net debt, alumni earnings, timely graduation, school quality and access for low-income students. Forbes used data collected from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and PayScale, the world’s largest salary database.

The Forbes list evaluates institutions offering four-year degrees and doesn’t include private for-profit schools such as the University of Phoenix or DeVry University. In-state tuition is used for state universities.

This latest recognition comes on the heels of UNF receiving several other national designations, including U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 “Best Online Programs,” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s “Best College Value of 2018,” 2018 “Best in the Southeast” by Princeton Review, 2018 “Best Regional” University by U.S. News & World Report, 2018 “Best Colleges” by College Factual, to name a few.

Gov. Scott: Agreement with Seminole Tribe ensures continued investments for Florida families

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Governor Rick Scott today announced that an agreement has been reached between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe which extends the Tribe’s current commitment to make revenue sharing payments to the state through May 2019. Under the current compact between the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida, the Tribe pays more than $300 million per year into the state’s General Revenue fund. This agreement does not make any changes to state gaming law or expand current gaming operations in Florida in any way.

Governor Scott said, “Today, I am proud to announce that the State of Florida has reached an agreement with the Seminole Tribe which ensures the Tribe’s current commitment remains intact. Since I took office, the Seminole Compact has generated more than $1.75 billion which has helped our state make historic investments in things like Florida’s education and environment. With today’s agreement, revenue sharing payments from the Tribe will carry on as the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) continues its work of aggressively following and enforcing Florida’s strict gaming laws and rules.”

Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. said, “The Tribe is committed to its long term compact with the State of Florida and intends to continue making revenue sharing payments as spelled out in the agreement. The gaming compact, which runs through the year 2030, is good for the people of Florida and good for the members of the Seminole Tribe. The Tribe is investing more than $2.4 billion to expand its Seminole Hard Rock Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood and is hiring thousands of Floridians to fill jobs in construction and as permanent team members.”

To see a copy of the agreement, click HERE.

FDLE Agents arrest two suspects in separate cases on child solicitation, pornography

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Orlando Cyber Crime Task Force Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have arrested two suspects in separate and unrelated cases on charges related to child sex solicitation and child pornography.

On Tuesday, agents arrested Kieran Oscar Sosa, 28, of 15 Presidential Lane, Palm Coast, for traveling to engage in sexual conduct with a child and attempted lewd and lascivious behavior. Luis Antonio Rivera, 71, of 2715 Ranch House Court, Orlando, was arrested today on 15 counts of possession of child pornography in a separate and unrelated case.

In the Sosa investigation, an undercover agent posed as a 14-year-old female when Sosa initiated a conversation through an Internet website. Sosa asked the online persona if she were interested in a sexual encounter and told the juvenile he would come to her residence. He had planned to have sex while the juvenile’s mother was at work. When Sosa arrived at the agreed upon location, he was taken into police custody.

Sosa was taken to the Seminole County Jail on a $60,000 bond. The State Attorney’s Office, 18th Judicial Circuit, will prosecute.

Rivera was taken into custody after agents executed a search warrant at his home and conducted a forensic preview of a laptop. During the preview, agents found evidence of child pornography. The files had been downloaded from the Internet and showed images of children who appeared to be younger than 10 years old. The laptop was seized for further forensic analysis.

Rivera was taken to the Orange County Jail on a no-bond status. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, Ninth Judicial Circuit.

HHS awards Florida $27 million to help combat opioid crisis

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Following is a comment from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on news today that the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the state of Florida an additional $27 million in federal funding to help combat the opioid crisis:

“The nation’s opioid epidemic is a real public health emergency and we need to be doing everything we can to combat this crisis. The only way we’re going to be successful in fighting this epidemic is by providing local communities with the funding they need to bolster their prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.”

The funding comes from a 2016 measure Nelson supported to provide states with $1 billion over two years to combat the opioid epidemic. The $27 million Florida will receive this year is on top of the $27 million it received last year under the law – bringing the state’s total received under the bill to $54 million.

Nelson sponsored legislation earlier this year to provide states an additional $12 billion to fight the opioid epidemic.

Here’s a copy of HHS’s announcement about the new funding:

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  is releasing the second year of funding to 57 states and territories totaling $485 million to continue the Nation’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis.  The Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) grants, which were created by the 21st Century Cures Act, are administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within HHS.

STR grants address the opioid crisis by increasing access to treatment, reducing unmet treatment need, and reducing opioid overdose related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment and recovery activities for opioid use disorder (including prescription opioids as well as illicit drugs such as heroin). Grantees must use funding to supplement existing opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery activities in their state. An additional $1B recently appropriated will be coming out in September 2018.

19-year-old claims first $15 million top prize in FLORIDA 100X THE CASH Scratch-Off game

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The Florida Lottery announces that Quinn Kofler, 19, of Bonita Springs, claimed a $15 million top prize in the new FLORIDA 100X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $11,175,000.00.

Kofler purchased his winning ticket from 7-Eleven, located at 12931 Bonita Beach Road Southeast in Bonita Springs. The retailer will receive a $30,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The new $30 game, FLORIDA 100X THE CASH, launched on February 26, and features eight top prizes of $15 million – the largest Scratch-Off top prize ever offered by the Florida Lottery! The game also offers 20 prizes of $1 million. Overall odds of winning are one-in-2.59.

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.

Lawmakers urge FEMA to extend housing assistance for storm victims through end of school year

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Hundreds of displaced Puerto Rican families who have been living in Florida since Hurricane Maria devastated the island could soon find themselves homeless with nowhere to go, if FEMA follows through with plans to stop providing them the temporary housing assistance they have come to rely on in wake of the storm.

FEMA officials told federal lawmakers this week that they plan to stop providing Transitional Shelter Assistance, or TSA, to more than 1,600 displaced families across the country – including 600 in Florida – as early as Friday. The move would likely cause hundreds of displaced families to be suddenly evicted from their hotel rooms and leave them scrambling to find a new, affordable place to live.

To help those still relying on the FEMA program and prevent them from being suddenly evicted, a group of mostly Florida lawmakers – led by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) – today called on FEMA to reconsider its decision to abruptly end the program for these families; and instead work with the governor of Puerto Rico to extend the program through, at least, the remainder of the current school year.

“At a minimum, the deadline for TSA should coincide with the end of the school year for mainland states,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter today to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló, “After Hurricane Maria devastated the island, more than 10,000 students from Puerto Rico enrolled in Florida schools. These children have already had their lives and educational experiences disrupted by a devastating storm and deserve the opportunity to complete their school year.”

FEMA’s TSA program pays hotel owners to provide hotel rooms to displaced victims of a storm. Once FEMA decides it will no longer provide a displaced family with TSA benefits, hotel owners will often evict them from their property.

With some parts of Florida already experiencing a shortage of affordable housing due, in part, to a sudden influx of displaced Puerto Ricans living there since the storm, these sudden evictions could leave some families – who are still unable to return home to Puerto Rico – with nowhere to live.

In addition to Nelson and Rubio, the letter sent today urging FEMA to continue providing assistance to these families was signed by Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Dennis Ross (R-FL) and Darren Soto (D-FL).

A pdf copy of the letter is available here.

ICYMI: Palm Beach Post: UTC announces 100 more jobs in Gardens at $115M technology showcase

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UTC announces 100 more jobs in Gardens at $115M technology showcase
Palm Beach Post
Sarah Peters
April 17, 2018

United Technologies will add another 100 jobs in Palm Beach Gardens by 2021, an executive announced at the opening for the company’s $115 million technology showcase off Donald Ross Road.

…

Gov. Rick Scott spoke at the opening for the 224,000 square-foot Center for Intelligent Buildings as hundreds of employees watched the event from balconies overlooking the lobby.

“To have this happen in this short period of time is remarkable,” Scott said. “These are good, high-paying jobs for a company that’s going to continue to be successful.”

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UTC created 380 new jobs in Palm Beach County and kept 70 local jobs. The 100 employees to be hired in the next three years also will work at the building. Employees have been moving into the new offices since March.

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“Gov. Scott talks about jobs — a lot. The important thing I can tell you is it’s not just talks. Companies like ours don’t take a decision to relocate our corporate headquarters lightly,” he said.

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The creation of additional jobs will have a bigger economic impact than Palm Beach Gardens expected, Mayor Maria Marino said.

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Oversight Committee to Hold Hearing on Brightline at Mast’s Request

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The United States House of Representatives Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations will conduct a hearing on April 19, 2018 into Brightline. Rep. Mast requested this hearing in February, which is titled “Examining Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bonds For All Aboard Florida’s Brightline Passenger Rail System.” Witnesses for the hearing include representatives for Brightline, the Department of Transportation, Martin County and Indian River County.

WHO:
Rep. Mast
Grover Burthey, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation
Patrick Goddard, President and Chief Operation Officer for Brightline
Chief Dan Wouters, Division Chief of Emergency Management for Martin County Fire Rescue
Dylan Reingold, Attorney for Indian River County
Robert Crandall, Former CEO of American Airlines
Additional Members of the United States House of Representatives

WHEN:
Thursday, April 19, 2018
10 a.m.

WHERE:
Oversight Committee Hearing Room
2154 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

**Please note: A live stream of the hearing will be available here for Florida-based press.**

WHAT:
Despite their claim that Brightline is “not publicly funded at all,” there are at least four instances in which Brightline has sought public financial support:

Moreover, because Brightline failed to qualify for public financing under the statutory definition of high-speed rail, Brightline instead sought and secured the public financing for this expansion by claiming that their passenger rail train is actually a “highway.”

In addition to these financial concerns, Brightline trains have been involved in six deaths since they began running, raising serious safety concerns ahead of the proposed expansion through the Treasure Coast to Orlando.

UNF Honoring Students’ Exceptional Service at Spring Commencement

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The University of North Florida will honor students with outstanding records of volunteerism and caring spirits, when it hands out more than 1,850 degrees Friday, April 27, during spring commencement at the UNF Arena, Building 34, on campus.

Senior Sara-Marie Saliba, who will graduate from the Brooks College of Health with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, will be recognized as the recipient of the Senior Service Award, while Ayshka Elise Rodriguez-Velez, who will be graduating with a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering, will be recognized as the recipient of the Albert D. Ernest Jr. Caring Award.

The UNF Alumni Association presents the Senior Service Award to a graduating senior for outstanding volunteer service to the University or community. The Caring Award recognizes students who demonstrate the spirit of caring, humanitarianism and volunteerism exemplified by Albert Ernest.

Saliba, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon, believes that a nursing career will provide her the opportunity to greatly impact individuals and the community. She has been an instrumental member of the Student Nurses Association, serving as volunteer chair and first vice president. She also revived the Red Cross Ospreys Club on campus in association with the American Red Cross, functioning as the club’s vice president.

Because Saliba wants to drive change and promote health, she has participated in the UNF Environmental Center’s “Garbage on the Green” project. This initiative educates students, faculty and staff about ways to reduce campus trash through recycling and litter-prevention practices.

A Jacksonville native who lives on the Southside, Saliba has exemplified the University’s commitment to community service through her seven-year volunteer involvement with St. Maron Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Church. She has volunteered at Mayo Clinic’s optical shop and emergency department, in addiation to tutoring Sulzbacher Center students twice weekly over the last two years as well as mentoring other adolescents in the community. Rodriguez-Velez, a Southside resident, plans to pursue a career in biomedical application and devices that will help serve the world community. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate careers at UNF, she has been a member and an officer of the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Rodriguez-Velez has invested her time outside of class by volunteering for programs such as the SHPE Jr. program at Ribault High School and Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day. These initiatives that promote STEM awareness and offer hands-on activities, give children from underrepresented households opportunities to see the world beyond their backyards. As a Hispanic female engineer, Rodriguez-Velez hopes to inspire other young women and Hispanics to pursue their dreams, no matter what they may be.

The ceremony for the Brooks College of Health and the College of Education and Human Services will take place at 9 a.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. ceremony for the Coggin College of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences (art, biology, chemistry, economics, English, fine arts, French studies, history, interdisciplinary studies, international studies, math, music, philosophy, physics, practical philosophy and applied ethics, religious studies, Spanish and statistics.)

The ceremony for the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction and the final ceremony for COAS (anthropology, communication, criminal justice, political science, public administration, psychology, social work and sociology) will take place at 4 p.m.

The University expects to award a total of 1,545 bachelor’s degrees, 242 master’s degrees and 71 doctorates this term. Including the spring 2018 graduates, UNF has issued a total of 75,501 bachelor’s degrees, 18,883 master’s degrees and 602 doctorates since first opening its doors in 1972.