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Florida PSC Commission Conference on Friday

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a Commission Conference on Friday, April 20, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. Items scheduled for consideration can be found here. Public comment may be taken on any item noticed for public participation.

The Commission Conference is scheduled for the following time and location:

Friday, April 20, 2018
9:30 a.m.
Betty Easley Conference Center
Joseph P. Cresse Hearing Room (Room 148)
4075 Esplanade Way
Tallahassee, Florida

The Commission Conference will be broadcast on the Florida Channel (check your local listing) and is available online at floridapsc.com (look for the “Watch Live Broadcast” icon on the left side of the webpage).

FDLE arrests Tallahassee man for intellectual property and computer crimes

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with assistance of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office arrested Andru Rae’sion Reed, 21, on offenses against intellectual property and offenses against users of computer systems, both third degree felonies, after the Florida Department of Revenue reported external hard drives had been stolen.

FDLE began its investigation in late March at the request of the Department of Revenue. On March 30, agents spoke with Reed at his home, 1834 Jackson Bluff Road, Tallahassee and located four external hard drives.

The four hard drives contained confidential taxpayer information. Reed indicated that he had connected the hard drives to his Xbox to download video games without knowing what was on the hard drives. At this time in the investigation, it appears that the information on the hard drives was not used or further shared, but computer forensic examinations continue.

Reed was arrested this morning at his home without incident and booked into the Leon County Jail. The State Attorney’s Office, 2nd judicial circuit, will prosecute this case.

The Morean Arts Center Showcases the Relationship Between Nature and Art in Upcoming May Exhibitions

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Opening reception during Second Saturday
ArtWalk on Saturday, May 12, 5pm-9pm

The Morean Arts Center’s (MAC) upcoming exhibitions Leslie Neumann: Manna from Heaven…and Earth and Water over the Bridge: Contemporary Seascapes explore the relationship between art and nature and are on view May 12 through June 29. The opening reception is held during Second Saturday ArtWalk on Saturday, May 12, from 5pm-9pm.

Artist and environmental activist Leslie Neumann, presents a new body of work focusing on the power of nature in these troubling times. Neumann has lived and worked in Aripeka, Fla., located on the Gulf of Mexico, 50 miles north of St. Petersburg. Aripeka is a small Florida town reminiscent of what the state looked like 50 years ago. She divides her time between art-making, expressing the beauty of Aripeka, environmental activism, and working to preserve and expand the surrounding 15,000 acres of coastal marsh.

Neumann is an artist that specializes in painting wetlands and cosmic images using a technique called encaustic on panel. Using a combination of oil paints and hot wax, she achieves striking images with deep, rich colors and texture.

Water Over the Bridge: Contemporary Seascapes is a collaboration between the MAC’s Curator of Exhibitions Amanda Cooper and New York City curator D. Dominick Lombardi. This exhibition features the works of artists from both the New York City metro area and Tampa Bay area artists, creating a provocative, cross-country dialog. Selected artists include Selina Roman, Anne Bowen, Babs Reingold, Carolina Cleere, Margaret LeJeune, Rieko Fujinami, Bill Gusky, Dale Leifeste, China Marks and William Thompson.

Cooper stated, “Both exhibitions, while focusing on environmental issues that have become political hot-buttons, are vastly different in their approach. Where Water over the Bridge is sometimes a searing indictment of the current situation and how we as citizens of the planet have failed to protect it, Leslie’s exhibition addresses land conservation by displaying nature’s raw beauty and power. One is a loud protest — a call to action — the other is more of a love-in; a visual celebration of nature that serves a reminder of what could be lost if we continue on this destructive path.”

The MAC’s exhibitions are free and open to the public Monday through Saturday, 9am-5pm and Sunday, Noon-5pm. Neumann will be hosting an Artist Talk discussing art and environmental activism on Thursday, June 21, 6pm-7:30pm.

“We hope people will leave with a renewed awareness of global conservation issues and a sense of urgency to take action, whatever that looks like for them,” said Cooper.

Treasure Coast Leaders to Testify at Congressional Hearing Examining PABs used for All Aboard Florida/Brightline

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MEDIA ADVISORY

T.C. Leaders to Express Concerns over U.S.
DOT’s Decision to Issue PABs for AAF Project

Congressman Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations will be examining the tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs) used for All Aboard Florida’s Brightline passenger rail system.

The review of the PABs was made at the request of Congressman Brian Mast in a letter to Chairman Meadows.  In his letter, Congressman Mast states, “Brightline is continuing their deceptive business practices, seeking public financing for this expansion by claiming that their passenger rail train is actually a “highway” because they fail to qualify for public financing under the statutory definition of high-speed rail.”

Several leaders from the Treasure Coast region have been invited to testify and will be expressing their concerns regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision to issue PABs to finance the AAF project. Those leaders include: Dylan Reingold, Indian River County Attorney; Chief Dan Wouters, Division Chief Martin County Fire Rescue, and Bob Crandall, CARE FL Steering Committee member, former president, chairman and CEO of American Airlines.

Also attending the congressional hearing will be Senator Debbie Mayfield (R-Melbourne), Rep. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach), Rep. MaryLynn Magar (R-Tequesta) and Brent Hanlon, Chairman of CARE FL.

**To stream the committee hearing live, click here. Please note video will not appear until the hearing begins.**

WHO: Dylan Reingold, Indian River County Attorney
Dan Wouters, Division Chief Martin County Fire Rescue
Bob Crandall, CARE FL Steering Committee Member

WHAT: Treasure Coast Leaders to Testify Before House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee

WHEN: Thursday, April 19, 2018
10:00a.m. EST

WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
45 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20515

APD Seeks Revocation and Closure of Carlton Palms

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The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is seeking to revoke the license of Carlton Palms, which is operated by Bellwether Behavioral Health, and impose a $10,000 fine, the maximum allowed by Florida law. APD filed an Administrative Complaint against Carlton Palms of Mt. Dora today. Numerous recent verified findings of abuse and neglect by the Florida Department of Children and Families warrant this action by APD.

APD Director Barbara Palmer said, “Protecting the health and safety of APD customers is the top priority of the agency. APD demands excellence in service to Floridians with developmental disabilities. We are actively working to close Carlton Palms as soon as possible, and we have taken multiple actions in the past to hold Bellwether Behavioral Health accountable, including an agreed moratorium on new residents, extensive video monitoring in all homes, an outside monitoring and transition team, along with other administrative sanctions and $10,000 in fines. We will not tolerate any type of abuse or neglect at any of our APD licensed facilities.”

With this action APD seeks closure of Carlton Palms as soon as residents can be safely transitioned to other community settings. APD is expediting the transition of the remaining customers living at Carlton Palms into community group homes. The agency is increasing its outreach to parents or guardians to encourage their selection of new residential options. The goal is to give parents or guardians choices for their loved ones in their local communities while ensuring that the new homes can meet the unique needs of these clients. APD is working with community providers to develop additional group homes for individuals with intensive behavioral needs. These specialized services will help APD customers live in their home communities near families or guardians.

Previously in 2016, APD reached an agreement to close Carlton Palms by March 2019 and transition residents into smaller, homelike settings that follows new requirements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). To date, 52 people have transitioned into new community group homes. Guardian Healthcare has been contracted to provide daily health and safety oversight during this transition period.

APD supports people with developmental disabilities to live, learn, and work in their communities. The agency annually serves more than 50,000 Floridians with severe forms of autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more information about the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, visit APDcares.org or call toll-free 1‑866‑APD‑CARES (1‑866‑273‑2273).

Sen. Victor Torres and Florida legislators join call by coalition groups for Spanish-language election materials in all Florida counties

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Warning that failure to accommodate Florida’s large influx of Spanish-speaking American citizens in the upcoming elections may violate the 1965 federal Voting Rights Act, state Senator Victor Torres on Monday joined six fellow Democratic lawmakers in calling on Florida’s Secretary of State to ensure bilingual ballot information is available to voters.

“Florida is home to over 20 million individuals and more than 4 million of them are of Hispanic or Latino origin,” wrote Torres in a letter sent to Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “Additionally, with the influx of evacuees from Puerto Rico, there are an additional 300,000 American citizens who are eligible to vote in this upcoming election cycle. Providing election information and ballots in Spanish-language are essential for some qualified electors to participate in the 2018 Florida elections process.”

The letter, signed by Senators Torres, Annette Taddeo, Jose Javier Rodriguez, Linda Stewart, and Representatives Robert Asencio, John Cortes, Carlos Guillermo Smith, and Amy Mercado, follows efforts last week by several Hispanic and civil right organizations, including Demos and Latino Justice, calling for 13 of Florida’s 67 Supervisor of Election offices who are not currently supplying election materials and information in Spanish-language format to do so under requirements of the Federal Voting Rights Act. Their letter similarly asserts that under Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act, bilingual ballots, election materials and poll worker assistance should be provided to America citizens whose primary language is Spanish.

The lawmakers are seeking reassurances that federal law will be obeyed.

“We are requesting that you respond to the allegations that some Supervisor of Elections offices may be in violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act by failing to provide required Spanish-language elections materials. We further request you outline any plans your office has to ensure that no qualified electors are discouraged from exercising their Constitutional rights to participate in the 2018 election due to a failure of the local Supervisor of Elections to provide this information,” they wrote.

“Florida has a long history of failing to accommodate citizens whose native language may be other than English,” said Torres, the only Florida Senator of Puerto Rican heritage and representative for the largest population of Puerto Ricans living in the Sunshine State. “With more than 4 million Hispanics now living in Florida, there is no excuse for not providing election services to citizens in the language with which they feel most confident.”

Chief Justice Jorge Labarga to hold media availability preceding Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Civil Justice

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Who: Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, Chair of Access Commission, and Gregory W. Coleman, Chair of the Access Commission’s Executive Committee

What: Media Availability to discuss the work of the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice

When: 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 20

Where: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld
Nautilus Ballroom
10100 International Drive
Orlando

Streaming: Media availability at 1:30 p.m. and Commission meeting at 1:45 p.m. aired on The Florida Channel on cable systems and streaming at thefloridachannel.org.

Lawmakers file bill authorizing military force against terrorists abroad

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U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Bob Corker (R-TN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have filed legislation to give the president clear authority to use military force against al-Qaida, the Taliban and ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The measure would replace similar legislation Congress approved in 2001 and 2002 that gives the president clear authority to use military force against al Qaeda and Iraq, and would put to rest any questions as to whether the administration has the authority to target terrorists wherever they are today.

“Terrorists groups such as ISIS pose a serious threat to our national security,” Nelson said. “This bill will give the president the clear legal authority he needs to target these groups in Iraq, Syria or anywhere else they may be hiding.”

Debate over the president’s authority to use military force in a foreign country without first going to Congress resurfaced this week after President Trump launched a barrage of missiles against several chemical weapons facilities in Syria. While Nelson has said publicly that he supported the president’s decision to strike the facilities in Syria, he also said that the president should have sought Congressional approval before launching the strike.

The legislation, which Nelson and others filed late Monday, would end debate over the president’s authority to launch strikes against al-Qaida, the Taliban and ISIS anywhere in the world without Congressional approval. It would not, however, provide the president with the same blanket authority to conduct strikes against non-terrorists targets, such as the strikes this past weekend in Syria.

Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, filed similar legislation in 2014 after ISIS beheaded American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

The newly-filed bill, known as the “Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2018,” contains the following key provisions:

  • Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF): Authorizes the executive to use all necessary and appropriate force against al-Qaida, the Taliban, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and designated associated forces. The legislation does not provide authority for military action against any nation state.
  • Quadrennial Congressional Review: Establishes a process for Congress to review the AUMF every four years without risking a lapse in authorization. On January 20, 2022, and again every four years thereafter, the president must submit to Congress a proposal to repeal, modify, or leave in place the AUMF. For a 60-day period beginning on that same date, legislation to repeal or modify the AUMF will qualify for expedited consideration, guaranteeing the opportunity for both debate and a vote. If Congress fails to enact new legislation, the existing authorities remain in place.
  • Congressional Oversight and Transparency: 
    • Associated Forces and Foreign Countries: Requires the president to report to Congress on all new designated associated forces, the basis for those designations, and each new country in which the United States is using military force pursuant to the AUMF.
    • Congressional Review: The president may immediately use force against a new associated force or in a new country pursuant to the new AUMF, but within 48 hours, must notify Congress. Such a notification triggers a 60-day period during which legislation to remove the authority to use military force against the new associated force or in the new foreign country will qualify for expedited consideration. If Congress takes no action, the existing authorities remain in place.
  • Repeal of the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs: Repeals the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs after the new AUMF has been in place for 120 days.

A copy of the legislation is available here.

Senator Aaron Bean Presents $975,000 Check to Northeast Florida Regional STEM2 Hub

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On behalf of the State of Florida, State Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) last week presented a $975,000 check on Monday, April 9, 2018, to Kathleen Schofield, executive director of STEM2 Hub; Gary Chartrand, chair of STEM2 Hub Corporate Board; and, aspiring Northeast Florida STEM students. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and it includes some of the fastest-growing, most in-demand career fields in today’s workforce. During the 2018 Legislative Session, Senator Bean worked with the Florida Legislature to secure the crucial $975,000 in funding for STEM2 Hub’s Northeast Florida 21st Century Workforce Development project, which will increase the availability of STEM-related educational programs in Northeast Florida’s schools.

“STEM education is vital to the future workforce of our state,” said Senator Bean. “I envision a Florida where all children have the chance to learn these critical skills, so they can realize their truly unlimited potential. This funding moves us closer to fulfilling this vision and provides Northeast Florida’s students with the opportunities needed to compete and excel in the 21st Century.”

The goal of STEM2 Hub’s project is to expand access to schools and organizations so that they may consistently offer 21st Century Skills Development programs to students in the Northeast Florida region. This will assure broader exposure to programs with a focus on robotics, coding and workforce-aligned after-school programs, taking place in both formal and informal learning spaces, and high-quality instruction in mathematics. Schools targeted by STEM2 Hub will be able to participate in math programs that will deepen content knowledge and increase student growth in math, leading to STEM capable graduates.

“As a leader in both the education and the business communities, I recognize the critical importance of accelerating the opportunities for all students to have meaningful engagement with the skills they will need to prepare them for the unknown challenges of tomorrow’s workforce,” said Chartrand. “These funds will allow us to reach deep into the community to strengthen opportunities for children that will open doors to their future and put them on a pathway to the most in-demand careers. We are thankful to our state leaders for valuing the importance of this work.”

“It is so important that we give all students the opportunity to grow competent in the skills of problem solving and critical thinking,” said Schofield. “We must make students feel connected to community and business leaders, as well as to their schools, so that they see a pathway to their own success. I am honored to have the opportunity to advance this work, accelerating the growth and development of programs that will allow Northeast Florida students to be tomorrow’s leaders of the new and exciting world that lies ahead.”

For more information about STEM2 Hub, please visit: stem2hub.org.

Senator Bean represents Senate District 4, which includes parts of Nassau and Duval Counties. He can be contacted in Tallahassee at (850) 487-5004 or in his District Office at (904) 757-5039.

Gov. Scott: Greenway Health Expands Tampa Headquarters Adding More than 100 Jobs

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Governor Rick Scott announced today that health information technology and services provider Greenway Health is expanding its headquarters in Tampa. The company will add another 104 new high-wage jobs to its Westshore district location and invest $1.8 million in the project. New positions to be hired through December 2018 include software development and training, legal, cybersecurity and marketing roles that will pay an average annual wage of more than $57,000.

Governor Scott said, “Florida’s economy is booming. Since 2011, nearly 1.5 million private-sector jobs have been created in our state, and more and more companies are choosing to grow in Florida. Today’s announcement means more than 100 families will have the opportunity to get a good job and live in the Tampa Bay area. We will not stop working until Florida is the number one destination to live and work.”

Scott Zimmerman, CEO of Greenway Health said, “By providing physicians and their staffs with technology that more effectively operates as an extension of their work and amplifies intelligence at the point of care, we can support them for greater patient impact and also bring more joy back into their work. We feel fortunate to be able to advance that mission and help transform practices for the future by growing our Tampa headquarters and attracting top talent in the Tampa Bay area.”

Mayor Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa said, “Tampa is gaining greater national recognition for its excellent supply of information technology industry talent each year, and Greenway Health’s decision to expand here is yet another vote of confidence in this city’s workforce. We look forward to supporting Greenway Health as it plants deeper roots in Tampa.”

Sandy Murman, chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners said, “Companies like Greenway Health continue to invest in Hillsborough County because this community offers the business climate, talent, and quality of life that their business needs to thrive. We deeply appreciate their investment here and the jobs they are creating for local families.”

Alan F. List, MD, chairman of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center said, “We are proud of Greenway Health’s success in Tampa and Hillsborough County. We competed hard against Georgia to win this expansion for our community, and are excited to assist Greenway Health as they build an even greater future for their company here.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said, “Greenway Health LLC’s expansion is another sign that employers are benefiting from Florida’s pro-business policies and finding the talent they need to succeed. Each of these new jobs represent an opportunity for a family in the Tampa area to live the American dream.”

The Greenway Health expansion project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Greenway Health LLC is a privately owned vendor of health information technology that provides integrated electronic health records and practice management solutions, and tools such as revenue cycle management solutions that help improve care coordination, profitability, and efficiency for ambulatory healthcare practices across the nation. The company’s history reaches back to 1978.

Interested candidates are encouraged to visit greenwayhealth.com/careers for more information about available positions.

Florida is an information technology industry powerhouse and home to more than 27,000 technology companies. More than 237,000 residents work in the state’s technology industry, and Florida’s universities are among the nation’s top producers of STEM graduates.