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CoreMessage Team Members Carrie Patrick Promoted to Senior Manager of Advocacy and Operations & Brianna Shoaf Promoted to Account Manager

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Leading Florida public relations firm recognizes contributions of valued employees

CoreMessage, Inc. today announced the promotion of Carrie Patrick to Senior Manager of Advocacy and Operations and Brianna Shoaf to Account Manager.
“Carrie Patrick is an extraordinary asset to our public relations team, and on many levels, to the continued success here at CoreMessage,” said Cory Tilley, President of CoreMessage, Inc.  “I am excited to announce her promotion to Senior Manager of Advocacy and Operations. The CoreMessage team looks forward to working with her in this new role and to what’s ahead in 2018.”
Carrie Patrick has more than 16 years of experience in the communications, policy, legislative, state government and private industry arenas. During her tenure at CoreMessage, Carrie has managed multiple state and federal public relation campaigns, leading multi-year efforts designed to influence public opinions and policies.
As Senior Manager of Advocacy and Operations, Carrie will lead the firm’s public relations advocacy efforts on behalf of clients across all industry sectors and handle overall operations of the company. Carrie has a Masters in American Policy and Politics, a Bachelor of Science in Communications, as well as, a minor in Political Science from Florida State University.
“We are also excited to promote Brianna Shoaf, who has shown exemplary professional growth during her time here at CoreMessage,” said Cory Tilley. “Her forward-thinking public relations skillsets are a great asset to our client base. We are excited to see her continue to grow as a CoreMessage team member.”
Before joining CoreMessage, Brianna worked for a leading hospitality public relations firm and graduated magna cum laude from Florida State University with a certificate in the Principles of Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America’s Universal Accreditation Board.

Former Sen. Maria Sachs, former U.S. Attorney Pam Marsh, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Back Legislation to Combat Human Trafficking

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On the heels of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and the introduction of the Anti-Trafficking Trade Act at the federal level, former state Sen. Maria Sachs, former U.S Attorney Pam Marsh, and civil rights attorney Ben Crump threw their support behind proposed anti-trafficking legislation that would provide ongoing public education and a Florida reporting hotline. Sachs leads the Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
Bill sponsors Sen. Perry E. Thurston Jr. (D-Broward), Rep. Barry Russell (D-Broward), and Rep. Robert Asencio (D-Miami-Dade) led the event in support of their legislation to bring attention to the growing human trafficking epidemic in Florida.
House Bill 159 and its companion, Senate Bill 596, would require the Attorney General’s Office to establish a toll-free human trafficking reporting hotline and develop public education campaigns that would identify warning signs of trafficking and promote increased overall awareness of the issue. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
According to data on the National Human Trafficking Hotline’s website, every year since 2012, Florida has generated the third-highest number of calls to the hotline.
“This is a glaring reflection of the magnitude of the problem in Florida, and shows why the state needs its own hotline, one that is capable of focusing specifically on the unique challenges experienced here,” said Sachs, who during her time in state government served on a gubernatorial Human Trafficking Task Force and helped pass bills that combated the issue. “Human trafficking prevention requires awareness, so I am in support of these bills because they also ensure that the long-term fight against human trafficking will continue through public education.”
Marsh fought against human trafficking while serving as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida from 2010-2015.
“Florida is ground zero in the fight against human trafficking. Our state ranks third for number of total calls of tips to the national hotline from all sources,” she said. “We must draw human trafficking out of the shadows, and expose it to the full light of day. Only then can we eradicate it.”
Crump cited a Bureau of Justice Statistics report that showed 77 percent of victims in alleged human trafficking incidents reported in the U.S. were people of color. Research conducted by the Polaris Project, a leader in the global fight to eradicate human trafficking, revealed that those most at risk of being trafficked are people who are oppressed or part of marginalized groups such as undocumented migrants – largely people of color.
“Enslaving and exploiting human beings for profit did not end with the passage of the 13th amendment,” Crump said. “The business of using and abusing people – even children – to satisfy the sick needs and demands of those with means but no morals is endemic in our society, and people of color are still the most vulnerable victims of this kind of exploitation.”
Beyond education and reporting, Crump called on the Legislature to address the roles that poverty, lack of educational and economic opportunities, and growing up in high-risk neighborhoods also play in making marginalized Floridians vulnerable to human trafficking.

Governor Scott Issues Proclamation for Florida First Responder Appreciation Week

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Governor Rick Scott issued a proclamation recognizing January 22-26 as Florida First Responder Appreciation Week. To read Governor Scott’s proclamation, click HERE.
Governor Scott said, “Florida is home to the world’s best first responders who never hesitate to keep others safe. Every day they dedicate their lives to protect and serve Florida families. That’s why I am proud to proclaim this week as Florida First Responder Appreciation Week. I encourage all Floridians to thank first responders for their service to their families and communities.” 
Governor Scott’s Securing Florida’s Future budget proposes $5.3 billion in public safety, an increase of nearly $200 million over current year funding, and makes important investments to support Florida’s dedicated law enforcement officers. Some proposed public safety investments include:

  • $30 million for Florida’s state law enforcement agencies to use for additional pay raises to award Florida’s nearly 4,800 sworn state law enforcement officers;
  • $1.3 million to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for incident command vehicles and emergency ordinance disposal vehicles to strengthen counterterrorism and intelligence efforts;
  • $2 million to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) law enforcement for a mobile command unit and other technologies that will provide law enforcement real-time information and communications, and will enable faster recovery efforts.

Also, Governor Scott recently announced his support for a proposal being considered by the Constitution Revision Commission to provide free tuition to the families of fallen first responders, state law enforcement officers and military members who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

  • The proposal provides 120 credit hours per family at a Florida state college, university or participating technical school.
  • If passed by the CRC, the proposal will be on the ballot in 2018 and would require approval of 60 percent of Florida voters.
  • The CRC proposal, P 49, was filed by Commissioner Emery Gainey and can be found HERE.

FDLE arrests Florida City PD corporal for official misconduct

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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Ken David Armenteros, 37, a corporal of the Florida City Police Department, for two counts of official misconduct.
Armenteros, who was off-duty on the afternoon of Monday, September 13, 2016, and on his personal motorcycle, requested emergency back-up via the Miami-Dade Police Department’s 911 Center after a confrontation outside a known “drug house” in Florida City with a man who was later arrested by responding Florida City police officers.
A criminal complaint including allegations made against Armenteros by his colleagues was filed with FDLE. FDLE’s investigation revealed that Armenteros materially and fraudulently misrepresented the facts leading up to and surrounding the request for back-up and subsequent arrest of Christopher Maurice Lewis on the official charging documents. The charges against Lewis were later dropped by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office when the evidence of deception by Armenteros came to light.
Armenteros surrendered himself today to FDLE agents and was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Detention Center. He will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit.

Sen. Bean and Rep. Fischer File Legislation to Support Jacksonville School for Autism

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Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) and Representative Jason Fischer (R-Jacksonville) have filed legislation to appropriate $250,000 to Jacksonville School for Autism (JSA). This appropriation will allow JSA to expand their Strategies and Techniques for Effective Practice (STEP) Program. The STEP Program provides vocational students and young adults with the skills necessary to be independent and successful in both their communities and places of employment.
“Jacksonville School for Autism has impacted numerous lives since its founding and has provided its students with the support they need to become independent, productive members of society,” said Senator Bean. “This appropriation will allow Jacksonville School for Autism to expand and help more students realize that they are truly capable of anything.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms 1 in 42 boys have an autism diagnosis. JSA is dedicated to helping children with autism and their families by tapping into all available resources to provide “outside of the desk” thinking. With a focus on whole child development and individualized programs that encourage both family and community involvement, JSA is able to nurture each child to reach his or her full potential.
“Autism touches the lives of many Floridians, and it is our responsibility as lawmakers to ensure they have the support they need to reach their full potential,” said Representative Fischer. “This funding request will provide increased vocational training for JSA students, helping them learn essential skills that will prepare them for employment.”
For more information about Jacksonville School for Autism, please visit jsakids.org.
For more information about HB 3967, click here.

Statement on Florida potentially being back in the drilling plans

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Contrary to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s tweet from a few days ago, the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Walter Cruickshank, stated at a Congressional hearing this morning that Florida is not off the table for offshore drilling activities.
“The administration is playing hokey pokey with Florida’s coasts,” said Jennifer Rubiello of Environment Florida. “First they put them in, then they take them out, and now this morning we hear they aren’t out after all. We’re getting shaken all about.”
“Opening up Florida’s coastal waters to drilling means opening them to potential disaster — destroyed beaches, lost sea life and ruined fishing grounds. It makes no sense to endanger our beautiful coasts and beaches, and way of life here, all for a little more oil,” added Rubiello.

Key administration official admits Florida is not “off the table” for drilling

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UPDATE: Following is a comment from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s admission today that Florida is not “off the table” to new drilling:
“This confirms what we all suspected: there is no deal to protect Florida from drilling. What we saw last week was just political theater, and the people of Florida should be outraged. Drilling off of Florida’s coast is a real threat to our state and we should all be working together to protect our coasts – not playing politics with an issue that’s so important to our future.”

At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing this morning, Walter Cruickshank, the Trump administration’s director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), admitted during questioning that Florida is not “off the table” for offshore oil drilling.
When asked to justify why Florida got a special carve out, Cruickshank shocked the panel when he responded, “We have no formal decision yet on what’s in, or out, of the five-year program.”
“So there’s been no decision to exempt Florida?” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) interjected. “The secretary’s statement stands for itself,” the administration official responded.
The stunning admission confirms what many Florida lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), had suspected all along – that the announcement Zinke made following a 20-minute meeting with Gov. Rick Scott was nothing more than a “political stunt” and not an announcement of official policy.
Just minutes after Cruickshank admitted there has been no formal action taken to take Florida off the table, Florida Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) asked him to explain and further clarify exactly what he meant by the secretary’s statement “stands on its own.”
“By ‘stand on its own’ … it’s not an official action, is that what you mean?” Soto asked.  “It is not a formal action, no,” the official admitted.
“So there has been no formal action to remove Florida from the five year drilling plan, as of right now?” Soto asked. “We will be including it in the analysis,” Cruickshank responded.
Immediately after Zinke made his announcement last week, Nelson sent the secretary a letter requesting specific details on any changes made to the agency’s five-year drilling plan. Zinke has not yet responded to that request.
Later that same day, Nelson filed legislation to permanently ban drilling off of Florida’s coast. And took to the Senate floor to warn his fellow Floridians that the secretary’s promise to take Florida off the table is “just empty words” until he takes the formal steps necessary to publish a new draft plan.
Nelson announced Wednesday that he has placed a “hold” on three Dept. of the Interior nominees slated to work under Zinke and will keep that hold in place until Zinke rescinds the current draft five-year drilling plan and replaces it with a new draft that fully protects Florida’s coasts.
Interior’s admission today that – despite Zinke’s announcement – Florida is still on the table for new offshore drilling comes just days after Interior held its first public meeting on the plan. The maps Interior officials used during that meeting showed the waters off of Florida were still open to drilling. (Pictures taken at the meeting available here and here.)

Gov. Scott: Florida Businesses Created Nearly 30,000 Private-Sector Jobs in December

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Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida businesses created nearly 30,000 private-sector jobs in December. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,497,100 jobs, including nearly 205,000 jobs created in 2017. Florida’s annual job growth rate, which is 2.8 percent, also continues to exceed the nation’s rate, which is 1.6 percent. Governor Scott announced December jobs numbers at the PGA TOUR office in Ponte Vedra. The PGA TOUR has selected Ponte Vedra Beach as the location for its new global headquarters, which will create 300 new jobs for families in St. Johns County. The PGA TOUR currently employs 800 Floridians.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida businesses concluded 2017 by creating nearly 30,000 new jobs for families across the state in December. Our work to cut taxes, reduce regulation and encourage economic growth has sent a message across the country that Florida is where job creators and families should go to succeed. Florida had a great year of job creation in 2017 and we will fight each day to make sure our state remains the best place for new opportunities in 2018, and for years to come.”
As of December, Florida’s unemployment rate is at 3.7 percent, a drop of 7.0 percentage points since December 2010, faster than the national decline of 5.2 percentage points. In the last year, 185,000 people entered Florida’s labor force, a growth of 1.9 percent, which is nearly four times the national labor force growth rate of only 0.5 percent.
Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Florida businesses had strong job growth in 2017, creating nearly 205,000 jobs for families throughout the state. It is important to continue to support Governor Scott’s pro-business priorities to ensure our state stays competitive and recruits new businesses.”
Other positive economic indicators include:

  • Private-sector industries gaining the most jobs over-the-year were:
    • Professional and business services with 47,200 new jobs;
    • Construction with 43,900 new jobs;
    • Trade, transportation and utilities with 33,600 new jobs;
    • Education and health services with 22,300 new jobs; and
    • Manufacturing with 16,200 new jobs.
  • Florida job postings showed 265,244 openings in December 2017.
  • In December, Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported 18,828 Floridians, including 1,043 veterans, were placed in jobs.

To view the December 2017 employment data, click here.

PSC Customer Service Hearings Set for Florida City Gas

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) invites customers of Florida City Gas (FCG) to participate in customer service hearings on the utility’s petition for a rate increase. The hearings are scheduled on January 23 in Coral Gables and on January 24 in Port St. Lucie and Melbourne and allow customers to provide public comment on FCG’s rate request.
Customer input will be taken into consideration when the Commission considers the utility’s request. FCG filed a petition for a rate increase with the PSC on August 23, 2017. The utility provides natural gas service to approximately 108,000 retail customers across South Florida.
Service hearings are scheduled for the following times and locations:

Tuesday, January 23, 2018
6:00 p.m.
Coral Gables City Hall
405 Biltmore Way
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Wednesday, January 24, 2018
9:00 a.m.
Port St. Lucie Civic Center
92217 S.E. Civic Center Place
Port St. Lucie, FL 34952

Wednesday, January 24, 2018
6:00 p.m.
Brevard County Governmental Center
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way
Melbourne (Viera), FL 32940

Constitution Revision Commission Committee Passes Marsy’s Law for Florida

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The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) Declaration of Rights Committee today voted in favor of a proposal to create a Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights in the state constitution, known as Marsy’s Law for Florida. The proposal (Proposal 96), submitted to the CRC by Commissioner Tim Cerio, will provide victims of crimes with rights and protections equal to those of the accused and convicted. In the coming months, the full CRC will vote on Marsy’s Law for Florida.
“This was a critical step forward for Marsy’s Law for Florida and I thank the members of the Declaration of Rights Committee who voted in favor of this commonsense proposal that will bring the scales of justice into balance for Florida victims and their families,” said Commissioner Cerio.
Marsy’s Law for Florida would amend Florida’s Constitution to include basic rights for victims and their families, such as the right to be notified of major developments in the criminal case, the right to be informed if any changes to the offender’s custodial status, the right to restitution and the right to have a voice in court proceedings, plea bargains or parole hearings.
“Our United States Constitution specifies 20 distinct rights for criminals and those accused of crimes. There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that speaks to victims’ rights. But, where the U.S. Constitution is silent, Florida’s state constitution does not have to be,” added Commissioner Cerio.
Marsy’s Law for Florida has garnered bipartisan support from CRC members and other leaders across the state. The proposal is currently co-sponsored by CRC Commissioners Patricia Levesque, Darlene Jordan, Fred Karlinsky, Rep. Jeanette Nuñez, Brecht Heuchan, Belinda Keiser and Sen. Darryl Rouson. Sen. Lauren Book, a survivor of child sexual abuse, has also endorsed the measure.
“Floridians deserve the opportunity to vote for constitutional protections for crime victims and their families,” said Sen. Book. “And today, we are one step closer to seeing Marsy’s Law on the ballot. We owe today’s victory to the courageous voices of victims, survivors, and families from across the state who have opened themselves and their stories to this process to help us make things different and better for others.”
To be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot as a constitutional amendment, Marsy’s Law for Florida must first be passed by the full CRC with a minimum of 22 favorable votes. The proposal then must receive 60 percent of the vote to be placed in the Florida Constitution.