Representative Matt Caldwell announced a successful fundraising year, having raised a total of $1.56 million in his bid for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture in 2017. In December, Caldwell’s campaign and Political Committee raised a combined $101,701 and has over $1.07 million cash-on-hand.
Caldwell’s campaign for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture raised $42,201 in December, while Friends of Matt Caldwell, a Political Committee supporting his bid, brought in $59,500. After tallying another strong month of fundraising, the campaign and Political Committee raised more than $1.56 million in 2017.
Representative Caldwell said, “We are working hard and our support continues to grow each and every day. We have traveled nearly 41,000 miles across this State since May 1st and, in every small town or big city we visit across the Sunshine State, supporters know how important it is to have a principled conservative serving as Commissioner of Agriculture and on the Florida cabinet.”
The Commissioner of Agriculture serves as a member of the Florida Cabinet and is critical to the foundation of Florida’s economy. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services helps the agricultural industry with its daily challenges, promotes Florida’s agricultural commodities, manages state forests, safeguards consumers, implements the school lunch program, and oversees the concealed-weapon license system.
The campaign recently announced the endorsements of Republican House members from the Panhandle, Northeast Florida, Central Florida, Southwest Florida, and South Florida delegations. This is in addition to endorsements from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, former candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture Paul Paulson, and a number of county constitutional officers.
The campaign continues to travel across the Sunshine State as a part of Caldwell’s statewide #2LaneTravels Work Days Tour that highlights and showcases industries overseen as Commissioner of Agriculture.
Florida PSC Commission Conference on Tuesday
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a Commission Conference on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at 1:00 p.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:
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
1:00 p.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 htpp://www.floridapsc.com/ (look for the Watch Live Broadcast” icon on the left side of the webpage).
Statement from Medical Marijuana Founder and CEO Jake Bergmann Regarding Jeff Sessions Policy Reversal
Please see the below statement from Surterra Wellness Founder and CEO, Jake Bergmann.
“This callous move by Jeff Sessions will not impact the patients of Florida in any way. Surterra will continue to cultivate and distribute medical cannabis to the thousands of patients using this all-natural plant to treat pain, cancer, PTSD and all the other ailments people suffer from that marijuana can help. This is real medicine, and we have hundreds of stories from real people to prove it. We will continue to serve those patients, and advocate for those patients until marijuana is recognized for what it is – a safe, natural alternative to opiates for pain and life-changing medicine for people not only in Florida, but throughout the United States.
If anything, policymakers should seize this opportunity to bring forth legislation that legalizes marijuana and gives people that are using it medicinally security and safety standards for these products. There are countless anecdotes, and lots of viable research, that proves marijuana has medicinal benefits. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that it is hugely popular, and much more so than the individual trying to prohibit it. Add to all that there are no documented cases of someone dying from marijuana, but almost 100 families in America lose a loved one because of opiates each and every day. We need to stop allowing an 80-year-old propaganda campaign that has been perpetuated by pro-pharma special interests to continue and stop denying access to medicine derived from marijuana.”
About Surterra
Surterra has brought together industry leaders from medicine and cannabis research to discover and advance the natural therapeutic benefits of cannabis-based products and are providing cannabis products to qualified patients throughout the entire State of Florida. Surterra’s mission is to provide the safest, highest quality cannabis-based products that empower your health and enable you and your loved ones to live well.
Nearly $1 billion up for grabs this weekend from America’s dueling jackpots
Multi-state Jackpots Offering a Combined $995 Million
Players across the nation continue to join in the excitement as the jackpots for both multi-state games, MEGA MILLIONS® and POWERBALL®, have reached a combined total of $995 million! The MEGA MILLIONS jackpot has been increased to an estimated $445 million after Tuesday night’s drawing, and the POWERBALL jackpot rolled to $550 million after last night’s drawing, the sixth largest in the game’s history.
With large jackpots like these, players are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets at the time of purchase and keep them in a safe place. Players should always check their tickets carefully because even if they don’t win the jackpot, they can still win cash prizes of up to $5 million with MEGA MILLIONS and of up to $2 million with POWERBALL.
POWERBALL jackpots start at $40 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win by matching the five white ball numbers (1-69) and the red POWERBALL (1-26). There are eight other ways to win non-jackpot prizes ranging from $4 to $1 million or up to $2 million if the ticket includes Power Play. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are approximately one-in-24.87.
MEGA MILLIONS jackpots also start at $40 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win by matching the five white ball numbers (1-70) and the golden Mega Ball number (1-25). There are eight other ways to win non-jackpot prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million or up to $5 million if the ticket includes Megaplier. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are approximately one-in-24.
Purchase your tickets at any of the Florida Lottery’s more than 13,000 authorized retailers for your chance to become Florida’s newest multi-millionaire. The Florida Lottery reminds all players to play responsibly, as it only takes one ticket to win. As with all Florida Lottery products, players must be 18 years or older to play.
ABOUT MEGA MILLIONS IN FLORIDA
Since joining MEGA MILLIONS in 2013, the game has generated more than $294 million for education, and has awarded more than $296 million in prizes to 38.6 million players.
The next MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be held Friday, January 5, at 11:00 p.m. ET, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET to be eligible for this drawing. MEGA MILLIONS drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website and our official YouTube channel, youtube.com/floridalottery. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.
ABOUT POWERBALL IN FLORIDA
Since joining POWERBALL in 2009, the game has generated $1.77 billion in contributions to education statewide. Florida is among the top-selling POWERBALL states in the country, with more than 79 million winning tickets totaling more than $2.2 billion in prizes, including 12 jackpot winners. Florida was also one of the three states nationally to have a winner share in the world record-setting $1.586 billion POWERBALL jackpot in January 2016.
The next POWERBALL drawing will be held Saturday, January 6, at 10:59 p.m. ET, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET to be eligible for this drawing. National POWERBALL drawings are broadcast live, in high-definition, from the Florida Lottery’s state of the art draw studio in Tallahassee.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA LOTTERY
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $32 billion to education and sending more than 775,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and contributions to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $53.6 billion in prizes and made more than 2,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.
Nearly $1 billion up for grabs this weekend from America's dueling jackpots
Multi-state Jackpots Offering a Combined $995 Million
Players across the nation continue to join in the excitement as the jackpots for both multi-state games, MEGA MILLIONS® and POWERBALL®, have reached a combined total of $995 million! The MEGA MILLIONS jackpot has been increased to an estimated $445 million after Tuesday night’s drawing, and the POWERBALL jackpot rolled to $550 million after last night’s drawing, the sixth largest in the game’s history.
With large jackpots like these, players are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets at the time of purchase and keep them in a safe place. Players should always check their tickets carefully because even if they don’t win the jackpot, they can still win cash prizes of up to $5 million with MEGA MILLIONS and of up to $2 million with POWERBALL.
POWERBALL jackpots start at $40 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win by matching the five white ball numbers (1-69) and the red POWERBALL (1-26). There are eight other ways to win non-jackpot prizes ranging from $4 to $1 million or up to $2 million if the ticket includes Power Play. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are approximately one-in-24.87.
MEGA MILLIONS jackpots also start at $40 million and roll until the jackpot is won. Players win by matching the five white ball numbers (1-70) and the golden Mega Ball number (1-25). There are eight other ways to win non-jackpot prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million or up to $5 million if the ticket includes Megaplier. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are approximately one-in-24.
Purchase your tickets at any of the Florida Lottery’s more than 13,000 authorized retailers for your chance to become Florida’s newest multi-millionaire. The Florida Lottery reminds all players to play responsibly, as it only takes one ticket to win. As with all Florida Lottery products, players must be 18 years or older to play.
ABOUT MEGA MILLIONS IN FLORIDA
Since joining MEGA MILLIONS in 2013, the game has generated more than $294 million for education, and has awarded more than $296 million in prizes to 38.6 million players.
The next MEGA MILLIONS drawing will be held Friday, January 5, at 11:00 p.m. ET, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET to be eligible for this drawing. MEGA MILLIONS drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website and our official YouTube channel, youtube.com/floridalottery. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.
ABOUT POWERBALL IN FLORIDA
Since joining POWERBALL in 2009, the game has generated $1.77 billion in contributions to education statewide. Florida is among the top-selling POWERBALL states in the country, with more than 79 million winning tickets totaling more than $2.2 billion in prizes, including 12 jackpot winners. Florida was also one of the three states nationally to have a winner share in the world record-setting $1.586 billion POWERBALL jackpot in January 2016.
The next POWERBALL drawing will be held Saturday, January 6, at 10:59 p.m. ET, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET to be eligible for this drawing. National POWERBALL drawings are broadcast live, in high-definition, from the Florida Lottery’s state of the art draw studio in Tallahassee.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA LOTTERY
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $32 billion to education and sending more than 775,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 98 percent of its revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Florida retailers and contributions to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $53.6 billion in prizes and made more than 2,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.
Mast Statement on Interior Department Oil Drilling Plan
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement:
“Oil drilling off the coast of Florida puts our economy, environment and marine life at risk. That’s why I’ve long opposed drilling off our coast and have been working closely with my Florida colleagues on both sides of the aisle to extend the prohibition on drilling off the coast of Florida. Today’s announcement that the Department of the Interior intends to open up drilling off the Florida coast is extremely alarming and unacceptable. Moving forward, Secretary Zinke has indicated that Florida and other states will have a voice in the process. Our voice has been clear from the start: we will not tolerate drilling near our coast. As the Department of the Interior works to finalize their plan, I will do everything I can to convince them to change their mind and prevent drilling off our coast.”
BACKGROUND
Congressman Mast has long opposed oil drilling off the coast of Florida. Actions he has taken include:
- Co-sponsoring the bipartisan Marine Oil Spill Prevention Act, which would extend the current ban on oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and strengthen the federal government’s ability to prevent and respond to future oil spills.
- Sending a letter to Interior Secretary Zinke in June opposing secretarial order #3350 to move forward with offshore oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Sending a letter to Interior Secretary Zinke in March in opposition to offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Offshore drilling proposal threatens Florida’s coasts and marine wildlife
Bidding for offshore oil and gas leases could begin as early as 2019 in almost all federal waters, including the Gulf of Mexico under a new Trump Administration proposal. Environment Florida denounced the plan, which would open vast new areas of the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf to drilling.
“Oil and gas drilling is an inherently dirty and dangerous business. There is simply no safe way to drill,” said Jennifer Rubiello with Environment Florida. “By allowing offshore drilling in more of our coastal waters, the Trump administration increases the chances of a dangerous oil spill. Opening these areas to drilling endangers sea life including whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, as well as the life and livelihoods of Floridians and all Americans in coastal communities.”
Public opposition to the proposed plan could still make a difference. It did during the Obama administration.
During President Barack Obama’s second term, his administration, under pressure from coastal communities and environmentalists, created a five-year plan that protected the Atlantic and Arctic from drilling. Then, just before leaving office, President Obama announced additional protections for parts of the Arctic and Atlantic. But after President Obama left office, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order vacating these additional protections. The matter is currently being litigated.
Today’s proposed plan is only the second stage in the approval process — and it is open to public comment. Once the Trump administration formally releases the plan, the public will have an opportunity to comment.
“Everyone who cares about clean and healthy oceans should make his or her voice heard by commenting against this proposal,” said Rubiello. “We will fight for our coasts by fighting this plan.”
By opening these areas to drilling, the Trump Administration will be acting counter to the best available science — and the will of coastal residents. The past two years has seen an outcry against drilling. Thousands of Floridians including business owners and a bipartisan coalition of local, state and federal legislators oppose drilling off of Florida’s shores. Similar organizing has also taken place up the Atlantic Coast and across the country in California.
“Instead of threatening our waterways and marine wildlife, President Trump should pay attention to the thousands of citizens, fishermen, and business owners along the Floridian Coast and the millions of Americans from Alaska to Maine who have already said ‘no’ to offshore drilling,” concluded Rubiello. “Today’s action is the wrong decision and we will do whatever it takes to block proposals to drill off our coasts.”
Nelson vows to fight Trump administration’s offshore oil drilling plan
Following is statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the Trump administration’s plan to open up nearly all federal waters to offshore oil drilling – including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and areas off Florida’s Atlantic coast:
“This plan is an assault on Florida’s economy, our national security, the will of the public and the environment. This proposal defies all common sense and I will do everything I can to defeat it.”
Nelson, a long-time opponent of allowing oil rigs too close to Florida’s coast, often cites the state’s unique environment, its multi-billion dollar, tourism-driven economy and the vital national military training areas in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico as reasons why drilling should not be allowed near Florida’s shores.
- In 2006, Nelson and then-Sen. Mel Martinez successfully brokered a deal to ban drilling off Florida’s Gulf coast through the year 2022.
- In Jan. 2017, Nelson filed legislation to extend that moratorium for an additional five years, to 2027. [Text of the legislation is available here.]
- In April 2017, the day before President Trump signed an executive order directing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to open up new areas to offshore oil drilling, Nelson and others filed legislation to block the Trump administration from opening up any additional areas to offshore oil drilling until at least 2022. [Text of that legislation is available here.]
- Last month, amid rumors that the Interior Department was preparing to unveil the proposal released today, Nelson took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to take up and pass the legislation he and others filed in April to block the agency from implementing this new plan.[Video of Nelson’s speech is available here.]
Following is a recent Tampa Bay Times editorial on the issue:
Editorial: Congress should block efforts to expand offshore drilling
Published: Dec.13, 2017
Timing is everything, and Sen. Bill Nelson seized the right moment this week to call on his colleagues to pass legislation he filed earlier this year that would block the Trump administration from opening additional areas to offshore drilling. With the White House reportedly poised to move ahead to advance drilling, Congress should send a strong message that it intends to protect the environment, public health and the nation’s military readiness while encouraging the energy industry’s continuing pivot toward cleaner, more sustainable power sources.
Nelson issued the call Tuesday amid concern the administration plans to announce a new, five-year oil and gas leasing plan that would open up the entirety of the Atlantic coast to drilling. Nelson said the plan would go into effect in 2019, replacing the current five-year plan that’s not scheduled to expire until 2022.
Nelson’s speech on the Senate floor is his latest response to the directive Trump issued in April, ordering the Interior Department to review an Obama-era plan that limited drilling in areas of the Arctic and southeast Atlantic between 2017 and 2022. Trump ordered the department to consider revising the current schedule of oil and gas lease sales in the outer continental shelf with an eye toward maximizing production activity in the Alaska regions, the southern and mid Atlantic and the western and central Gulf of Mexico.
While the eastern gulf is still protected by a congressional agreement in 2006 that bars drilling within 125 miles of the Panhandle and 230 miles of Tampa Bay, drilling in the central gulf could still endanger Florida. That’s why Florida’s Democratic senator sought to pre-empt the president earlier this year with legislation that would block any new areas for offshore drilling until at least 2022. Nelson also filed legislation to extend the existing ban in the eastern gulf for an additional five years, to 2027. The Pentagon, in a letter to Congress this year, said a lid on offshore operations in the gulf was essential to preserving U.S. military training operations in the area. The Pentagon “cannot overstate the vital importance of maintaining this moratorium,” the Defense Department said.
Opening new areas in the Atlantic and gulf to drilling only seven years after the BP oil disaster ignores the lessons the nation learned from one of the worst environmental crises in U.S. history. Oil spilled off the coast of Louisiana poured onto the beaches of Florida, tainting eight Panhandle counties and dealing a serious blow to the state’s tourism industry. And all of this devastation rained across the gulf despite assurances by the biggest oil companies that they could contain a spill and the environmental and economic fallout. That wasn’t the case, and states and counties are still years if not decades away from accounting for the full impact of the spill.
Gov. Rick Scott and other Republicans need to add their voices to Nelson’s call to maintain the moratorium and extend the protections in the gulf for America’s military mission. The industry’s move to cleaner, renewable and more affordable energy sources is a shift that needs to continue. Allowing new drilling would give the industry a nose under the tent to push for new offshore leases that will only threaten the coasts. This effort is a threat to Florida’s economy and the natural beauty that attracts tourists from around the world.
Floridians have consistently made clear that protecting natural resources is a priority. Nelson’s legislation would give that public sentiment the force of law, and it deserves bipartisan support.
Nelson vows to fight Trump administration's offshore oil drilling plan
Following is statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the Trump administration’s plan to open up nearly all federal waters to offshore oil drilling – including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and areas off Florida’s Atlantic coast:
“This plan is an assault on Florida’s economy, our national security, the will of the public and the environment. This proposal defies all common sense and I will do everything I can to defeat it.”
Nelson, a long-time opponent of allowing oil rigs too close to Florida’s coast, often cites the state’s unique environment, its multi-billion dollar, tourism-driven economy and the vital national military training areas in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico as reasons why drilling should not be allowed near Florida’s shores.
- In 2006, Nelson and then-Sen. Mel Martinez successfully brokered a deal to ban drilling off Florida’s Gulf coast through the year 2022.
- In Jan. 2017, Nelson filed legislation to extend that moratorium for an additional five years, to 2027. [Text of the legislation is available here.]
- In April 2017, the day before President Trump signed an executive order directing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to open up new areas to offshore oil drilling, Nelson and others filed legislation to block the Trump administration from opening up any additional areas to offshore oil drilling until at least 2022. [Text of that legislation is available here.]
- Last month, amid rumors that the Interior Department was preparing to unveil the proposal released today, Nelson took to the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to take up and pass the legislation he and others filed in April to block the agency from implementing this new plan.[Video of Nelson’s speech is available here.]
Following is a recent Tampa Bay Times editorial on the issue:
Editorial: Congress should block efforts to expand offshore drilling
Published: Dec.13, 2017
Timing is everything, and Sen. Bill Nelson seized the right moment this week to call on his colleagues to pass legislation he filed earlier this year that would block the Trump administration from opening additional areas to offshore drilling. With the White House reportedly poised to move ahead to advance drilling, Congress should send a strong message that it intends to protect the environment, public health and the nation’s military readiness while encouraging the energy industry’s continuing pivot toward cleaner, more sustainable power sources.
Nelson issued the call Tuesday amid concern the administration plans to announce a new, five-year oil and gas leasing plan that would open up the entirety of the Atlantic coast to drilling. Nelson said the plan would go into effect in 2019, replacing the current five-year plan that’s not scheduled to expire until 2022.
Nelson’s speech on the Senate floor is his latest response to the directive Trump issued in April, ordering the Interior Department to review an Obama-era plan that limited drilling in areas of the Arctic and southeast Atlantic between 2017 and 2022. Trump ordered the department to consider revising the current schedule of oil and gas lease sales in the outer continental shelf with an eye toward maximizing production activity in the Alaska regions, the southern and mid Atlantic and the western and central Gulf of Mexico.
While the eastern gulf is still protected by a congressional agreement in 2006 that bars drilling within 125 miles of the Panhandle and 230 miles of Tampa Bay, drilling in the central gulf could still endanger Florida. That’s why Florida’s Democratic senator sought to pre-empt the president earlier this year with legislation that would block any new areas for offshore drilling until at least 2022. Nelson also filed legislation to extend the existing ban in the eastern gulf for an additional five years, to 2027. The Pentagon, in a letter to Congress this year, said a lid on offshore operations in the gulf was essential to preserving U.S. military training operations in the area. The Pentagon “cannot overstate the vital importance of maintaining this moratorium,” the Defense Department said.
Opening new areas in the Atlantic and gulf to drilling only seven years after the BP oil disaster ignores the lessons the nation learned from one of the worst environmental crises in U.S. history. Oil spilled off the coast of Louisiana poured onto the beaches of Florida, tainting eight Panhandle counties and dealing a serious blow to the state’s tourism industry. And all of this devastation rained across the gulf despite assurances by the biggest oil companies that they could contain a spill and the environmental and economic fallout. That wasn’t the case, and states and counties are still years if not decades away from accounting for the full impact of the spill.
Gov. Rick Scott and other Republicans need to add their voices to Nelson’s call to maintain the moratorium and extend the protections in the gulf for America’s military mission. The industry’s move to cleaner, renewable and more affordable energy sources is a shift that needs to continue. Allowing new drilling would give the industry a nose under the tent to push for new offshore leases that will only threaten the coasts. This effort is a threat to Florida’s economy and the natural beauty that attracts tourists from around the world.
Floridians have consistently made clear that protecting natural resources is a priority. Nelson’s legislation would give that public sentiment the force of law, and it deserves bipartisan support.
UWF exceeds 50th Anniversary capital campaign goal, raises $64.4M
The University of West Florida is celebrating the success of the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign, which raised more than $64.4 million by almost 20,000 donors, including 55 planned gifts and nearly $18 million in scholarships.
“We are truly grateful for the generosity of the community we serve, the alumni we have graduated and the friends we have made over the years,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “Their belief and willingness to contribute to the work we do has created a spirited community of learners launching the next generation of big thinkers who will change the world.”
The campaign’s priorities for areas of giving in alignment with the University’s future vision were outlined as follows: health sciences; science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM; business, economic development and valued partnerships; historic preservation, education and tourism; scholarships; and athletics.
In addition to surpassing its historic fundraising goal of $50 million, the campaign featured some of the largest gifts in the University’s history, including more than $5 million from Dr. Usha and Mahadeb Kundu to name the College of Health and another $5 million from Harold E. “Hal” Marcus to name the College of Science and Engineering.
“UWF has played a critical role in the success of Northwest Florida over the last 50 years,” said Mort O’Sullivan, chair of the UWF Board of Trustees and chair of the UWF 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign Executive Steering Committee. “We have a bright future ahead.”
Other notable gifts included $3.1 million from an anonymous donor to establish an endowment for need-based scholarships that will assist deserving students in their pursuit of the American Dream, and $1 million from Dr. Bob Kimball, UWF marketing and economics professor, to create the Bill and Ellie Kimball Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Award in memory of his parents.
“Our donors believe in the transformative power of higher education and demonstrate it with their invaluable support,” said Howard J. Reddy, interim vice president for university advancement. “We thank them for their vital investment in helping move UWF forward.”
The University raised more than $48 million of the campaign’s total during its quiet phase, which launched in 2011. In 2012, Quint and Rishy Studer gave their first of two $1 million gifts, to fund the Pensacola Pledge Scholar Program. The second $1 million gift was given in July 2015, to develop the Center for Entrepreneurship.
Pen Air Federal Credit Union committed $1 million to name Pen Air Field, home of UWF football on the Pensacola campus, while $250,000 of a $770,000 legacy gift from the estate of John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr served as the lead gift for football, with the remainder supporting high impact and undergraduate research initiatives in the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering.
With the momentum gained from the 50th Anniversary campaign, the University is looking ahead to its future growth. One key upcoming development in the University’s future vision is the Innovation Campus Network, a “transformative university model” that will connect physical campus destinations along the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida for innovation, collaboration, research and engaged learning to prepare students for the changing world and workforce of tomorrow. Among its main priorities, the Innovation Network will create “knowledge centers” fostering partnerships among UWF students and faculty, state colleges, industry experts, K-12 educators and the community, and providing enhanced opportunities for multidisciplinary learning, research and discovery relating to high demand career fields, such as cybersecurity, supply chain logistics, advanced manufacturing and STEAM.
For more information about giving to the University of West Florida, visit uwf.edu/give.
