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Five-Year Partnership Between Leon County Schools and Nopetro Yields Environmental Benefits, Over $1 Million in Savings

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Co-founder Jorge Herrera educates Cobb Middle School students on compressed natural gas.

Leon County Schools (LCS) and Nopetro today marked the fifth anniversary of their historic partnership to transition the district’s school bus fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG). That move has saved the district more than $1.1 million and reduced related vehicle emissions by 90 percent while inspiring other local entities to expand their use of CNG fuel.
School Board Chairwoman Joy Bowen hailed the benefits of the partnership during a celebration at the county’s CNG fueling station, which opened on Capital Circle SW  in 2012. The station now serves a growing number of city, county, university, and commercial fleet vehicles running on CNG. Joining Bowen at the event were Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, Florida League of Cities President and Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Gil Ziffer, County Commissioner Nick Maddox, and a class of Cobb Middle School students accompanied by science teacher Gina Glass.
LCS and Nopetro also introduced educational materials to help students understand the energy that fuels their school buses. The students from the Earth Space class at Cobb’s science magnet program rode a CNG school bus to the fueling station, where they received a brief lesson in the environmental benefits of compressed natural gas as a fuel source. An informational animated video about compressed natural gas is being provided to the school district and can be viewed at www.nopetro.com.
The partnership between Leon County Schools and Nopetro was the first of its kind in Florida when it launched in 2012, and has proven beneficial for the school district, other local governments, and commercial fleets. The use of CNG is both less costly and more environmentally friendly than diesel, averaging about 30 percent less cost and generating 90 percent fewer emissions of nitrogen oxide.
Nopetro serves as the school district’s CNG provider. The two have worked together growing the local market, and the District now has nearly half  its s buses – 94 out of 220 – being powered by CNG. Other local institutions, including Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, and Florida State University also utilize the Nopetro fueling station for their CNG vehicles. Over the course of the five years, the school district has saved more than $1.1 million through royalties and rebates, funds that can instead be used to enhance educational programs for Leon County students.
The Tallahassee fueling station was the first of a statewide network established by Nopetro, which now partners with  other governmental entities to provide CNG for fleets throughout  Florida, including the Lynx transit system in the Orlando area. Nopetro is working to expand its reach throughout Florida, providing energy alternatives across the transportation sector.

President Negron Discusses Important Developments in the Approval Process for a Southern Reservoir

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Florida Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart) today released the following statement regarding continued progress on the southern reservoir project outlined in Senate Bill 10 (2017).
“The Army Corps of Engineers has notified the South Florida Water Management District of their intention to accept the District’s offer of resources to expedite the approval process contemplated in Senate Bill 10. This agreement will provide funding the Corps needs in order to provide technical assistance to the SFWMD. The Army Civil Works program has authorized a memorandum of understanding to formalize this important partnership.
“I am pleased to see all parties sharing resources and working together to increase southern storage as envisioned by the Legislature. Our coastal communities have been waiting on this type of tangible progress for decades. I am grateful to the South Florida Water Management District for providing a comprehensive update on the implementation of Senate Bill 10 during today’s meeting of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources and look forward to additional updates in the coming months.”

FDLE arrests Orlando man on 13 counts of child pornography

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Agents with the Orlando Cyber Crime Task Force of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested Kevin Todd Jones, 52, of 319 S. Boyd Street, Orlando, on 13 counts of possession of child pornography.
Agents received a tip about Jones downloading suspected child pornography and began an investigation. After obtaining a search warrant, agents went to Jones’ home and conducted an on-scene forensic examination. They found evidence of child pornography on digital devices, which were seized for additional forensic analysis.
Jones was taken to the Orange County Jail with a no-bond status. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 9th Judicial Circuit.

Senator Hukill Files College Competitiveness Act

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Legislation elevates the standing and visibility
of Florida’s nationally-recognized college system

Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) today filed Senate Bill 540, the Community College Competitiveness Act of 2018. The legislation supports the over 800,000 full- and part-time students of Florida’s nationally-recognized college system by expanding credit transfer options through new 2+2 targeted pathways to graduation; requiring student and faculty representation on the new state coordinating board of the community college system, and expanding strategic academic advising to help students save time and money.
“As a former teacher, I have seen firsthand how each component of our education system provides a valuable experience for our students as they learn the skills needed for a successful career. For this reason, in developing this legislation, we worked to incorporate feedback from our state colleges regarding their unique strategies for student success,” said Senator Hukill. “This comprehensive legislation seeks to further elevate Florida’s nationally-ranked community colleges through a renewed focus on student success that will lead to on-time completion of vital associate degrees and workforce credentials that prepare students for jobs in communities across our state.”
“Florida’s 2+2 college-to-university program has earned a national reputation as a model for success in higher education. With a distinct mission, separate from the role of our K-12 and state university systems, Florida’s community colleges are vital to Florida’s K-20 public education system,” said Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart). “An independent coordinating board will ensure this critical component of our state’s education and economic development infrastructure retains its dedicated local focus while elevating the statewide leadership presence needed to continue to meet the needs of growing local and regional economies throughout Florida.”
The Community College Competitiveness Act of 2018
Elevates Community College Governance and State-Level Leadership
The bill elevates the organizational prominence and affirms the distinct leadership significance of the Florida Community College System and the essential role local community colleges play in improving the quality of life and economic well-being of the state and its residents.

  • Restructures state-level governance of Florida’s community college system under a state coordinating board uniquely dedicated to the advocacy and advancement of the economic, community, and professional advancement goals of Florida’s 28 community colleges.
    • Restores a “State Board of Community Colleges” (SBCC) to oversee and coordinate the FCCS [local college boards of trustees retain current local autonomy and local governing authority.]
    • Shifts state-level responsibilities regarding Florida community colleges from the State Board of Education to the SBCC.
  • Reinforces the open-door mission of community colleges as primary access points for workforce credentials and transferable college-credit associate degrees, and the non-college-credit mission of school district technical/career centers and charter technical career centers in promoting advances and innovations in adult education and workforce preparation.
  • Secures the fidelity of community college workforce bachelor degree programs that meet district, regional, and statewide workforce needs and promote economic and community development.
    • Reinforces community college primary attention to, and advancement of, associate level degrees and workforce education credentials.
    • Modifies and streamlines bachelor degree approval processes, timelines, and requirements.
    • Provides flexibility and a pathway for planned and purposeful growth of community college bachelor degrees within an upper-level enrollment cap of no more than 20 percent of a community college’s total enrollment, not to exceed 10 percent as a system.

Reinforces K-20 Articulation Options
The bill tightens articulation policy alignment and enhances credit transfer options students may leverage in their academic plans to maximize their return on investment and minimize unnecessary coursework that results in excess hours and additional costs.

  • Requires school districts to inform high school students about the specific college courses and the related college credits which students may earn through dual enrollment courses and other acceleration options.
  • Creates new “2+2” targeted pathways to directly connect community college graduates with timely advising and specified bachelor degree programs at individual state universities, in accordance with the terms of the pathway agreement.
  • Requires each community college to establish at least one 2+2 targeted pathway articulation agreement with at least one state university as an option for their students to have guaranteed access to bachelor degree programs at the partner university. The legislation also requires each state university to execute one or more such agreements with a community college.
  • Requires state higher education policy boards to identify and eliminate barriers to executing targeted pathway agreements.

Promotes Performance and Fiscal Accountability
The bill refines performance expectations for Florida colleges and aligns their financial rewards to sustain excellence in preserving open-door access and graduating students, regardless of their level of initial academic preparedness, with college degrees and workforce credentials.

  • Fine-tunes performance expectations by adjusting performance metrics and minimum standards to emphasize national excellence benchmarks and reward community college performance success in meeting core mission responsibilities.
  • Focuses performance incentive funding measures: completion/graduation of full-time students, job placement of workforce education program graduates, bachelor degree attainment for transfer students, and measures of college affordability.
  • Refines “Distinguished” college measures: retention, graduation, excess hours, and wages.
  • Reinforces effective developmental education instructional models (i.e., college remediation) that substantially bolster the achievement, advancement, and graduation of academically underprepared students.
  • Establishes an outcome-based approach to sustaining and scaling instructional and support strategies demonstrating evidence of success in retaining, progressing, transferring, and graduating Associate in Arts degree students.
  • Leverages locally-established, research-based developmental education innovations and instructional strategies uniquely tailored to the needs of Florida’s community college students.
  • Tightens community college relationships with their direct-support organizations’ leadership, use of funds, and public disclosure activities.

November weekend added to Gulf gray triggerfish state season

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The gray triggerfish recreational season in Gulf state waters will be open an additional weekend this November to provide anglers with fishing opportunities that were missed due to bad weather from Hurricane Nate earlier in the season. Gray triggerfish will open in Gulf of Mexico state waters for recreational harvest Nov. 4 and 5. The season was previously open Oct. 7, 8, 14 and 15. The season was also open Oct. 21 and 22 as an extension due to the impacts of Hurricane Irma.
During this state season opening, the Gulf state waters minimum size limit is 14 inches fork length and the daily bag limit is two per person, per day.
The season is closed in Gulf federal waters for 2017.
Several changes to gray triggerfish management are pending for Gulf state and federal waters, and could affect harvest starting in 2018. These pending management changes include:

  • Creating a January through February annual recreational closure in addition to the current June through July annual spawning closure.
  • Decreasing the recreational daily bag limit from two to one fish per person.
  • Increasing the recreational size limit from 14 to 15 inches fork length.

These changes will not be in effect during the 2017 state season opening, but should help maintain fishing opportunities for gray triggerfish in state and federal waters for 2018 and beyond.
More information about Gulf gray triggerfish regulations may be found at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Triggerfish.”

Florida PSC Approves Settlement Agreement for Duke Energy

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) today approved a wide-ranging Settlement Agreement for Duke Energy Florida, LLC (DEF) that eliminates constructing nuclear reactors in Levy County and boosts large scale solar, electric vehicles, and battery storage programs.
Reached with the Office of Public Counsel, representing consumers, the Settlement Agreement was also signed by the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, White Springs Agricultural Chemicals, Inc. d/b/a PCS Phosphate, and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Following are some terms included in the approved Settlement Agreement:
Levy Nuclear Project: DEF will not continue the project and will not recover about $150 million in remaining customer costs.
Fuel Costs in 2018: DEF recently filed a request to recover about $196 million in unanticipated power-plant fuel costs. Under the agreement, DEF will reduce this customer charge by recovering the costs over two years, instead of one.
Solar Projects: DEF will build about 175 megawatts of solar-generation each year for four years and can seek base rate increases to pay for the projects starting in 2019.
Base Rates: DEF’s proposed 2018 bill increases are reduced and annual incremental increases are limited to 1 to 3 percent from 2019 to 2021. DEF is prevented from seeking additional base rate increases until at least 2021.
The agreement is effective upon Commission approval, and changes to customer bills will occur in January 2018.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.

Gov. Scott Proposes $63 Million for Teacher Supply Grants

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Governor Rick Scott today announced that his 2018-2019 budget proposal will include $63 million for teacher supply grants. This proposal is an increase of nearly $18 million, or $100 additional dollars per teacher. These annual grants are used by educators to purchase classroom supplies needed for the school year. Currently, Florida teachers receive $250 annually for classroom supplies. The Governor’s proposal will increase this funding to $350 annually.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I have the opportunity to travel to schools and meet with our hardworking teachers, and yesterday, I was fortunate to meet with our Teachers of the Year to hear how we can make our schools even better. Teachers are heroes to our students and I’m committed to championing policies to continue to help them. We have worked every year to ensure that Florida’s teachers have the resources they need to help our students succeed. Far too often, teachers are forced to reach into their own pockets to buy supplies for their classrooms and I am proud to propose additional money for this critical program. Teacher supply grants allow our educators to secure the tools they need in the classroom and we will continue to fight to ensure that every Florida teacher can focus on student success.”
In 2013, Governor Scott championed an across the board pay raise for Florida teachers. He was proud to secure the $2,500 pay raise which was appropriated by the Florida Legislature and provided to local school districts who set teacher salaries. This year, the Governor secured the highest per-pupil funding in Florida history which follows multiple years of Governor Scott securing historic funding for education. More details on his upcoming budget, including additional funding for teacher supply grants, will be announced in the coming weeks.

10 communities apply for BearWise funding

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has received applications from 10 communities for $515,283 in BearWise funding to help reduce human-bear conflicts.
Eight counties applied for BearWise funds: Collier County Parks and Recreation, Franklin County, Highlands County, Lake County, Orange County, Seminole County, Volusia County and Walton County. Two homeowner’s associations also submitted applications: Air Force Enlisted Village in Okaloosa County and Holley by the Sea Improvement Association in Santa Rosa County. Their requests total $998,425.
The FWC will evaluate the applications, prioritizing the communities with BearWise ordinances requiring residents and businesses to keep garbage secure from bears. BearWise ordinances can be passed by a county, city or homeowner’s association. The funding helps offset the costs for residents and businesses to acquire bear-resistant trash cans and dumpsters. The FWC plans to announce the funding awards in mid-November.
“Feeding on garbage is the main reason why Florida black bears appear in neighborhoods,” said David Telesco, who leads the FWC’s Bear Management Program. “This funding will make it easier for people to secure their trash, keeping both people and bears safe.”
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature approved $415,283 of the funds, with the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida providing an additional $100,000 from sales of the Conserve Wildlife license plate. Sixty percent of the $415,283 must go to communities that passed BearWise ordinances requiring residents and businesses to keep their trash secure until the morning of garbage pickup. Lake, Orange and Seminole counties and Holley by the Sea Improvement Association in Santa Rosa County all applied for funding and have BearWise ordinances in effect.
 
Last year, the FWC distributed over $800,000 in BearWise funding to 11 counties, three cities and one homeowner’s association to purchase 5,100 bear-resistant trash cans and 3,800 sets of hardware to secure regular trash cans. Over 75 percent of last year’s funding was provided to communities with BearWise ordinances.
The FWC will evaluate the applications based on the following criteria:

  • Is there a local ordinance in place requiring residents and businesses to keep trash and other attractants secure from bears?
  • How many households in the area are experiencing significant human-bear conflicts?
  • Will the community match the funding, either with money, in-kind services or both?
  • What is the likelihood the project will result in a community-wide reduction of human-bear conflicts?
  • How many residences and businesses may benefit from the project?

In addition to providing BearWise funding, the FWC will continue to meet with counties, cities and homeowner’s associations to encourage efforts to enact BearWise trash ordinances. The FWC anticipates implementation of such ordinances coupled with this year’s BearWise funding will result in a reduction in human-bear conflicts across the state.
For more information on Florida black bears, including how to reduce conflicts with them, visit MyFWC.com/Bear and click on Live BearWise, watch the BearWise Communities video and read the A guide to living in bear country brochure.

CFO Patronis’ Insurance Consumer Helpline Recovers More Than $9 Million for Floridians in Third Quarter of 2017

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Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis today announced that assistance provided to Floridians by insurance specialists working Florida’s insurance consumer helpline (1-877-MY-FL-CFO) led to the recovery of nearly $9.3 million in the third quarter of 2017. Recoveries included insurance claim payments and premium refunds that consumers sought the Department of Financial Services’ help collecting.
CFO Patronis said, “Now more than ever, it’s crucial for Floridians to know that they have an unbiased place to turn for insurance information. As many families continue to navigate the post-storm claims process, I encourage them to call us if they reach a roadblock of any kind. Our experts will advocate on their behalf, and quite possibly, secure a positive outcome to a problem that seemed otherwise unsolvable. We’re only one call away, and we’re always ready to help.”
The helpline assists Floridians with financial and insurance-related matters, including disaster preparation and insurance fraud, as well as questions and complaints regarding auto, home, health, life and small business insurance. Between July 1, 2017 and September 30, 2017, the helpline’s insurance specialists answered 70,454 calls and opened nearly 4,500 assistance requests. Nearly $9.3 million was recovered on behalf of 1,307 consumers.
Since January, the helpline has answered more than 211,000 calls, opening nearly 14,000 assistance requested and helping return a total of $25.9 million back to Floridians.
Recent examples of how consumers were helped by helpline specialists include:

  • A Bay County consumer asked for the Department’s assistance with an automobile claim after his car was stolen in January 2017. After providing his insurance company with the police report and supporting documentation to validate the theft, he stopped hearing from his insurance company. Following several unsuccessful attempts at reaching his insurance adjuster, who had previously acknowledged receiving the documentation, the consumer called the helpline. The insurance company said that staff turnover had derailed the processing of property damage claims, but quickly processed and paid out the consumer’s $6,100 claim.
  • A Brevard County consumer filed a homeowners’ claim for Hurricane Matthew damages in October 2016, and, after all repairs had been completed, the consumer filed a second claim in Spring 2017 for the recoverable depreciation. The consumer’s second claim went unanswered for months, until she contacted the Helpline for assistance. The insurance company acknowledged receipt of the second claim, but could provide no valid reason why it had not responded to the consumer or paid the claim. Soon after speaking with a DFS insurance expert, the insurance company apologized to the consumer and promptly paid the $1,372 claim.
  • A Citrus County consumer requested the Department’s assistance when, after her sister’s passing, her sibling’s life insurance company continued to demand monthly premium payments rather than paying out the policy benefit. Even after providing a death certificate and beneficiary information, several calls to the life insurance company could not solve the problem. A DFS insurance expert reached out on the consumer’s behalf, and the company acknowledged the miscommunication and delay. The nearly $10,000 policy benefit was promptly paid out to the consumer as her sister’s beneficiary.
  • A Brevard County consumer contacted the helpline to settle an aging but unresolved homeowners’ claim. The consumer’s insurance company offered $10,000 in June 2016 to settle the claim, but the consumer declined and hired a public adjuster to help her. The public adjuster she hired worked alongside the insurance company’s adjuster to submit a second settlement offer, which was rejected by the insurance company. After going to mediation and reaching a settlement amount in April 2017, the claim was still not paid by the company. Upon calling for assistance, helpline experts secured the release of the $61,000 payment to the consumer.

Floridians can contact the insurance consumer helpline toll-free by calling 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).