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Fant Endorsed by Seven Central Florida Legislators

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Reps. Miller, Cortes, Plasencia, Gruters, McClain, Burton, and Gonazalez
endorse Jay Fant in his bid to become Florida’s Attorney General.

The Jay Fant Campaign for Attorney General today announced the endorsements of seven Florida legislators: Rep. Mike Miller of Orlando; Rep. Bob Cortes of Altamonte Springs; Rep. Rene Plasencia of Titusville; Rep. Joe Gruters of Sarasota; Rep. Stan McClain of Belleview; Rep. Colleen Burton of Lakeland; and Rep. Julio Gonzalez of Venice. These legislators are key conservative leaders in the I-4 Corridor, the voter-rich region of Central Florida that dominates statewide Republican primary elections.
“I’m honored to have earned the support of these colleagues in the Florida House,” said candidate Jay Fant. “I’ve worked alongside my fellow House members on legislation important to all Floridians, and I hope to continue working with them from the executive branch. We have a vision for Florida consistent with our values, that freedom comes first and that we have a duty to protect our citizens from too much government.”
The legislators endorsing Fant stretch from Rep. Plasencia’s district on the Space Coast, up to Rep. McClain’s district in Ocala, and across to Rep. Gruters’s in Sarasota, encompassing all of Central Florida.
“Jay Fant is the right conservative Republican for Attorney General,” said Rep. Miller. “He is both a businessman and an attorney and is uniquely suited to understand the needs of Florida’s job creators and consumers.”
ON THE WEB:  www.JayFant.com

Paid by Jay Fant, Republican, for Attorney General

Biologist and Genetics Expert Team Up to Solve Turtle Health Mystery

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Almost 50 percent of the green sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon have tumors all over their bodies and despite data going back more than two decades, the cause of the disease remains a mystery.
University of Central Florida assistant professor and biologist Kate Mansfield works on various sea turtle research projects and is now partnering with UCF molecular ecologist Anna Savage to see if they can figure out how fibropapillomatosis or FP for short develops in turtles and why.
There is some existing work on FP, but Savage brings a unique approach to the UCF team. She specializes in figuring out the role genes play in species resistance to viruses and bacteria. Most of her work has been with frogs and she had never worked with turtles, until now.
“That’s why I’m so excited,” Savage said. “There’s been a lot of data collected and there is some literature on FP. But it’s a complicated disease. The belief is there are a lot of factors that play into the tumor formation. I’m taking a slightly different approach by looking at the genes related to turtle immunity to see if we can find a pattern that might lead us to some answers.”
Preliminary data show that the tumors in the sea turtles Savage has examined carry a specific herpesvirus. But some turtles with no tumors also have biomarkers for the virus in their skin and blood. And there are some turtles that have no presence of the virus at all. Important clues may be found in the genes of turtles with the virus, but no tumors, Savage said.
She and Mansfield recently earned a $17,631 grant from the Sea Turtle Conservancy to take a deeper genetic look at what may be driving the tumor disease among green and loggerhead sea turtles. They have a deep data set to review thanks to the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group that has been collecting sea turtle data since 1982. UCF researchers and students have been monitoring the health and nesting patterns of sea turtles at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (with US Fish and Wildlife Authorization), the Indian River Lagoon and the Tidal Basin near Cape Canaveral. The Archie Carr is a one of the most important nesting area for sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere.
Mansfield and her students capture sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon twice a month to collect data and monitor their health. The biologists check the turtles’ weight body condition, collect samples of blood, skin, and when present, tumors. When finished, all turtles are flipper tagged and released back into the water. Large numbers of juvenile green sea turtles visit the lagoon – one of the most important feeding areas for the species.
“We encounter on average 100-200 turtles in the IRL a year and in some cases we have samples going back a decade or two,” Mansfield said. “So we have a unique opportunity to leverage our long-term dataset to answer some long-standing questions, and to fill some needed data gaps in sea turtle conservation.”
The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group studies all life stages of these sea creatures. Sea turtles remain at sea for most of their lives, where it is difficult to observe and track them over time. Turtles don’t reach maturity for 20-30 years. It is important to understand the threats and impacts to the health of the juveniles, like those found in the IRL, in order to ensure that future generations of sea turtles will continue to nest in Florida.
In addition to work on our local nesting beaches and coastal waters, Mansfield and her graduate students have been working in the Gulf of Mexico, and south Atlantic and Indian oceans to unravel the mystery of the sea “lost years” – examining where the youngest stages of sea turtles go and how they interact with their oceanic habitats.
Mansfield and the turtle team’s work helps state and federal managers better protect the endangered and threatened species for future generations.

FAMU Presents Aggressive Plan to Enhance Student Success, University Performance

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On Wednesday, Florida A&M University Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., presented the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) with plans to enhance student success, strengthen academic programs and improve University operations.
 
Robinson was among state university leaders presenting their 2017 Work Plans during the BOG’s June meeting. His presentation highlighted initiatives designed to improve student outcomes, including increasing retention and graduation rates. These efforts include enhancing the University’s student advisement system, restructuring recruitment and enrollment management, and expanding academic support services.
 
Dr. Robinson also pointed to FAMU’s recent success in acquiring external funding and leveraging partnerships to generate additional support to increase student success outcomes.  
  • In June, FAMU received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase student success and degree production in STEM disciplines.
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded FAMU a $15 million grant to establish the Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, which will provide internships and other student support opportunities.
  • FAMU signed a $5 million agreement with Lockheed Martin that will allow students and faculty to assist with the design of space systems used for NASA exploration.
Another student success initiative is the development of specialized 2+2 articulation agreements with members of the Florida College System. These agreements will allow FAMU to significantly increase enrollment of community college transfer students by providing seamless pathways to academic programs and on-time graduation. Articulation agreements have been established with Tallahassee Community College, St. Petersburg College and Valencia College. Several additional agreements with other institutions in the Florida College System are forthcoming.
 
The Board of Governors also released its performance-based funding scores for 2015-2016. FAMU maintained its score from the previous year, earning points in eight of the 10 performance metric categories. These areas included:
 
  • An increase in the percent of bachelor’s degree graduates enrolled in graduate school or employed at $25,000 or more annually (from 61.8 percent to 64.6 percent)
  • An increase in the median wages of bachelor’s degree graduates employed full time one year after graduation (from $32,000 to $32,700)
  • A decrease in the average cost to the student earning a bachelor’s degree (from $13,830 to $12,640 annually)
  • An increase in the six-year graduation rate for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students (from 38.6 percent to 40.7 percent)
  • An increase in the percentage of graduate degrees awarded in programs of strategic emphasis (from 51.5 percent to 58.2 percent)
FAMU’s average cost for students earning a bachelor’s degree was among the most affordable in the state, placing the University at No. 3 among the 12 state universities.
 
“Although we have made some improvements, I am not satisfied with the University’s performance,” Robinson said. “We have developed an aggressive and focused plan for improving on all aspects of the state’s performance metrics. FAMU is committed to elevating our standing in future rankings.”
 
To help ensure FAMU accomplishes its goals, Robinson created the Division of Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness to provide more effective management and oversight of critical academic programs and business operations. In the spring, colleges and schools with professional programs developed improvement plans with action steps to increase pass rates on licensure exams.
 
The University’s new five-year strategic plan also focuses on implementing initiatives that will lead to improving FAMU’s outcome on the state’s performance metrics. Earlier this month, the FAMU Board of Trustees approved the plan, which will be presented to the BOG for review and approval later this year.
 
“We were successful yesterday in getting the FAMU Work Plan approved by the BOG,” said FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) Chair Kelvin Lawson. “The BOG leadership provided a fair challenge on the metrics that need to improve. We will continue to work with the BOG and our own BOT to provide the right level of focus, resources and support to achieve the needed metric growth.”
 
Lawson added, “The University has laid the foundation for increasing our performance in key strategic areas. Our board and the administration are aligned on the strategic plan and the 2017 Work Plan. We now have to move to the proper execution of these initiatives. We are well aware of the areas that need improvement and are 100 percent committed to making the needed progress.”
 
While FAMU will not receive funding from the state’s performance funding allocations, based on this year’s scores, the University will continue to take proactive steps to engage stakeholders, the BOG, legislators and public and private partners to secure funding and resources to improve student success and recruit and retain the best and brightest students. The administration will leverage funding from these sources to absorb the non-recurring performance funds that previously supported University initiatives.
 
“I’d like to acknowledge the support of our Board of Trustees, administrative team, staff, faculty and students, who remain committed to an improved outcome in the future,” Robinson said. “We appreciate the comments provided by the Board of Governors members, and we look forward to their continued support of FAMU’s efforts.”

Gov. Scott: Florida Continues to Lead Nation’s Largest States in Job Growth

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Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida added jobs at a faster rate than the 10 largest states in the nation over the last year. Florida had the second-fastest annual private-sector job growth rate out of all the states in the nation, behind Utah. For 62 consecutive months, Florida’s private-sector job growth rate, which is 3 percent, has outpaced the nation’s rate, which is 1.8 percent. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,377,100 private-sector jobs.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce today that Florida led the nation’s largest states in job creation over the past year. We have spent the past six and a half years working to make it easier for businesses to grow in our state, including recently establishing the new $85 million Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to attract more companies to Florida. It is clear that this work has helped Florida’s economy outperform our top competitors and create new opportunities for our families. I took this message on an economic development mission this week, and met with Connecticut and New York business leaders to tell them why they should relocate their operations to Florida. We will continue to do all we can to send a message across the country that Florida is the best place for job creators and families to succeed.”
In the last year, Florida businesses created more jobs in the professional and business services industry, with 52,900 new jobs, and more jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities industry, with 30,900 new jobs, than any other state. The state also had the second-highest over-the-year job gains among all states in both the construction and the manufacturing industries.
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Florida’s astounding job growth across multiple industries proves that our business-friendly focus is working. We have fostered an environment that sets hardworking Floridians up for success. Our state continues to beat the nation so that Florida families can flourish.”

Statement by CARE FL re: U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Hearing

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The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials met today to examine issues related to intercity passenger rail service in the U.S.  The Subcommittee heard testimony from the Federal Rail Administration and rail executives including Mike Reininger, a leader of the All Aboard Florida project.  As a Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Florida Congressman Brain Mast, representing the Treasure Coast Region, participated in the hearing to express the concerns of his constituents related to the All Aboard Florida/Brightline project.
Following the conclusion of the hearing CARE FL Chairman Brent Hanlon released the following statement: 
“For the past three years Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE) has worked to shed light on the All Aboard Florida (AAF) project and how it threatens the health and safety of our communities. We have also tried to reveal the facts about AAF’s insatiable need for public subsidies of its business plans.
“AAF has claimed that it is a private enterprise.  But the evidence does not support this claim.  AAF has, to date, been unable to raise private capital to finance its rail project without the benefit of public—as in, government—subsidies.  Today we start the latest adventure of disclosing AAF’s latest attempt to seek government subsidies—this time by seeking a multi-billion-dollar loan subsidized by the US taxpayers.
“At every twist and turn the company has sought handouts and subsidies from government. Their desire for subsidies is insatiable, unquenchable and inexhaustible.
“AAF’s quest began with an application for a more than $1.1 billion RRIF loan in 2013. They then applied for $1.75 billion in Private Activity Bonds (PABs) in 2014 prompting a US District Court to find that the PABs would cost taxpayers up to $600 million in the first 10 years. To add insult to injury, AAF is also demanding that county governments—Florida taxpayers—pay for crossing and safety equipment maintenance in perpetuity. The list goes on and on.
“Most recently, to moot an unfavorable Federal Court ruling, AAF and its executives decided to withdraw their application for the PABs and are now back to pursuing a RRIF loan. The new RRIF loan poses many new risks to the taxpayers because there are no guarantees that AAF will be able to repay the loan.  If that happens, taxpayers will be left holding the bag for potentially billions of dollars.
“Experts have concluded AAF cannot demonstrate how this project will be financially feasible. A 2015 economic impact report commissioned by CARE by a former White House economist found they could not obtain the revenue to pay off the debt they would incur unless they charged high ticket prices that are unlikely to yield the riders they claim will be attracted to their venture. The findings of the PhD Ivy League professor fundamentally question ridership and the project’s overall success.
“Mr. Reininger used his testimony today in a vain attempt to rewrite history by blaming bureaucracy for the lack of a Record of Decision (ROD) in AAF’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, and suggesting a two-year timeline moving forward.  But let’s look at the record of AAF and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s manipulation of this subject. In 2014, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement was issued for the AAF project. In the first week of August 2015, a Final Environmental Impact Statement was issued to facilitate the PABs that AAF failed to sell in four attempts. Both USDOT and AAF fought in court for two years, and in August 2016, the Court ruled NEPA applied to the project. Despite that, USDOT has still never issued the ROD—with AAF’s full support. Why? Because USDOT and AAF don’t want it issued since it would give the impacted Florida communities a legal opportunity to challenge the NEPA conclusions.
“We will continue to hold AAF accountable and call attention to their actions.  We would not be where we are today without the support of many federal state and local elected leaders. We particularly want to thank Cong. Mast for attending the hearing and for asking some very important questions.”
 
CARE FL is a coalition created by a group of concerned community leaders, organizations and neighbors in South Florida and the Treasure Coast. Our group continues to grow. We share a common goal: Protecting the safety, welfare and way of life for the families, businesses and retirees who live in and around our communities. To learn more about CARE FL’s concerns, visit www.saveourfl.com and like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CARE_FL.

Sen. Bill Nelson statement on Senate Republican's health care bill

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The following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the Senate Republican’s health care bill, released earlier today:
“Now we know why they tried to keep this secret. This bill is just as bad as the House bill, taking coverage away from millions of people and making huge cuts to Medicaid. If that weren’t enough, it also allows insurance companies to hike rates for older Americans. Fixing our nation’s health care system shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We should be working together, not plotting behind closed doors to make it worse.”

Board of Governors appoints trustees to UCF and UWF boards

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The Board of Governors on Thursday appointed John Lord to the Board of Trustees at the University of Central Florida and Adrianne Collins to the Board of Trustees at the University of West Florida.
John Lord, of Orlando, is retired from his position as the Orlando Area Market President and Small Business and Premier Banking Executive for the State of Florida with Bank of America. Mr. Lord currently serves as a board member of the Nemours Foundation and as a trustee of the Alfred I. DuPont Testament Trust. Mr. Lord serves as a board member for Dornoch Sutherland Assurance Ltd, Cruden Bay Risk Retention Group and the Pediatric Medical Services of Florida Inc. Mr. Lord previously served as chair of the Valencia Community College Board of Trustees, Orange County Industrial Authority, Mid-Florida Industrial Development Commission, Community Foundation of Central Florida, Florida Citrus Sports Foundation and Heart of Florida United Way. He is appointed for a term beginning June 22, 2017 through January 6, 2020.
Adrianne Collins, of Gulf Breeze, is the Power Delivery Vice President at Gulf Power Company. Ms. Collins currently serves as a board member of the North American Energy Standards Board Whole Electric Quadrant and the Ronald McDonald House of Northwest Florida. She is a member of Society of Women Engineers and alumni of Leadership Pensacola. Ms. Collins previously served a board member of the United Way of Atlanta Cole and the Fayette Care Clinic. Ms. Collins received her associate’s degree from University of West Florida and her bachelor’s degree from University of Florida. She is appointed for a term beginning March 30, 2017 through January 6, 2020.
The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

UF to receive additional $7.4 million in state performance funding

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The University of Florida will receive an additional $7.4 million in state performance funding this year versus last year, bringing the total allotted to the university since 2014 to more than $103 million. The money will be used in UF’s ongoing efforts to hire and retain the world’s best and brightest faculty and keep the university on the path to becoming one of the nation’s very best public research universities.
UF received 95 points out of 100 – the highest score of all the 11 public universities in Florida measured in the performance-funding model created in 2014 by the Florida Board of Governors, the governing body for the State University System of Florida.
The university’s high score was due in part to increasing its number of licenses and options executed on technologies developed at the university, a measure of how successful its ideas are in the marketplace, from 147 to 261. That distinction gave UF a No. 3 ranking nationwide, according to the latest statistics released in November by the Association of University Technology Managers.
UF credits its success in that arena to playing “the long game,” focusing on closing deals, fostering a great reputation and encouraging commercially targeted thinking among faculty.
“I am very pleased with the University of Florida’s top score and grateful for the ongoing support of the governor, the Legislature and the Board of Governors,” UF President Kent Fuchs said. “When UF succeeds, the state of Florida wins.”
Eight of the metrics are common to all universities. They are the following, with UF’s score indicated on a 1-to-10 scale with 10 being the best:

  • percent of bachelor’s graduates employed (Earning $25,000+) or continuing their education — 8
  • bachelor’s degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis — 10
  • median wages of bachelor’s graduates employed one year after graduation — 10
  • university access rate (percent of undergraduates with a Pell grant) – 9
  • average cost to the student — 8
  • graduate degrees awarded in areas of strategic emphasis — 10
  • six-year graduation rate — 10
  • academic progress rate — 10

Two of the 10 metrics are “choice” metrics: one picked by the Board of Governors and one by the university boards of trustees. For UF, those metrics are:

  • number of licenses and options executed annually on its technologies — 10
  • faculty awards — 10

Based on their excellence or improvement on the board’s metrics, universities are eligible for a share of the $520 million allocated by the governor and Legislature during the 2017 legislative session.
“In the past four years, we’ve seen steady improvements at the system level and for individual universities,” said Tom Kuntz, Board of Governors’ chair. “Especially exciting is that we’ve seen universities in the bottom three soar to the top of the pack as they’ve renewed their focus on student success.”
The board’s newest metric, cost-to-the-student, also pointed to positive outcomes. The average cost in the SUS of earning a bachelor’s degree is less than $15,000 after financial aid (grants, scholarships and waivers).  The average cost at the University of Florida has been calculated by the board to be $10,700.  Furthermore, University Work Plans, in which institutions lay out their future financial goals, indicate that SUS universities are expected to decrease their prices further in the coming years, cutting the student cost per degree from $14,820 to $14,090 by the 2019-2020 school year.
“Affordability has been a priority for the governor and the Legislature as well as the Board of Governors because it increases student access and relieves student debt,” said Ned Lautenbach, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. “It’s exciting to see the universities turning that goal into a reality.”

Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers Announces 2017-18 Board Leadership

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The Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers (FCCC) 2017-18 Board of Directors was installed last week in Panama City Beach during the organization’s annual summer conference. Led by the incoming President, Franklin County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller Marcia M. Johnson, board members will serve one-year terms.
Executive Committee Officers include Palm Beach County Clerk Sharon R. Bock, Esq. (President-Elect), Polk County Clerk Stacy M. Butterfield, CPA (Vice President), Clay County Clerk Tara S. Green (Treasurer) and Manatee County Clerk Angelina “Angel” Colonneso, Esq. (Secretary).
District Directors include Gulf County Clerk Rebecca “Becky” L. Norris (District I), Taylor County Clerk Annie Mae Murphy (District II), Columbia County Clerk P. DeWitt Cason (District III), Hernando County Clerk Don Barbee Jr., Esq. (District IV), Orange County Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell, Esq. (District V), Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke, CPA (District VI) and Lee County Clerk Linda Doggett (District VII).
The Immediate Past President of FCCC is Nassau County Clerk John A. Crawford.
“I am deeply honored to be this year’s President of our outstanding organization, as well as a member of its first all-female Executive Committee,” Clerk Johnson said. “I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with the clerks and comptrollers of Florida’s 67 counties and leading the Association to be the strongest and the best it can be.”
 
Established in 1969, the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers (FCCC) is a statewide, nonprofit member association comprised of the Florida Clerks of the Circuit Court and Comptrollers. FCCC provides local government support services, technical assistance and accreditation opportunities for all members of the association. For more information, visit www.flclerks.com.

Ross Endorses Albritton for Florida Senate

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Congressman Dennis Ross says Ben Albritton is a principled
conservative who will serve District 26 well in the Florida Senate.

The Ben Albritton Campaign today announced the endorsement of U.S. Representative Dennis Ross, who serves Florida’s 15th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Albritton is seeking the District 26 seat in the Florida Senate, currently held by Denise Grimsley, who is running for Commissioner of Agriculture. Ross joins his colleague, U.S. Representative Tom Rooney, who recently announced he is also backing Albritton.
“Ben Albritton is a committed and consistent conservative,” said Ross. “He has a track record of principled leadership in the Florida House, and his integrity and genuine concern for people have served his constituents well. I look forward to continuing working with him when he is in the Florida Senate.”
Ross was elected to Congress in 2010 after four terms in the Florida House. He serves in House leadership as Senior Deputy Majority Whip and on the prestigious Financial Services Committee. He is Vice Chair of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee and serves on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee . His district includes parts of Hillsborough, Lake, and Polk Counties.
“Congressman Dennis Ross is an outstanding public servant, and I am honored to have his support,” said Albritton. “Throughout his career at both the state and national levels, he has been a stalwart conservative, and I look forward to continuing to work together on policies to strengthen our area and our state.”
In 2010, Albritton was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where he has been a staunch advocate for entrepreneurs and children in Florida’s foster care system. He is also known for his strong conservative record on Second Amendment rights and protection for the unborn. He is the Chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources and Public Lands Subcommittee. He also sits on the Appropriations Committee, the Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee, and the Government Accountability Committee, and he currently serves as the Chair of the Polk County Legislative Delegation.
With Grimsley’s decision to not seek re-election, District 26, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 43 to 34 percent, is an open seat. Centered in Florida’s Heartland, the district covers parts of Charlotte, Lee, and Polk Counties, as well as all of DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee Counties.

Paid by Ben Albritton, Republican, for State Senator