U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price today to express his concerns over the administration’s plan to cut funding to several federal programs aimed at curbing the spread of the Zika virus.
Nelson’s letter comes just one day after the Treasure Coast reported its first case of the Zika virus this year.
“I am concerned the Administration’s budget proposal would damage our country’s ability to adequately respond to the Zika virus,” Nelson wrote. “No state has been harder hit than Florida … Unfortunately, the Administration’s budget fails to continue our commitment to protect America’s public health, and instead slashes the very programs that have been effective in combatting the spread of the Zika virus.”
“Families in Florida and throughout the country deserve better,” Nelson continued. “I urge you to reconsider these cuts, and I stand ready to work with you to provide the resources our country needs to respond to the Zika virus.”
More than 1,300 cases of the Zika virus were reported in Florida last year. The Florida Department of Health has reported at least 50 new cases of the virus this year, including 19 in Miami-Dade, 12 in Broward, 3 in Orange, 3 in Hillsborough and 3 in Palm Beach.
Gov. Scott Honors 80 Veterans with Governor’s Veterans Service Medal
Governor Rick Scott today awarded 80 Florida veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Medal for their service to Florida and the nation.
Governor Scott said, “This week, we paid tribute to the fallen heroes of our Armed Forces on Memorial Day. It is so important that we appreciate and honor the service of our Armed Forces not just on holidays, but every day. I’m incredibly proud today to honor these brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting the families of our great nation and present them with the Veterans Service Medal.”
The Governor highlighted the following Florida veteran at today’s ceremony:
First Sergeant Daniel Cabrera
First Sergeant Daniel Cabrera enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1984 serving as a cavalry scout and transitioned to the Florida Army National Guard in 1988 as an Observational Helicopter Repairman. First Sergeant Cabrera has served in multiple leadership roles including his current assignment as the First Sergeant Crew Chief of the 1-185th Assault Helicopter Battalion. During his nearly 30 years of service, he has been deployed twice to Iraq and once to Kosovo. His outstanding service has been recognized with several decorations, including three Army Commendation Medals, two National Service Defense Medals, two Humanitarian Service Medals and the Combat Action Badge.
Florida PSC Urges Preparedness for Upcoming Hurricane Season
Forecasters predict yet another unpredictable Hurricane Season is on the way! One sure thing is that the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has the tools to help you plan for any possible storms this Hurricane Season: June 1 through November 30.
“Florida utilities’ storm response and restoration times have greatly improved due to ongoing hurricane preparedness initiatives. But, storm preparation is still key for residents,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “You can get started by visiting the PSC’s website. We have many helpful storm preparation materials.”
To begin your plan, tour the PSC’s “Hurricane House.” This online guide, available in English and Spanish, includes 19 tips to help prepare your family and your home for severe weather. Tips include everything from planning an evacuation route, to installing carbon monoxide detectors and dealing with downed power lines. The PSC’s website also features a consumer tip that details how to make a hurricane kit, as well as a storm preparation consumer tip.
Florida’s electric utilities and the Division of Emergency Management (DEM) updated the PSC on their storm preparation efforts on April 20, 2017. (Copies of their presentations are here.) After a hurricane-free decade, Florida felt the impacts from a few storms last year. Both the utilities and DEM reported that lessons learned and new technologies helped them prepare for the 2017 Hurricane Season, and they are ready should a storm reach Florida’s shores.
The CEOs of Florida’s five investor-owned utilities, along with executives from the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association, the Florida Municipal Electric Association, and DEM, also discussed how customer needs are met during and after storm-related events, including communication and restoration efforts.
Utility storm plans are designed to minimize electrical outages and help communities, businesses, and families return to normalcy as quickly as possible. The plans include PSC-mandated storm preparedness initiatives; facility inspections; maintenance and repairs; flooding and storm surge mitigation; wooden pole inspections; and coordination with other utilities, government, and community groups.
For more information on storm safety and storm-hardening tips, visit the PSC’s website, www.floridapsc.com, and the Division of Emergency Management’s website.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
State University System offers new “concierge” website for businesses
With just one stop, Business leaders can have access to new recruitment and informational tools on the revamped Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business website designed by the State University System of Florida.
The site hosts all in one place tools from Florida’s career resource centers as well as ExpertNet, an online resource that provides information about university experts, research centers and institutes, and opportunities for technology licensing. Additionally, the site connects employers to Florida’s 12 universities to help assist them in recruiting interns or employees. It also includes a listing of business-focused events at the universities, including upcoming career fairs.
“Our universities are the training ground for Florida’s future employees and entrepreneurs, even as they advance the discoveries and inventions that attract businesses and fuel the economy,” said Board of Governors Chair Tom Kuntz. “By staying focused on the needs of the business community, we’re doing everything possible to give our students and taxpayers the best possible return on investment.”
The State University System of Florida announced the Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business campaign last year to strengthen ties with the business community in the areas of talent, research and partnerships. The campaign includes regular events, speaking engagements, and various communications. The new tools on the website were built in response to a survey conducted by the State University System in partnership with the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Business leaders overwhelmingly responded that a central hub to recruit interns and employees and access information on university resources would benefit their companies.
“The State University System is a partner for thousands of Florida businesses, whether engaged in training future employees or commercializing research,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “By working together, we are building a strong foundation for Florida’s economic prosperity.”
“This is just the latest example of the State University System’s efforts to build greater synergies with employers and to serve as a resource for them,” said Marshall Criser III, State University System Chancellor. “We look forward to receiving feedback and to using this site to help businesses connect with the great talent, research, and partnerships available at our universities.”
Stetson University hosts two important exhibits at Hand Art Center
Inspirational works of Florida Highwaymen
and celebration of Oscar Bluemner’s 150 birthday
Highwayman Alfred Hair, 24×36-inch painting on Upson board.
Stetson University’s Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center summer exhibitions will feature works of the Florida Highwaymen and small works from the museum’s Oscar Bluemner collection.
The Florida Highwaymen: Art Innovators in a Civil Rights Epoch
June 3 – July 29
This exhibit will explore the African-American men and one woman who painted Florida’s natural landscape in a time when the country was emerging from the Jim Crow south and entering the tumultuous era of the Civil rights moment. This exhibit will feature more than 30 paintings from private collections throughout the state, many of which have never been shown publicly. Each work is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of these struggling artists and bears witness to the beautiful unspoiled Florida landscape.
The group of 26 landscape artists began in Ft. Pierce, Florida, with Alfred Hair, who had learned technical aspects of landscape painting from Albert E. “Bean” Backus. Hair realized the cultural and economic limitations he faced as a black man in the segregated, southern United States, and entered the marketplace by selling his paintings door-to-door. Eventually he employed a crew of friends as commissioned salesmen to sell paintings along the sides of the Florida’s highways — hence the name Florida Highwaymen. These friends also were interested in painting and with Backus’ assistance learned to create their own work. Today, the Florida Highwaymen and their work are considered an important part of American folk history.
Highwaymen exhibition in collaboration with Lisa Stone Arts.
Gallery walk through with photographer and author Gary Monroe, Saturday, June 3, 1 p.m.
Monroe writes about Florida artists and his books include The Highwaymen: Florida’s African-American Landscape Paintersand many other titles about this group of self-taught artists.
Oscar Bluemner: A Birthday Potpourri – Small Works from the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection
June 3-July 29
The art center’s 150th birthday celebration for Oscar Bluemner will include an exhibit of 39 small works that offer the exquisite visual experience that viewers have come to expect in a display drawn from the Hand Art Center’s keynote collection. The center is home to the largest collection of art by modernist painter Oscar Bluemner, with more than 1,000 pieces bequeathed to the university by the artist’s daughter, Vera Bluemner Kouba.
“Few of the exhibit’s small works have ever been shown before,” said Tonya Curran, director of the Hand Art Center. “That makes his birthday a great time to celebrate Bluemner’s work and to look at some examples that are very different thematically from what has been shown before. These are special pieces, unique in their own ways.”
Oscar Bluemner Birthday Celebration, June 21, 4-6 p.m.
Celebration including birthday cake to mark Bluemner’s 150th birthday.
Oscar Bluemner and “The Great American Painting,” July 8, 1 p.m.
Lecture with Dr. Roberta Smith Favis, curator of the Oscar Bluemner collection at Stetson.
If You Go
The Hand Art Center is on the Stetson University campus at 139 East Michigan Avenue, DeLand, Florida, 32723. It is open to the public free of charge. In addition to the Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection, it has a broad collection of artwork by Stetson University students, art faculty and alumni. The 5,000-square-foot building includes multiple galleries: The Oscar Bluemner Gallery exhibits rotating selections of the artist’s work and the Gary Libby Gallery hosts exhibits from the university’s permanent art collection or special shows. Except for holidays and school vacations, Hand Art Center is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturday, noon-4 p.m. All exhibits are open to the public free of charge.
Media Advisory From The Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga, Judge Bertila Soto
Hold Media Availability Friday, Before Access to Civil Justice Commission Meeting
Who: Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and Eleventh Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Bertila Soto
What: Media Availability to discuss the work of the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, a workshop with the Commission’s Council of Business Partners, and an overview of a Florida Bar Foundation effort, Everyone Counts Day, to survey on a single day self-represented litigants in Eleventh Circuit civil courts.
When: 10 a.m., Friday, June 2
Where: Pan Am Ballroom, Miami Sheraton Hotel, 3900 NW 21st Street, Miami
Streaming: Media availability at 10 a.m. and Commission meeting at 1 p.m. aired on The Florida Channel on cable systems and streaming at thefloridachannel.org.
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga will lead a media availability to discuss the continuing work of the standing Commission on Access to Civil Justice ahead of its meeting that day in Miami. He will be joined by Eleventh Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Bertila Soto.
The commission works to address the barriers of access to civil justice faced by hundreds of thousands of Floridians. There is no legal representation guaranteed low- or moderate-income people and many face the prospect of civil cases related to veterans’ benefits, foreclosures, child custody, debt collection, and other vital matters without a lawyer.
While the people of Florida have access to do-it-yourself forms and guides, pro bono representation, and limited formalized legal aid services, the need for innovative approaches to the problem is great. The Access to Civil Justice Commission has initiated pilot programs and undertaken other programs to help determine the best way forward to expand basic access to the civil justice system.
A one-day survey of Eleventh Circuit civil court proceedings conducted by The Florida Bar Foundation showed 63 percent of litigants observed in seven Miami-Dade County courthouses were not represented by an attorney.
Gov. Scott Statement on Orlando International Airport Incident
Governor Rick Scott today released the following statement regarding the incident at the Orlando International Airport this evening.
Governor Scott said, “I have remained in constant communication with City of Orlando Police Chief John Mina, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings,
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen, and FDLE Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks regarding the incident tonight at Orlando International Airport. I want to thank law enforcement for their quick response and efforts to put the suspect in custody and keep families safe. The people of Orlando are lucky to have such dedicated officers protecting them each day.”
Gov. Scott Appoints Five to Construction Industry Licensing Board
Governor Rick Scott today announced the appointment of three and the reappointment of two to the Construction Industry Licensing Board.
Michael Strickland, 43, of Lakeland, is the president of Strickland Construction, Inc. He is reappointed for a term beginning May 30, 2017, and ending October 31, 2020.
Frank Cawthon, 54, of Windermere, is the president of Florida Home Construction of Central Florida, Inc. and FHC Development. He succeeds William Sheehan and is appointed for a term beginning May 30, 2017, and ending October 31, 2018.
Keith Lawson, II, 46, of Tallahassee, is the president of Keith Lawson Company, Inc. He is reappointed for a term beginning May 30, 2017, and ending October 31, 2020.
Robert Maphis, 47, of Windermere, is the vice president of The Collage Companies. He fills a vacant seat and is appointed for a term beginning May 30, 2017, and ending October 31, 2017.
Edgar Laney, 71, of Jacksonville, is the president of The Laney Company General Contractor, Corp. He succeeds Robert Moody and is appointed for a term beginning May 30, 2017, and ending October 31, 2019.
These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.
Longwood woman wins top prize playing $1,000,000 CASHWORD Scratch-Off game
Susan Silberbusch, along with her mother and daughter, poses with her oversized
check after claiming a $1 million prize in the $1,000,000 CASHWORD Scratch-Off game.
The Florida Lottery announces that Susan Silberbusch, 50, of Longwood, claimed a top prize in the $1,000,000 CASHWORD Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $760,000.00.
Silberbusch purchased her winning ticket from Publix, located at 3044 South Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach Shores. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $10 Scratch-Off game, $1,000,000 CASHWORD, launched in May 2016, and features eight top prizes of $1 million and more than 2.9 million winning tickets. The overall odds of winning are one-in-3.39.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 65 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $734 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2015-16.
Governor Scott to Award Florida Veterans with Veterans Service Medals
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tomorrow, May 31st, Governor Rick Scott will honor Florida veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Medal at the National Guard Armory in Brooksville.
WHAT: Veterans Award Ceremony
WHEN: 9:00am
WHERE: National Guard Armory
16386 Spring Hill Drive
Brooksville, Florida 34604
