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Secretary Ken Detzner Announces Launch of Florida Music Tours

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Listen, learn and visit now at FloridaMusicTours.com

Secretary of State Ken Detzner and the Florida Department of State today announced the launch of Florida Music Tours, a new educational, travel and media website that spotlights Florida’s important role in American musical history and promotes the state as a top destination for music enthusiasts. Each Florida Music Tour will act as an interactive guide to a musical genre or style that takes a visitor through Florida’s musical history and across the state to where that music originated and where it can be heard today.
“Florida Music Tours is a great way for music fans, history lovers, educators and visitors to experience Florida’s history through music,” said Secretary Detzner. “The website makes it easy to listen to Florida’s traditional music, learn about influential performers and visit music festivals, venues and historical sites throughout Florida. We look forward to working with musicians, venues, researchers and museums across the state as we share Florida’s deep roots in American musical history.”
Florida Music Tours is kicking off this weekend, May 26-28, at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida where a number of the musicians featured on the site are performing.
The debut Florida Music Tour, Florida’s Got the Blues, spotlights the history of blues music in Florida as well as related genres of gospel, jazz and rhythm and blues. In the coming months, additional Florida Music Tours will be added that feature rock and roll, old time string and folk, Latin American and Caribbean, country and more. Music fans can experience the Florida’s Got the Blues Music Tour during the tour’s launch party on June 3 in Tallahassee at the Bradfordville Blues Club concert featuring Joey Gilmore.
Florida Music Tours incorporates a variety of resources from the Florida Department of State, including Florida Memory Radio which provides streaming audio of bluegrass and old-time, blues, folk, gospel, Latin and world music from the Florida Folklife Collection. The website also features media from the State Library and Archives of Florida and spotlights musicians that are Florida Folk Heritage Award winners and Florida Artists Hall of Fame inductees.
Start your Florida Music Tour today by visiting FloridaMusicTours.com and following Florida Music Tours on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Division of Cultural Affairs
The Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs is Florida’s legislatively designated state arts agency. The Division promotes the arts and culture as essential to quality of life for all Floridians. To achieve its mission, the Division funds and supports cultural programs that provide artistic excellence, diversity, education, access and economic vitality for Florida’s communities. For more information, visit dos.myflorida.com/cultural.
About the Florida Folklife Program
The Florida Folklife Program, a component of the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources, documents and presents Florida’s folklife, folklore and folk arts. The program coordinates a wide range of activities and projects designed to increase the awareness of Floridians and visitors alike about Florida’s traditional culture. Established in 1979 by the legislature to document and present Florida folklife, this program is one of the oldest state folk arts programs in the nation. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation/folklife.
About Florida Memory
Florida Memory provides free online access to significant photographs, films, sound recordings, and original documents from the collections of the State Library and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory is funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services. Visit floridamemory.com for more information.

Governor’s SB 106 Veto a Win for Small Business

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Statement on Gov. Scott’s veto of SB106 by Tim Nungesser, National Federation of Independent Business/Florida’s Legislative Director:
“This bill would have decimated small locally owned liquor stores. Though proponents claimed this was a free market bill, it was nothing more than an attempt to use the statute to corner the market on liquor.
“Governor Scott stood up for small business tonight by vetoing the Whiskey and Wheaties bill.”

Statement by Floridians for Fair Business Practices regarding Veto of SB 106

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“Floridians for Fair Business Practices would like to thank our coalition members and supporters, sponsors Senate President Pro Tempore Anitere Flores and Representative Bryan Avila, as well as lawmakers in the House and Senate who have advocated for a repeal of Florida’s outdated alcohol separation law.
We have made tremendous progress in the last four years and there is a clear momentum in Florida for this common-sense approach to liquor sales. While Governor Scott ultimately chose to veto Senate Bill 106, we look forward to working with state leaders in the future to finally put an end to this outdated, Prohibition-era law.”
Floridians for Fair Business Practices is a coalition of retailers and business groups whose purpose is to identify rules and regulations which prohibit the growth and expansion of Florida businesses. For additional information, please visit www.FairBizinFlorida.com.

DEO Encourages Local Communities to Apply For Grant Programs to Improve Economic Development Efforts

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The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) invites communities across Florida to submit proposals for three grant funding opportunities for the upcoming fiscal year.

DEO Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “DEO is committed to using our resources and tools to help all Florida communities and their residents flourish. The Competitive Florida programs and Community Planning Technical Assistance grants are critical tools that help support communities in need across the state. These programs help communities strengthen infrastructure, enhance business development and improve their residents’ quality of life.”
Communities qualifying for the Competitive Florida Partnership Grant include all rural Florida counties and their municipalities, or rural municipalities in an urban county. The Competitive Florida Partnership provides grant funding and staff support in the first year of the program. In year two, communities continue to receive technical assistance from DEO and may be eligible for additional grants. The Competitive Florida Partnership began in 2013 to help rural communities meet their goals with expert support and additional resources that may be otherwise unavailable.
Competitive Florida Economic Development Project Grants are available to all counties and municipalities to help the community learn more about local assets and economic conditions, and develop a specific local project. Grant awards range from $5,000 and $15,000.
Community Planning Technical Assistance Grants are available to all counties and municipalities for one fiscal year. Regional Planning Councils may also be eligible for projects at a regional scale that include more than one county. Projects seeking grant funding must be completed by June 1, 2018. Typical grant awards will be between $25,000 and $40,000 per project.
Proposals must be received by the department by June 23, 2017 at 11:59 p.m.
For more details on the Competitive Florida program, click here.
For more information on DEO’s technical assistance efforts, click here.

Sen. Bill Nelson statement on CBO score

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Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on the Congressional Budget Office report on the Republican health care plan:
“This Republican health care bill is a disaster. It takes health care coverage away from 23 million people, allows older Americans to be charged more and ends the guarantee of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. We should be focused on improving our nation’s health care system, not making it worse.”
 

Nine Arrested for Illegal Harvesting of Alligators and Eggs

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Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission today announced nine arrests for illegally harvesting alligators and eggs. Authorities have uncovered more than 10,000 illegally harvested American alligator eggs.
“This massive criminal operation dealing in American alligators and their eggs undermines legitimate farmers operating legally,” said Attorney General Bondi. “I want to thank the FWC for their superb investigative work and look forward to my Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecuting those involved in this reckless illegal operation.”
The arrests follow a comprehensive investigation into the unlawful commercialization of alligators through alligator farms. As part of the investigation, FWC established an undercover alligator farming business, Sunshine Alligator Farm, in Arcadia. The investigation revealed that substantial numbers of illegally taken wild alligators and eggs were being removed from the wild and laundered through certain alligator farms. Some of the defendants took undercover officers on alligator hunts and illegally caught and sold alligators.
Authorities arrested the following defendants in connection to this case:

  • Robert Albritton, 36, Arcadia;
  • Robert Beasley; 38, Arcadia;
  • Christopher Briscall, 22, Fort Denaud;
  • Jacob Bustin-Pitts, 23, Fort Denaud;
  • Matthew Evors, 24, Fort Denaud;
  • David Nellis, 73, Punta Gorda;
  • Wayne Nichols, 42, Arcadia;
  • Carl Wayne Pickle Jr., 47, Arcadia; and
  • Isaiah Romano, 22, Fort Denaud.

All nine of the defendants face charges for the illegal killing, possessing or capturing of alligators or eggs. The defendants face a range of additional serious charges including racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, scheme to defraud, conspiracy to deal in stolen property and the intentional killing or wounding of any species of special concern.
The investigation is still ongoing and additional arrests are expected.

Camp Blanding Memorial Day Ceremony

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Annual event honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice

The Camp Blanding Museum will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony honoring those who died while serving.  The keynote speaker for the event is State Rep. Bobby Payne, District 19.  The special guest speaker is Former Adjutant General of Florida, Maj. Gen. Ronald O. Harrison, U.S. Army (ret.).  General Harrison is a native Floridian, a graduate of Florida State University, and served as the Adjutant General (TAG) of Florida from March 1, 1992 to Nov. 3, 2001. In his role as TAG, he served as the Governor’s senior military advisor and led the Florida National Guard through two of the most defining events in recent memory – Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His accomplishments span a number of other areas, to include creation of the Florida Counterdrug Academy and the Drug Demand Reduction Program in Florida. Harrison continues to consult and advise the National Guard on military and homeland security issues.
The ceremony will include the traditional wreath laying and a 21 gun salute.
WHAT: Camp Blanding Joint Training Center will host annual Memorial Day Ceremony
WHEN: Monday, May 29, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Camp Blanding Museum & Memorial Park, near the main gate – 5629 State Rd. 16 West, Starke, Fla. 32091

FWC uncovers major alligator violations in long-term covert investigation

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On Wednesday, May 24, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers arrested nine suspects for violations of Florida’s laws pertaining to possession of American alligator, alligator egg harvesting, interstate transport of alligator eggs and hatchlings, falsifying official records, dealing in stolen property, conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering and other wildlife violations. These serious charges include first-, second- and third-degree felonies.
These charges are the result of a multiyear undercover operation initiated in 2015 by the FWC Division of Law Enforcement’s Investigations Section. FWC undercover officers managed to become part of the alligator farming community to gain information and evidence about poachers who were breaking the law in regard to the FWC’s public and private lands alligator egg harvesting program and alligator farming.
During the course of the investigation, FWC undercover officers documented numerous criminal violations, resulting in the arrest of nine individuals for 44 felony violations.
Investigators documented over 10,000 illegally harvested eggs during the course of the undercover operation.
“Many of these suspects were part of a criminal conspiracy,” said Maj. Grant Burton, head of the FWC’s Investigations Section. “Their crimes pose serious environmental and economic consequences. These suspects not only damage Florida’s valuable natural resources, they also harm law-abiding business owners by operating black markets that undermine the legal process.”
Wildlife conservation laws are in place to protect and manage Florida’s precious natural resources for legitimate use by the public. When people break those laws, they jeopardize the ability of the state to manage those resources for the future. If left unchecked, this valuable natural resource could have been severely damaged.
There are aspects of this investigation that are still ongoing, and the FWC expects more arrests to be forthcoming.
The public can help by reporting suspected violations to the FWC. To make a report, call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or text [email protected].
The suspects and their charges are as follows:
Robert Kelly Albritton (DOB 01/21/1981) of Arcadia

  • One felony count of Racketeering.
  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
  • One felony count of Scheme to Defraud.
  • Fourteen felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.

Robert Thomas Beasley (DOB 02/05/1979) of Arcadia

  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
  • Six felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.

David Wentworth Nellis (DOB 10/10/1943) of Punta Gorda

  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
  • One felony count of Uttering a Forged Instrument.
  • One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs.

Carl Wayne Pickle Jr. (DOB 12/22/1969) of Arcadia

  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering.
  • Four felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligator Eggs/Alligators.

Wayne Andrew Nichols (DOB 07/15/1975) of Arcadia

  • Three felony counts of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
  • One felony count of Unlawful Killing of White Ibis.
  • One first-degree misdemeanor count of Attempting to Take White Ibis.

Christopher Lee Briscall (DOB 01/28/1995) of Fort Denaud

  • One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.

Matthew Edward Evors (DOB 10/20/1992) of Cape Coral

  • One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.

Isaiah Joseph Romano (DOB 12/17/1994) of Fort Denaud

  • One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.

Jacob Oliver Bustin-Pitts (DOB 11/11/1993) of Fort Denaud

  • One felony count of Unlawful Possession of Alligators.
  • One felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Dealing in Stolen Property.