In keeping with her record of defending the environment, State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) on Friday unanimously passed an environmental bill in a full vote on the Senate floor. SB 198 requires the Governor to make appointments to fill a vacancy on the Environmental Regulation Commission (ERC) within 90 days and requires a 4-vote majority of its members when approving rules pertaining to air quality or water quality standards.
“We are making certain that any future vacancies on the Environmental Regulation Commission—a commission that oversees our standards for ground water quality, air pollution standards, and emissions standards—are timely filled so that the interests of the people are fully protected,” said Sen. Stewart. “Unless there is representation from the environmental and local government communities, we jeopardize public health for the narrow pursuit of private profit.”
SB 198 is in response to a 3-2 ruling made last summer by the ERC that increased the allowable concentrations of over two dozen known carcinogens in Florida’s waters. At the time, two vacancies for representatives from the environmental and local government communities likely enabled the commission to approve proposed changes that allowed higher concentrations of cancer-causing agents in our water. Some of the approved industrial chemicals—such as benzene, cyanide and beryllium—are released by paper mills, dry cleaning companies, oil and gas drilling companies, and during fracking operations.
Heroin Trafficker Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison
Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced the sentencing of a heroin trafficker arrested during a massive drug bust in 2016. A Bradenton jury today found Michael Brian Brooks guilty of conspiracy to traffic heroin, 28 grams or more. The Honorable Stephen Dakan, Senior Judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit, sentenced Brooks to 25 years in prison and ordered Brooks to pay a $500,000 fine. Attorney General Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecuted Brooks and is prosecuting the remaining defendants connected to the investigation.
“Our nation is in the grip of a national opioid epidemic that is claiming the lives of Floridians—and we will not tolerate anyone selling heroin or any other illicit drugs in our state,” said Attorney General Bondi. “I want to thank my Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Drug Enforcement Administration and our local law enforcement partners for the great teamwork that lead to today’s prosecution and sentencing.”
The massive drug sweep that led to the arrest of Brooks and 14 other defendants took place in February of 2016, and targeted heroin trafficking in the Tampa Bay region. Attorney General Bondi’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, the DEA, the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office for the 12th Circuit conducted the yearlong joint investigation.
During the investigation, font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;”> law enforcement font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;”> seized large amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and heroin. The heroin seized has an estimated wholesale value of more than $250,000. The cocaine is valued at more than $100,000. Investigators also seized firearms, a hundred hydromorphone pills and more than $320,000 in cash and assets. The defendants are from Manatee, Hillsborough, Orange, Pasco and Pinellas Counties.
For more information on the joint investigation, click here.
Brooks is the first of the 15 defendants to take the case to trial. Four other defendants involved in the drug trafficking ring previously entered pleas and have been sentenced. Several other defendants have entered pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
Small Business Week Awards Presented at UNF
The 25th annual Small Business Week Celebration luncheon will take place 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at the University of North Florida’s Adam W. Herbert University Center, Building 43, Grand Banquet Hall, Room 1044. The event is presented by the Small Business Development Center at UNF with support from The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.
This year’s event features a keynote address on “The Entrepreneurial Culture, How to Engage and Empower Your People,” presented by Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan, founders of Barefoot Wine and best-selling authors of “The Barefoot Spirit.” Barefoot Wine started in the laundry room of a rented farmhouse. Without money or knowledge of the industry, Houlihan and Harvey used resourcefulness, innovation and a positive company culture to build one of the top commercial brands in the country.
Following the keynote, the U.S. Small Business Administration will present the annual Small Business Week awards, which spotlight outstanding contributions of North Florida business leaders and champions at the district level. The U.S. SBA will also recognize North Florida’s top SBA lenders with awards for significant participation in the 7(a) and 504 Loan programs, including:
- North Florida District and State of Florida Minority Owned Small Business Person of the Year: Hanan Hamed-Furqan, THREEZ Company president/CEO
- North Florida District Small Business Advocate of the Year: James Boyd Stallings, PS27 Ventures managing partner
- North Florida District Small Business Financial Advocate of the Year:Janice Bounds, vice president of SBA Lending, CBC National Bank
- North Florida, State of Florida, and Region IV 8(a) Graduate of the Year:Andrew “Andy” Harold, A. Harold and Associates president
The registration fee for this event is $40 per person. Corporate tables that seat eight are available for $350. To register, call (904) 620-2476 or visit the website.
UNF, a nationally ranked university located on an environmentally beautiful campus, offers students who are dedicated to enriching the lives of others the opportunity to build their own futures through a well-rounded education.
May Oral Arguments schedule and press summaries from Florida Supreme Court
New material has been posted to the Supreme Court website in:
ICYMI: 500 Floridians attend CRC public hearings in Gainesville and Jacksonville
Approximately 500 Floridians attended public hearings held by the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) on April 26 in Gainesville at the University of Florida (UF) and on April 27 in Jacksonville at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) as part of its, “Floridians Speak, We Listen” statewide tour. At UF, more than 100 individual Floridians requested to speak before the CRC and approximately 200 attended the hearing. At FSCJ, more than 110 individual Floridians spoke before the CRC and approximately 300 attended the hearing. Both hearings lasted longer than three hours and extended past the noticed end times. All Floridians who attended the public hearings and wanted to speak were given an opportunity to be heard by the CRC.
To watch the public hearings held in Gainesville and Jacksonville, visit the Florida Channel’s website which has a page dedicated to all CRC public hearings and meetings. Complete transcripts of the public hearings and appearance forms will be available online at flcrc.gov as soon as possible. The next public hearing held by the CRC will be on Wednesday, May 3, at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) in Panama City beginning at 4:00 PM Central Time. Visit flcrc.gov/Meetings/PublicHearings for the schedule of confirmed public hearings and full event details.
Floridians make their voices heard at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville.
(Photo by CRC)
Floridians make their voices heard at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
(Photo by CRC)
Bill giving state park discounts to foster & adoptive families passes Florida Legislature
SB 64/HB 185, State Park Fees, by Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) and Representative Larry Lee, Jr. (D-Port St. Lucie), passed the Florida Legislature yesterday. The bill provides licensed foster families and certain adoptive families with a free annual pass to state parks in Florida and a fifty percent discount on base campsite fees.
“We have these wonderful, generous families who open their homes because of their love of children,” said Senator Bean. “What better way to recognize them and show our appreciation than by allowing them to enjoy family time in Florida’s parks for free?”
There are currently over 32,000 children in Florida’s child welfare system. Each year, approximately 3,000 children are adopted and numerous others served by over 5,000 foster families in Florida.
“The contribution of Florida’s foster families is priceless, whether they help a child in need for a few weeks or provide a forever home,” stated Representative Lee.
Alan Abramowitz, Executive Director of Florida’s Guardian ad Litem Office, noted, “There are many kinds of heroes, and someone who tells a child that has been abused or neglected that he or she has a home is a hero in my book. We should support these families and celebrate them every way we can.”
SB 64/HB 185 allows the Division of Recreation and Parks, within the Department of Environmental Protection, to develop a procedure for families obtaining the state park discount. It also formalizes the partnership between the Division and the Department of Children and Families to promote fostering and the adoption of special needs children. HB 185 will now go before Governor Scott to be signed into law.
Click here to watch Senator Bean present the bill on the Senate floor.
ICYMI: WPEC: Gov. Scott supports President's proposed tax plan
“Gov. Scott Supports President’s Proposed Tax Plan”
WPEC (CBS) – West Palm Beach, FL
April 27, 2017
To view the clip, click HERE.
Snook to close in Gulf state and federal waters
Snook will close to all harvest in Gulf state, federal and inland waters, including all of Monroe County and Everglades National Park, starting May 1. Seasonal harvest closures conserve Florida’s valuable snook populations and help sustain and improve the fishery for the future.
Snook is open to harvest in Atlantic state, federal and inland waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, through May 31, closing June 1.
Both the Atlantic and Gulf will reopen for recreational snook harvest Sept. 1.
Snook are one of the many reasons Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. While snook may be caught and released during the closed season, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages anglers to handle their catch carefully to help the fish survive upon release. Proper handling methods can help ensure the species’ abundance for anglers today and generations to come. To learn more about fish handling, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Fish Handling.”
Anglers can report their catch on the Snook & Gamefish Foundation’s website at SnookFoundation.org by clicking on the “Angler Action Program” link in the bar at the top of the page.
Learn more about recreational fishing at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing” and “Recreational Regulations.”
Pulitzer Center awards international reporting grant to Flagler College student
Flagler College junior Jessica Rowan was recently awarded a prestigious international reporting grant from The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting in-depth engagement with underreported global affairs.
The Journalism major plans to investigate the struggle of Costa Rican children whose families can’t afford or find medical supplies to treat Type I diabetes. The topic is close to her heart: Her brother was diagnosed with the disease at a young age. When Rowan traveled and surfed in rural areas abroad, she wondered about the impact of restricted access to medical education and supplies. The Pulitzer grant is an opportunity for her to examine further the plight of affected Central American children.
“I am still in shock that my dream of investigative reporting and photojournalism is actually becoming a reality,” Rowan said. “It is just now sinking in that this is really going to happen.”
As part of the award, grantees are mentored by Pulitzer Center staff and journalists on their projects and their final work is featured on the organization’s website, with possible publication via other news media outlets.
Flagler College is a member of the Pulitzer Center’s Campus Consortium, a network of partnerships between the Center and colleges to engage with students and faculty on the most critical global issues of our time. In 2016, 31 students nationwide received Pulitzer reporting grants. This is the first year Flagler College has received one.
Rowan, along with 14 other students, prepared a grant proposal by taking a class titled “Global Issues and the Pulitzer Center,” taught by Dr. Brenda Kauffman. Assistant Professor of Communication Tracey Eaton, a seasoned journalist who also contributed to the course, spoke to the value of Pulitzer’s reporting grant.
“Students who are awarded travel grants journey to far-flung spots around the world in search of underreported stories of global significance,” he said. “These are amazing learning opportunities for student journalists. Jessie is a wonderful student and I know she’ll do a great job. I am confident that her project will help raise awareness of the struggle of diabetes patients in rural Costa Rica.”
Rowan will spend two weeks in Costa Rica in June conducting her research and reporting. She was one of five Flagler College finalists being considered for the award. The four others were Kathryn Ascher, Danielle Gellerman, Katherine Keithly and Katherine Lewin. To learn more about all of the Flagler projects proposed to the Pulitzer Center, visit here.
Environment Florida statement on Trump's expected offshore drilling executive order
President Trump issued an order directing the Secretary of Interior to revisit the 5 year drilling plan of proposed oil and gas development the the Outer Continental Shelf including the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico.
To clarify, while the executive order DOES NOT require leasing in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, opening the door to more drilling anywhere in the Gulf still threatens our coastal communities here in Florida. As we know from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, oil spills have no boundaries.
Jennifer Rubiello, state director of Environment Florida, issued the following updated statement:
“Florida’s coasts and oceans are home to stunning wildlife, beautiful beaches and support a robust tourism economy, all things that stand to lose from offshore drilling. The President’s action opens the door to expanded drilling into our public waters, including drilling that could threaten waters and coastal communities in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico – a move that goes against the values a majority of Floridians share: that our oceans and beaches should be preserved, not sold off to the highest bidder.
“Instead of risking our coasts, President Trump should pay attention to the thousands of citizens, fishermen, and business owners along Florida’s coasts and the millions of Americans from Alaska to Maine who have already said no to offshore drilling. Today’s action is the wrong decision and we will continue fighting in whatever venue it takes to block proposals to drill off our coasts.”
“Seven years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded causing the most massive oil spill in history, businesses, communities, and wildlife here in our Gulf region have yet to fully recover. This order exposes all of our oceans to similar risk of disaster.”
“To make matters worse, we are already experiencing record sea-level rise and extreme weather events fueled by climate change. We must not dig that hole any deeper by opening new areas to more drilling.”
The expected executive order comes just weeks before hundreds will gather on May 20th on Treasure Island and throughout Florida for Hands Across the Sand to oppose drilling off our shores and support clean, renewable energy.
